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SCSJ Staff and Board Members Present at Duke Symposium, "Realizing Criminal Justice Reform Together"

Duke University is hosting its first inaugural symposium on criminal justice issues: “Realizing Criminal Justice Reform Together”. SCSJ staff attorney, Daryl Atkinson, and board member, Geeta Kapur, will be presenting as panelists. The event will cover critical criminal justice issues including school to prison pipeline issues, re-entry, and preventing and rectifying wrongful convictions. To learn more about this symposium or to register visit: http://sites.duke.edu/criminaljusticesymposium/.

National Association of Black Journalists’ Webinar on Redistricting

_________________________ From the NABJ website: "Among the unreported subjects that are expected to emerge as a hot button issue after the mid-term election is redistricting and how our main political parties will be affected by the results of the recently completed U. S. Census. To learn more about this subject and develop enterprise ideas, please join the NABJ Media Institute webinar, “Deciphering the Numbers: The Untold Stories of Redistricting.” This free webinar will be held on Wednesday, December 15th at 11:00 a.m. (EST) and will feature Anita S. Earls, Executive Director, Southern Coalition for Social Justice and Charles Robinson, Correspondent/Associate Producer, Maryland Public Television, NABJ Region II Director. The webinar will explain the impact of redistricting on voting patterns and ultimately our system of government. In addition, the discussion will also explain the numbers behind re-districting and how to disseminate accurate and insightful information.. This webinar is for journalists serious about improving their ability to capture unique content for their organizations and the eventual dissemination of information that could help journalists develop new stories and hence a more explanatory way of news reporting. News managers, producers and especially local reporters are highly encouraged to attend." Click here to register.

Rally for Fair Hiring in Durham

____________________ Read our press release about the recent campaign kick off event on November 15 to learn more about the issue. SCSJ is part of the Durham Second Chance Alliance, which is heading up the campaign. End job discrimination against people who have formerly been convicted! For more information contact: Gloria DeLos Santos, 919-794-8210 Gilda P. Womble, 919-680-8000 Ajamu Dillahunt, 919-856-3194

Wills Clinic

The lack of estate planning and will drafting contributes to land loss in the African-American community. SCSJ attorneys Becky Jaffe, Chris Brook and our summer legal interns will spend a weekend in Edgecombe county drafting wills for several families that have heirs' property, which is collectively-owned property passed down through multiple generations. Heirs' property is particularly vulnerable to being lost through tax issues, takeover by developers, or judicial proceedings. The wills clinics are just one part of SCSJ's efforts to help rural, African-American families protect their ancestral land. Please contact Becky Jaffe or Chris Brook for more information.

Rally to Bring Pedro Home!


Pedro Perez Guzman has been detained by Immigration for almost one year. Pedro's family and friends are calling on all supporters of immigrant rights in the area to join them on the anniversary of his detention to rally for his immediate release so he can return to his home in North Carolina to be with his wife and son. Join them and bring your friends! Don't miss this opportunity to support immigrant rights in the Triangle. Ricardo Correa, Immigrant Rights activist, Radio DJ and organizer for Durham Limpio will be present to energize the crowd with his words and music. To read more about the story of Pedro's detention, check out this site his family created.

NCCU Presents Constitution Day 2010 Teach-In

Taken from: http://www.nccu.edu/news/index.cfm?ID=0CE86988-19B9-B859-78A90DED4AE98DEF In celebration of Constitution Day, NCCU is sponsoring a daylong Teach-In on September 17, at the School of Law. The focus for 2010 is on racial bias in the American legal system during and since the institution of Jim Crow laws and slavery. Scheduled events include luncheon speaker Rev. William Barber, President of the North Carolina NAACP and a panel discussion. Among the featured panelists will be Darryl Hunt, who was exonerated after a capital punishment conviction. Other panelists include Ken Rose of the Center for Death Penalty Litigation; James Coleman of Duke University School of Law; Charmaine Fuller Cooper of the N.C. Justice For Victims Of Sterilization Foundation; Cassandra Stubbs of the ACLU Capital Punishment Project; Anita Earls of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, and Dennis Gaddy of the Community Success Initiative. Events will be begin at 9:30 a.m., and end with the unveiling ceremony of a mural of the United States Constitution by famed artist Michael Brown at 4 p.m. Rhodes Scholar, author and Michael R. Klein Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, Randall Kennedy is the guest speaker. The unveiling ceremony is open to invited guests and news media only. NCCU's Constitution Day 2010 is sponsored by the Institute for Civic Engagement and Social Change; the NCCU Law School American Constitution Society; NCCU Black Law Student Association; Constitutional Law and Civil Rights Society and North Carolina Central University School of Law and is open to the public. The mural unveiling is funded by support from the John William Pope Foundation. In addition to the scheduled events, there will be a Blackboard course with readings and other resources for context and further discussion. For more information about the Teach-In and the Blackboard course, please contact Dr. Jarvis A. Hall at (919) 530-7256 or jhall@nccu.edu.

