End of Year Message From SCSJ Board Chair
Dear friends,
In June 2009, Anna Sanchez* was terrified. She didn't sleep at night, couldn't eat or walk down the street without looking behind her. She was the target of a man claiming to be an Immigration Customs Enforcement agent who turned out to work for another agency inside the Department of Homeland Security. He led her to believe that unless she complied with his demands for sexual favors, she would be sent to prison and deported. Fortunately, her medical care providers contacted SCSJ's attorneys. We documented the harassment, provided her safe haven to talk to law enforcement agents, and defended her right to remain in this country. The man stalking her has confessed to the crime and is now awaiting sentencing. Anna is able to laugh again.
More importantly, this case and others are helping us build a compelling case for comprehensive and fundamental reform in how this country treats immigrants. We could not do this work without your support. It's been a big year for us, and though we've had a number of successes, there are huge challenges ahead. For SCSJ to continue working on many critical struggles in the South, we need your contribution of $25, $50, $100 or more. In difficult financial times, it is more important than ever that we support the work being done by communities in the South. With your support, we can support and defend communities as we work for justice now and in the future.
Sincerely,
Jeremy Collins
SCSJ Board Chair
* a pseudonym
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Thursday, December 10 - Join SCSJ on International Human Rights Day
Join the Southern Coalition for Social Justice and Women Make Movies film producer Ruth Cowan for a screening of "Courting Justice" at Union Baptist Church in Durham.
"Courting Justice" is an award-winning documentary film about the South African women who make up 18% of the country's judiciary.
The film will be followed by a roundtable with North Carolina Judges Elaine Bushfan, Wanda Bryant, and Justice Timmons-Goodson to discuss the role of the judiciary in advancing human rights and their experiences as women of color in a field historically dominated by white men.
When: Thursday, December 10, 7pm-9pm
Where: Union Baptist Church, 904 N. Roxboro St., Durham, NC
RSVP on Facebook
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Want to support SCSJ? Become a SCSJ Sustainer!
An easy way to support social justice work in the South is to become a monthly contributor to SCSJ. In these difficult economic times, your monthly contribution means more than ever to our work. All sustainers who donate before the end of the year will also receive a stylish SCSJ coffee mug! It's easy to sign up on our website with a credit or debit card - just check the box that says "make this a monthly contribution".
IN THIS ISSUE (click a link below to jump to a particular issue)
SCSJ WORK IN THE NEWS
"Minor Wrongs Still Risk Deportation" - News & Observer, Nov 22, 2009.
On the Radio: SCSJ NC Census Outreach Organizer, Avery Book discusses the 2010 Census with Pat Murray of the Durham Skywriter on 90.7 WNCU. Listen to the Podcast.
"Tougher Rules on Policing Illegal Immigrants" - Los Angeles Times, Oct 14, 2009
"Heir's Property Facilitating a Solution for the Worst Problem You Never Heard Of" - The Peacemaker, Oct 1, 2009
"Latino officials express importance of being counted in U.S. Census" - The Daily Reflector, Sept 20, 2009?
"Waste Dumping In The Historic Black North Carolina Community of New Hill in Wake County" Black Talk Media Project, Sept 11, 2009
"Army Corps has wetland issues with N.C. OLF sites" - Virginia Pilot, Sept 6, 2009
SCSJ has just released our first annual report. Covering 2008-2009, this report covers our major areas of work and includes profiles of cases and projects that promote heirs' property preservation, justice for immigrants, human rights, healthcare access, minority voting rights, environmental justice, criminal justice reform, and fair housing. We also detail our exciting plans for growth, reveal our fundraising goals for 2010, and recognize the many individuals and foundations that have contributed to make our work a success.
You can download a copy of the annual report on our website or you can request a print copy by emailing Jillian@scsj.org.
In 2009 SCSJ established a mini-grant program to support organizations in North Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, Florida, and Louisiana working to reduce an undercount in the communities most at-risk of being undercounted in the 2010 Census. We are pleased to announce that SCSJ awarded grants to 29 amazing organizations around the South.
Feature Grantee:
The Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials (GALEO)
The Latino Community Development Fund of GALEO is holding a statewide art/essay contest to promote Census awareness in the Hispanic/Latino community in Georgia, to decrease fear and misunderstandings about the Census, and to encourage the community to complete and mail back their questionnaires. Contestants will focus on the importance of the Census and how an accurate count will reflect the diversity in their communities.
