September 2023

Dear Friends,  

September has been a month for celebration despite the political climate in North Carolina that places power over people. After 13 years of tireless work, we are heartened that Medicaid expansion will begin on December 1—a victory that took many years of tireless work by our health advocates and their partners across the state. Now, 600,000 more North Carolinians will be able to access quality, lifesaving healthcare. We are so thrilled—and we couldn’t have done it without your support. Whether you shared your story at an advocacy day, wrote to a lawmaker, or contributed financially, you helped get Medicaid expansion across the finish line. Thank you.  

We also came together this month for our annual Defenders of Justice Awards gala, where we recognized North Carolinians fighting for racial, social, and economic justice. Thanks to our community, many members of whom sponsored or attended the event, it was a huge success. The collective passion for the issues impacting our most vulnerable neighbors was inspiring, and I am already looking forward to next year.  

We greatly appreciate your ongoing partnership and support of the NC Justice Center. Together, we are making a difference.  

In solidarity,  

Reggie Shuford 
Executive Director 

North Carolina will finally launch Medicaid expansion on December 1

The North Carolina Justice Center is thrilled that our state has, at long last, set a December 1 launch date for Medicaid expansion. After 10 long years, over 600,000 North Carolinians are now finally guaranteed a path to health coverage and will no longer have to live in fear of getting sick and facing medical bills they can’t afford. We also celebrate this moment with all the supporters who joined us in the fight to make sure Medicaid expansion goes live this year, including people in the coverage gap, families who lost loved ones, grassroots advocates, community organizers, and partner organizations. 

The NC Justice Center is looking forward to supporting Medicaid expansion by hosting enrollment events across the state and sharing information that will help all eligible North Carolinians get covered. As always, we are committed to continuing the fight to ensure that people across our state can get the high-quality, affordable, and comprehensive health coverage they need and deserve.
 

On September 22, the NC General Assembly passed a $30 billion state budget after a costly two-month delay that reflected an unconscionable disregard for teachers, state employees, and our fellow North Carolinians in the health insurance coverage gap. Thousands have been denied life-saving health insurance for months due to this delay, with the final budget favoring corporate interests and tax breaks for the wealthy over stable public institution funding.

While the budget expands Medicaid, it underinvests in public education, resulting in teacher shortages and inadequate salaries. It also significantly expands an unregulated private school voucher program, benefiting the wealthy at the expense of public schools. North Carolinians deserve a budget that addresses healthcare, properly funds education, and supports those with low incomes. We must center policy choices that address the needs of our marginalized neighbors to make our state fairer and more equitable for all.

Shray Shetty joined the NC Justice Center as the Leslie J. Winner Public & Civil Rights Fellow in August 2023. Before coming to the NC Justice Center, he worked at Legal Aid of North Carolina as a rural anti-poverty attorney in Morganton, North Carolina, focusing on domestic violence prevention and eviction diversion. Shray also worked as a community organizer and in state government before going on to receive his law degree from Duke Law School. 

Join us in welcoming Shray to the NC Justice Center Team!

The NC Justice Center’s annual Defenders of Justice Gala was held on Sunday, September 17. Through this event, we were able to honor the inspirational work of leaders in the fight for justice in our community, as well as raise funds to support the NC Justice Center’s critical programs. We send enormous thanks to our generous sponsors at this sold-out event. 

Congratulations to this year’s awardees!

On Labor Day, the NC Justice Center’s Workers’ Rights Project released the State of Working Women - 2023 State of Working NC Report. This year’s report highlights what it means to be a woman fighting workplace inequality, with the inclusion of the perspectives of working women and interactive visualizations reflecting the data on these disparities.

Women in North Carolina are over-represented in low wage work; make less than their white, male coworkers even in the same role; and shoulder the overwhelming majority of unpaid caregiving thanks to a lack of affordable care options, leading them to unemployment or underemployment. These factors disproportionately affect women working in our state, perpetuating women’s poverty, preventing their workplace advancement, and delaying or otherwise limiting their ability to retire. 

The NC Justice Center’s Executive Director Reggie Shuford was honored with an Emerging Leader Award at the White Lotus Leadership Awards Gala on Saturday, September 16. The gala, hosted by NC Project Lead, is dedicated to honoring regional and national leaders mitigating the social-economic and political determinants of health, with proceeds benefiting The Village for Scholars STEAM Education and The White Coat Youth Mentoring Program.

With a career spanning over 25 years, Reggie has consistently championed social justice advocacy across the United States. We are immensely pleased to congratulate him on this well-deserved recognition of his invaluable contributions. 

Last week, September 17-24, was National Expungement Week, during which supporters joined us in urging their lawmakers to support fair chances and pass SB565. Senate Bill 565 paves the way for true transformation. It embraces automated processes, shifting the burden of expunction from individuals to the state. Utilize our platform to reach out to your legislators and voice your support for Senate Bill 565. 

Approximately 1.6 million North Carolinians carry a criminal record, a burden that disproportionately affects communities of color. This record serves as a significant roadblock to critical opportunities such as quality employment, affordable housing, and higher education. For those who carry the weight of a criminal record, every step toward meaningful opportunities is met with barriers that often seem insurmountable. We believe it's time to dismantle these barriers and provide a second chance for those who deserve it the most. 

On September 21, the NC Justice Center’s Workers’ Rights Project led a bilingual training on fundamental labor rights, especially priority issues for protein processing workers. The training, hosted in collaboration with Sur Legal Collaborative, Health Within Our Reach and Centro de los Derechos del Migrante Inc., covered relevant issues such as child labor, deferred action, accidents, and illnesses. 

Presenters emphasized that workers in North Carolina have the right to be paid for all of their work, to be free from workplace discrimination, and to have a safe and healthy workplace. They also shared how workers can build collective power to defend their rights.

The North Carolina Justice Center
224 S. Dawson Street  | Raleigh, North Carolina 27601
919-856-2570 | contact@ncjustice.org

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