SCSJ "Free Within Ourselves" Photo Contest Submission Deadline

___________________________ SCSJ Free Within Ourselves Photography Contest and Exhibit* Contest Rules and Guidelines Purpose: The Free Within Ourselves Contest seeks to document, promote and honor the fight in the Southern United States for political, economic and social equality. Don’t just show us racism, show us what it means to stand up against it. The contest will culminate in a photo exhibit on November 6, 2010 in Durham, NC. Winners will be announced at the event. Submission Deadline: October 15, 2010 Guidelines: Any photo taken in the Southern United States demonstrating the ongoing struggle for political, economic or social equality; self-expression of underrepresented groups or individuals; or the dismantling of racism and oppression is eligible for submission. For the purposes of this contest, Southern states are: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia. Criteria: All photos must be submitted through email to photocontest@scsj.org. Image files must be 200-300 DPI, JPEG files, and must include the following information with the submission: 1) Image Title 2) Photographer’s name 3) Location 4) Date 5) Name of copyright holder, if applicable. 6) Organization or school, if applicable. Each participant is limited to 5 entries. Entry Fee: $15 per photo for professionals (any photographer who earns more than $5,000 per year from his/her photographic pursuits); $10 per photo for amateurs. Payment is due at the time of submission by using SCSJ's donation page. When submitting your payment, be sure to use the same email address you used to submit your photo(s) to photocontest@scsj.org. If you are unable to use this process for payment, please let us know. Selection: Photos will be judged based on a range of factors such as subject matter, composition, technique, originality and overall impact. Prizes: There will be one grand prize of $500. By entering this contest, the artist agrees that the winning photo, along with the artist’s name and biographical information, may be displayed electronically on SCSJ’s website for up to one year following the exhibition. Artist’s Rights: The artist acknowledges and warrants that he/she holds all rights to the submitted photographs. Photos previously published, pending publication, or violating or infringing upon another person’s copyright are not eligible. Photographers will retain the long-term rights to the images but grant SCSJ a license to print one 11 x 14 copy for the purposes of displaying and auctioning the print as a fundraiser for SCSJ. The winner may be asked to provide limited use of the electronic file, with appropriate credit and copyright information, for the purpose of promoting the photo contest on SCSJ’s website following the exhibition. * In the last line of his 1926 essay, “The Racial Mountain and the Negro Artist,” Langston Hughes issues the call, “We build our temples for tomorrow, strong as we know how, and we stand on top of the mountain, free within ourselves.”

SCSJ "Free Within Ourselves" Photo Exhibit

____________________ SCSJ is hosting a photo exhibition fundraiser to document, promote, and honor the fight in the Southern United States for political, economic and social equality. KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Photographer Jose Galvez, the first Mexican-American to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize. For over 40 years, Mr. Galvez has used black and white film to create a powerful and unparalleled historical record of the Latino experience in America. He will be speaking about and presenting photos from his book, Shine Boy, a photographic memoir. ON DISPLAY: Photographs from the finalists of SCSJ's photo contest. The prints will be up for auction throughout the event as a fundraiser for SCSJ. WINNERS: You will be able to vote on YOUR favorite photograph from 6 to 7. The photo with the hightest votes will win the $250 People's Choice award. In addition, Mr. Galvez will select one photo for the $250 Best of Show award. REFRESHMENTS: Beer from Fullsteam Brewery and wine. Light snacks. ADMISSION: $8 for adults; $5 for youth and students. Cash or check at the door. PARKING: Free parking on the street or in the Parking Deck on the corner of Corcoran St. and Ramseur St. The extrance is located on Corcoran St., between Ramseur St. and Main St. Thank you to our community partners: TROSA, Fullsteam Brewery, CCI Photographics, Bull City Forward, Iglesia Emanuel (Durham, NC) See you at the event! Bull City Forward, 101 Main St., Downtown Durham