The contest will have 3 divisions for children, based on grade, and one adult division. Winners, family and friends will be invited to attend a 2010 Census event where they will be recognized.
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Census Undercount Resources: The Undercount in the South Research Report (PDF), FAQ for nonprofits and the 2010 Census, Frequently Asked Questions about the Census and Farmworkers
SCSJ thanks the Open Society Institute for financial support of this census outreach work in the South. With their support, we were able to expand our census outreach staff and to increase the number of mini-grants for community organizations. We thank Z. Smith Reynolds for funding a full-time Census Coordinator for North Carolina and The Ford Foundation for initiating the project in January 2009.
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Census counts are directly tied to the federal dollars communities receive for important services, such as Medicaid, education funding, affordable housing support, job training, social services, roads, bridges, and other community development opportunities. Census counts also directly impact a community's political voice because the numbers inform voting districts and determine how communities are represented.
For updates and information about resources and the impact of the 2010 Census, sign up for our Census 2010 emails.
In September SCSJ announced a partnership with the National Immigration Bond Fund, which assists families in paying immigration bonds for relatives who are in deportation proceedings under the 287(g) or Secure Communities programs. The Bond Fund works by providing a matching, interest-free loan to families. Although some undocumented immigrants are eligible for bond, many of their families are unable to afford to put up the funds. Instead, their family member can spend months in immigration detention facilities for committing minor offenses while awaiting removal.
Since September, five families have benefitted from this partnership. Loans have ranged between $1,500-$2,500, and the families must raise the other half. Bond does not allow immigrants in deportation proceedings to stay here permanently. However, it does get them out of detention so they can better assist in their defense, giving them a better chance at a fair hearing and legal representation of their choice. Further, clients and their families speak to the deplorable conditions in the detention facilities and their relief in knowing their son, husband, brother, or friend is at home.
For families and individuals, it is also a chance to bring closure to their life in the United States and say goodbye in person to their family and friends-offering a little humanity in an otherwise inhumane system.
SCSJ disperses funds for this project in North Carolina. If you know of someone who needs assistance or if you would like to make a contribution to the Bond Fund to enable us to serve more people, please contact Rebecca Fontaine.
The Bond Fund operates on the premise that immigrants deserve basic human rights and dignity, and that these rights are frequently violated under current immigrant detention policies.
 Help the community of New Hill, NC resist environmental injustice. Tell the leadership of Wake County that placing a sewage treatment plant in the middle of New Hill, a rural, low-income, predominantly African American community, is an embarrassment to the county and to North Carolinians who expect more out of its Capitol community.
New Hill does not have access to municipal sewer services, and very little has been offered to them in terms of hooking up to the proposed plant. This community has been targeted for negative environmental impacts before; the Shearon Harris nuclear power plant, one of only three in the state, is also located there. The towns that make up Western Wake Partners are far from the borders of New Hill and are predominantly Caucasian with a significantly higher average household income. This is a classic environmental justice case, where a poor community of color bears the environmental burdens of the impact, while the more affluent, whiter community realizes the benefits.
New Hill is a small unincorporated community in Wake County, NC. In October 2004, New Hill was selected by Western Wake Partners, a partnership between the governments of Cary, Apex, Holly Springs, and Morrisville, as the prospective site where a new sewage treatment plant would be located. The population surrounding the site is over 75% ethnic/racial minorities.
On August 31, 2009, the Navy announced it would delay the release of its draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) examining five sites for an outlying landing field (OLF) to support aircraft stationed at Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana and Naval Station Norfolk. Two of these proposed sites are in North Carolina; SCSJ represents the Gates County Citizens Against OLF, who oppose the Navy air field. The Navy did not indicate an expected release date for the delayed DEIS. The delay likely indicates the difficulty the Navy has encountered in finding a suitable site, especially in light of environmental impacts highlighted by the citizen's group.
In response to another announcement by the Navy concerning additional waterfowl studies at the proposed Hales Lake outlying landing field site, North Carolina Senate President Pro Tempore Marc Basnight sent a letter to the North Carolina Congressional Delegation urging the delegation to discourage this study and others relating to the siting of an OLF in North Carolina. He emphasized the wastefulness of conducting this study and reiterated possible alternatives to a North Carolina OLF, including an off-shore platform for pilot training.
Read the N&O article on the Senate President's letter.
