Remarkable UNC Chapel Hill first year student and activist Wooten Gough will be missing finals this year. Gough has arranged with his professors to leave school early — in order to go for a very long walk.

After meeting Trail of Dreams walkers and immigration reform activists Juan Rodriguez, Carlos Roa, Felipe Matos and Gaby Pacheco during their passage through North Carolina, Gough was inspired to join them.

A member of Reform Immigration for American and the Coalition for College Access, Gough passionately believes that all students deserve access to higher education, regardless of their documentation status.

“In class, I see these empty chairs around me where my friends could be here who are undocumented,” says Gough, “Why would I stop [pushing for reform]?”

“I can no longer wait around to see what might happen, but instead stand up and fight for what is right! Each step on the Trail of Dreams is for a real person, a real face, a real life, and above all, each step is for the dreams of a student. This is not just a Latino issue, this movement is for anyone who has ever been told they cannot accomplish something, for anyone who has a dream.”

Gough will join the dreamwalkers on their journey from Miami to Washington, D.C. for the final leg of their trip starting in Richmond, Virginia. Check out his blog. He needs to raise $1000 to pay for food and accomodations along the way. To help him, donate here.

Check out the Daily Tar Heel’s video profile of Gough, or
SCSJ’s Statement of Support for Trail of Dreams for more information.

The best way to hold law enforcement accountable is to KNOW YOUR RIGHTS!

SCSJ's Anita Earls participated in a police accountability workshop in Williamston, North Carolina on Saturday, April 10. Representatives from the National NAACP Criminal Justice Program presented information about the NAACP’s national Rapid Report System, a user-friendly, online reporting tool for witnesses or victims of police misconduct. The innovative RRS form allows residents to send instant texts, emails, or video reports of police abuse to the Association via cell phone.

If you experience or witness an incident involving police misconduct of any nature, report it from your mobile phone or on this web form e. Keeping records of law enforcement misconduct is critical for pursuing reform. Report any misconduct you witness and Know Your Rights!

We were sad to see the dreamwalkers go. Trail of Dreams is one of the most inspiring ongoing nonviolent action movements. When the dreamers came upon a secret detention facility for undocumented immigrants in Cary, instead of engaging in destructive or angry behavior, they continued their work putting a human face to the 65,000 undocumented students who graduate high school every year but are denied college access because of their immigration status.

In this video, the dreamers spoke with the head of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement at the facility and gave him a poster with a picture of the Statue of Liberty and the words "No Human Being is Illegal."

For more check out Trail of Dreams, SCSJ's Statement of Support, or our Press Release.

On January 1, 2010, Juan, Carlos, Felipe and Gaby embarked on a 1,500 mile walk from Miami to Washington, D.C. These students are facing much more than sore feet; three of them are undocumented, and they risk deportation and detention in order to share their story and raise awareness about the need for just immigration reform.

Trail of Dreams is a journey of hope for the 12 million undocumented migrants in the United States who live in constant fear, and especially for the students who dream of higher education but are barred from attending college or accessing financial aid because of their citizenship status.

Felipe is among the top 20 community college students in America. He wants to be a teacher and has been accepted to top universities but cannot enroll because he is ineligible for financial aid. Gaby has three education degrees and plans to use music therapy as a teaching tool for autistic children and adults. Brought to the U.S. at age 2, Carlos wanted to join the military but could not because of his immigration status. He is now studying architecture at Miami Dade College. Juan became a U.S. resident last year with the help of his stepmother and wants to earn a sociology degree from the University of Chicago.

These four stellar students exemplify why we must pass the DREAM Act.
65,000 students graduate high school every year, but are denied college access because of our broken and unjust immigration system. These students include Valedictorians, class presidents, and community leaders. Yet they are refused the opportunity to further their education and give back to America — the country they see as their home.

Juan, Carlos, Felipe and Gaby are walking from Chapel Hill to Durham today. We applaud their courage and conviction. They are more than a symbol of hope — they are leaders in a movement for change. Join them.

For more information, check out our Statement of Support, our Press Release, and this column in the Daily Tar Heel.

