General

Last week community members in Greene County, Georgia succeeded in convincing the Department of Justice to issue an objection to the County’s proposed redistricting plans. Using its authority under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, the Department prevented the implementation of new election districts that would have prevented black voters in the county from being able to elect candidates of their choice. In the objection letter dated April 13th, 2012, the Assistant Attorney General writes, “The elimination of both ability-to-elect districts was unnecessary and avoidable. Although there has been a decrease in the black share of the county’s population over the past ten years, the ability to draw at least one black ability-to-elect district still existed.” This victory was a result of the efforts of the local NAACP chapter, and African American leaders who paid close attention to the redistricting process, and then organized to ensure their voices were heard. SCSJ board member, Jerry Wilson, who lives in Greene County, helped to ensure that the local group got the assistance they needed. . He says that SCSJ played an important support role. Community members attended meetings, engaged county commissioners and school board members opposed to the proposed changes, drew alternative maps demonstrating it was possible to maintain an ability-to elect district for Black voters, and wrote letters talking about how they would be affected by the changes. The objection is significant for Black Belt counties like this one in Georgia. Over 60% of the county formerly was African American, before an influx of white retirees, people moving out of Atlanta, and investors began to settle in the area and developed major resorts around Lake Oconee. According the 2010 census, the county is now only 38.4% African American. Without this action by the Department of Justice, black voters in the county would have lost their voice in local government.

Anita Earls, our executive director, was awarded the Champion of Justice Award by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People for her years of dedication to civil rights advocacy. During that time, Anita has devoted much of her advocacy to the issue of voting rights. Currently, SCSJ is devoting several staff almost exclusively to redistricting and voting rights cases, whom Anita leads. Anita has over 20 years as a civil rights attorney working to empower underserved communities of color. She was a deputy assistant attorney general in the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice from 1998 to 2000. The award was presented by the General Counsel of the National NAACP, Kim Keenan, Esq., who ran out of time in reading Anita's long list of accomplishments. Doug Clark, an editorial writer for the Greensboro News & Record, once discussed the possibility of Anita becoming a federal judge. Aside from her own accomplishments, Anita has led more onto victories through SCSJ and the organizations with whom we partner. Anita continues to be a tireless advocate for justice in our state and beyond.

During the summer, SCSJ hosts several interns from undergraduate and law school programs around the state and beyond. Here are the reflections of one of our undergraduate interns, Michael Sloan. My experience working with the Southern Coalition for Social Justice (SCSJ) this summer has truly been a wonderful opportunity. When my Constitutional Law professor at Howard University discovered that I was from Durham, North Carolina and was seeking an internship in the area he immediately referred me to SCSJ, where he knew Executive Director Anita Earls. Having been a life-long resident of Durham, it came as a surprise to me that I hadn’t previously heard of the Southern Coalition. Upon researching the organization, I was very impressed with their work and felt that an internship where I had the opportunity to work alongside SCSJ’s staff attorneys would prove fruitful and educational. As an undergraduate student and aspiring attorney, I had never considered working for a non-profit organization as a viable career pathway for someone in my field—until now. To be quite honest, I can’t even say I knew a great deal about the inner workings of a non-profit. Over the past couple of months, I have ascertained a great understanding as to how a non-profit functions. It has broadened my scope, opening my eyes the many career pathways there are in the field of law. I primarily work under the tutelage of staff attorney Allison Riggs, who does a lot of work with voting rights and redistricting cases. Coming into the internship, I had a limited understanding of the role redistricting plays in our American political structure. It is an integral aspect of American politics and arguably one of the most self-interested and partisan as well. The drawing of legislative districts has a direct affect on who gets elected in local and presidential elections, so it’s no wonder that politicians and elected officials fight tooth-and-nail over district lines. On a day-to-day basis, my tasks usually include researching information and collating data that can be used to determine if a law or political decision has disproportionately impacted any one group of people—primarily minorities. One of my most enriching experiences as an intern was attending a county meeting in North Carolina where elected officials and community leaders had called upon SCSJ to develop a redistricting plan that gave them a fair chance of getting a minority district drawn. I saw these officials and leaders going back and forth about the politics of drawing district lines and the affect that a poor decision could potentially have on their community. That experience added color, life, and meaning to the standard office work I see on a daily basis. Its one thing to sit behind a desk looking up information and statistics, but it’s quite another experiencing how that research plays out in the lives of real people. As one of the only undergraduate interns, I have also benefited from working alongside law school interns. They have given me great insight into what I can expect from law school and how I should prepare. I believe am abreast of the challenges law school shall surely present; however, I feel resolve in knowing that I am better equipped with the tools necessary to be most successful. As the summer comes to a close, I can really appreciate the edifying experience I have had here at SCSJ. While the organization maintains a professional environment, it is not in the least bit stuffy. I have enjoyed the relaxed and familial atmosphere of the office. As a non-profit still in its infancy, the staff can be classified a small, close-knit group of individuals who value a warm work environment. Going forward, I wish SCSJ much success as it continues to grow and build a name for itself across the nation. With each successful case, be it on behalf of one or many, SCSJ is leaving a lasting imprint on the community it has helped. It is the Southern Coalition for Social Justice and like-minded organizations that are the true do-gooders of our communities. They have shown me, above all else, that real honor in this line of work comes from fighting on behalf those without means to fight for themselves. Put simply, SCSJ gets it right.

In 2007, Carrboro passed an ordinance forbidding day laborers from seeking work at the corner of Jones Ferry and Davie Roads outside of the hours of 5am and 11am. On Friday, SCSJ attorney Chris Brook sent a letter to the Carrboro town attorney Michael Brough and the Board of Aldermen explaining the unconstitutionality of the ordinance. The city cannot outright bar people from gathering in any one place; ordinances like these can only target "specific criminal intent." Recently, the North Carolina Court of Appeals struck down a more narrowly tailored “anti-loitering ordinance” in the city of Winston-Salem. Judith Blau, Director of the Chapel Hill & Carrboro Human Rights Center works with day laborers to expand their work opportunities. Blau has been outspoken opposing the ordinance. She is particularly bothered by the police practice of herding the men off the corner at 11am. "They would herd them from one spot to another. It's dehumanizing," Blau said. The letter and press release are available at the provided links and the "press release" section of this website: A PDF of the letter sent to the Carrboro Town Attorney is available at: http://bit.ly/maTina This release and any additional associated documents can be found at: https://southerncoalition.org/node/476