Gates County is a predominantly low-income, rural farming community. In addition to the environmental impacts, the placement of an OLF in Gates County would displace at least 166 households, which impacts 24 farms recognized as North Carolina Century Farms. Citizens Against the OLF in Gates County has been working since 2007 to convince the Navy to have northeastern North Carolina communities removed from the list of potential sites and has gained support from organizations and elected officials across N.C.
Providing vital legal services to owners of heirs' property is the most effective way to prevent land loss - to prevent partition sales that threaten their land ownership. SCSJ is excited to work with families that own heirs' properties to draft wills, develop partnership agreements, and negotiate creative solutions to ensure stable ownership of their property. SCSJ represents the heirs of Daniel and Francis Pitt, who owned over 150 acres in Wilson and Edgecombe County, North Carolina, in their efforts to maintain and utilize this familial land.
Representing the children and grandchildren of Mr. and Mrs. Pitt, SCSJ conducted a title-search, confirming the family members with an interest in the land and met with the family to identify legal means of realizing their goals. Ultimately, the family chose to form a Limited Liability Corporation, establishing rules for the management of the land as well as safeguards to ensure the land remains in family hands. SCSJ drafted the LLC operating agreement and is also exploring various means of maximizing the land's financial capacity with the family.
Speaking to the challenges they face, LLC manager Felton Wooten notes his family "lost one farm in a judicial proceeding in the early 1960s and our family wanted to be certain nothing could happen like that again." However, "there were very strong differences in our family that we could not resolve, leading me to believe that a repeat of the 1960s incident could happen." But, with the assistance of SCSJ, the family was able to reach consensus to hold the land in an LLC, "something so important for the survival of our family interests and which would not have happened without the help extended to our family by SCSJ."
Michelle Smith, a Greensboro native and community activist with the Beloved Community Center, is an experienced fundraiser and has worked for a number of organizations and political campaigns. Michelle will focus on development and administrative support. Formerly at Durham ACORN, Avery Book is now the North Carolina Census Outreach Coordinator, applying his many years of community organizing experience to work with organizations throughout the state in order to reach hard-to-count communities at risk of being missed in the 2010 census.
 Allison Riggs, our newest staff attorney, joined our staff on November 1st and prior to that was one of our most active volunteers. Allison will be working primarily on our Community Census and Redistricting Institute that will take place in the summer of 2010 and assisting with other casework. Anthony Maglione, recent UNC grad and 2009 summer organizing intern, will continue his census outreach work with community groups in southern states as well as assisting with other organizing campaigns for immigrant rights as a part-time worker at SCSJ.
Beginning in January 2010, SCSJ will host its first Heirs' Property Fellow. Becky Jaffe, a 2009 graduate of Harvard Law School, worked with SCSJ on heirs' property cases in early 2009, making significant contributions to our client's cases. We are thrilled that she decided to dedicate all of 2010 to similar work. During her fellowship, Jaffe will head SCSJ's heirs' property case work, advocacy, and educational outreach.
SCSJ is now accepting applications for summer undergraduate and legal internships. We are unable to offer funding for these positions, but will assist interns in obtaining outside funding or course credit for their work. For more information visit www.scsj.org/jobs.
SCSJ submitted an amicus brief on behalf of the League of Women Voters in a case before the Indiana Supreme Court. The League of Women Voters brought a challenge under the Indiana State Constitution to Indiana's Photo ID law-an incredibly restrictive state law that requires voters produce government-issued photo identification in order to exercise their right to vote. SCSJ believes that the law will be burdensome on some groups, leading to significant disenfranchisement.
SCSJ submitted an amicus brief because similar laws might be considered in other southern states. In its brief, SCSJ highlighted how other states have found laws like Indiana's Photo ID law that privilege some and disadvantage others violate their state constitutions.
Click here for the full text of the brief.
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Charges Against Union Organizer Dismissed!
SCSJ staff attorney, Chris Brook, secured a dismissal of trespassing charges against United Electrical Workers Local 150 organizer, Dante Strobino. Organizing public service workers at North Carolina Regional Hospital in Butner, North Carolina, Strobino was arrested for being on hospital property without facility approval. UE 150 is the North Carolina public sector worker union and has been a lead organization in broad efforts to overturn North Carolina's Jim Crow General Statute 95-98 (watch the YouTube video), which prohibits collective bargaining for public sector employees, a practice found to be in violation of international law by the International Labor Organization (ILO) on April 3, 2007.
Brook convinced the Granville County District Attorney's office that the charges against Strobino were frivolous and could not be substantiated.
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