On March 20, approximately 120 residents, public officials and advocates participated in the Environmental Justice Summit in the historically black First Baptist Church in New Hill.

The summit discussed the struggle of the New Hill Community Association (NHCA) against the placement of a sewage wastewater treatment plant in their community in the larger context of environmental racism and injustice.

The plant would benefit Cary, Apex, Holly Springs and Morrisville, but would not benefit New Hill residents, who do not have a sewage system. Residents argue selection of the site was reverse-engineered, failed to include requisite public input, and has one of the largest human impacts of any of the sites considered. The plant would be located in the middle of town, next to the historic district and low-income housing for people of color.

The summit was co-sponsored by NHCA, SCSJ, and the NC Environmental Justice Network. Attendees engaged in community dialogue, learned about the latest developments, and participated in a press conference. In addition, attendees engaged in a question and answer session after a panel discussion with President of the New Hill Community Association Paul Barth, Co-Director of the NC Environmental Justice Network Gary Grant, UNC-Chapel Hill Professor of Epidemiology Dr. Steve Wing, a leader in the Rogers-Eubanks community's environmental justice struggle Reverend Robert Campbell, and the SCSJ staff attorney representing New Hill Chris Brook.

Check out this video created by SCSJ and shown at the summit:

The New Hill community marched in Historic Thousands on Jones Street (HKonJ) Saturday, February 27 in solidarity with Point 10 of the HKonJ Peoples’ Agenda, promoting environmental justice.

New Hill has been a target of environmental racism and is currently fighting the placement of a wastewater treatment plant right next to their historic district and low-income, minority housing. The sewage plant will not serve New Hill.

A big shout out to the N&O's coverage of the event, especially this photo of the New Hill contingent.

For more information, please read our Press Release, visit our New Hill Page, or visit the home page of the New Hill Community Association.

SCSJ has submitted an official response on behalf of the New Hill Community Association to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regarding the Corps’ Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS).

The attempt to locate a wastewater treatment plant in the center of New Hill is not the first incident of environmental racism the community has experienced. New Hill is a rural, majority-minority community in Western Wake County where the Shearon Harris nuclear power plant was located. Residents have been fighting the placement of the sewage plant in their community (which will not serve local residents) since 2005, and have received the support of the NC Environmental Justice Network and the NAACP in addition to SCSJ.

SCSJ has found that:

• The selection of New HIll ("Site 14") was reverse-engineered to avoid adequate public input and without sufficient consideration to the environmental and human impacts associated with this site.
• The selection of Site 14 will have a direct and major impact on the New Hill Historic District and minority community.
• Locating the plant in New Hill has much larger human and environmental justice impacts than other suitable alternatives.
• The FEIS does not make clear how the disposal sewage sludge, which contains “a wide range of toxic substances and chemical compounds,” will occur. The options under consideration may contaminate groundwater in New Hill or result in nearby residents unwittingly inhaling sewage sludge residue.

Please join us next Saturday, February 27 at 9:30am at Shaw University to show support for Point 10 of the HKonJ Peoples’ Agenda to “Promote Environmental Justice” at HkonJ (Historic Thousands on Jones Street).

For more information, please read our Press Release, visit our New Hill Page, or visit the home page of the New Hill Community Association.

SCSJ partnered with the National Immigration Bond Fund in September to provide legal and bond assistance to persons arrested by local authorities and detained for removal proceedings.

The purpose of the partnership is to:

• Educate the public about the importance of getting out of immigration detention and obtaining an attorney to have a fair hearing
• Call attention to the problems of local enforcement of immigration law
• Provide bond assistance to individuals who cannot otherwise afford to pay an immigration bond

Through this partnership, if families can raise 50% of the bond, they can apply to SCSJ for matching funds for the remainder of the bond, which the Bond Fund will supply to SCSJ in the form of a 0% interest loan. The loan is repaid when the case is completed and the bond returned.

To learn more about the Bond Fund or to read the stories of some of our Bond Fund clients, check out the new Immigration Bond Fund section of our webite.