Southern Coalition for Social Justice

While this won't guarantee parole for Abrams or anyone else, it ensures their reviews will be based on accurate, complete, and fair information. A step that will provide hope that NC's parole review process will be fairer moving forward.

Now, under the settlement, the NC Parole Commission must:
✔️ Provide notice and guidance so parole candidates can submit complete records
✔️ Clearly identify sources of information
✔️ Distinguish between fact, opinion, and rumor in their reports

The Abrams lawsuit revealed serious flaws in NC’s parole system including:
– Missing and incomplete files
– Incorrect information in reviews
– Rumors treated as fact
These failures meant children sentenced to life had little chance at a fair parole review.

Settlement in Abrams Lawsuit, Securing Parole Reforms SCSJ reached a settlement with the NC Parole Commission, securing changes to how it conducts parole reviews for people sentenced as children in NC.

At 14, Brett Abrams was sentenced to life in prison.

After 42 years, his case will help secure parole reforms and give people sentenced as kids a real chance to prove their growth and rehabilitation. southerncoalition.org/settlement-r...

Challenges to voter rolls impacted millions of voters in recent election cycles—and disproportionately removed people of color.

We're working to implement evidence-based solutions that help election administrators and ensure no one is unjustly blocked from voting. Learn more: ucs.org/election-recs

SCSJ, Partners Push for Changes to Alcoa Business Park Permit Renewal SCSJ and partners are urging stronger protections in the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit renewal for the former Alcoa Badin Works facility.

For decades, West Badin’s predominantly African American residents have borne the brunt of this contamination. The former Alcoa smelter, which operated from 1916 until 2010, left hazardous waste buried near homes and local waterways.

We're demanding change.
southerncoalition.org/scsj-partner...

🗳️Election Day is just ten weeks from today. We know that too often, eligible voters face undue burdens that make it harder to vote.

We’re working with partners and election officials to implement science-backed solutions to improve access to the polls. Learn more at: ucs.org/election-recs

Civil Rights Groups Headed to Trial Over Senate Bill 747 A federal judge has denied lawmakers’ requests to prevent trial in a lawsuit asserting Senate Bill 747 infringes on the fundamental right to vote.

We're headed to court! Our case against SB 747, a law that targets the votes of young North Carolinians, will head to trial this October.

Young voters deserve to have their voices heard, and we're taking the fight to court to protect their rights. southerncoalition.org/civil-rights...

NC sheriff says deputies OK to cover faces, critics raise concerns The sheriff of Iredell County said many deputies choose to wear face coverings to protect their identities from future threats. He doesn’t have a policy on it.

Agencies should have a clear policy for the instances in which it’s appropriate for officers to conceal their identities. Otherwise, it could lead to lack of transparency from law enforcement and the inability to hold people accountable.

Read more at: www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/c...

‘Compromised’ Video Got Him Life in Prison. He Wants a New Trial. A prosecutor used low-quality video to convict a former pro-basketball player in a double murder. Now he's getting another shot in court.

On August 26, a judge will hear new evidence in a case built on shaky video and testimony that’s since been recanted.
We believe James deserves a new trial. Share his story.

www.theassemblync.com/politics/cri...

#freejamesrichardson

Innocent Man Heads to Court After 16 Years Behind Bars James Richardson, a man wrongfully convicted for the murders of two people nearly two decades ago in Pitt County, will have his case back in court this month.

James Richardson, an innocent North Carolina man wrongfully convicted for the murders of two people nearly two decades ago in Pitt County, will have his case back in court later this month as he continues to fight for his freedom. southerncoalition.org/innocent-gre...

The system failed James Richardson. It has one more chance to make it right.

Watch the trailer for "Is It Just Me?", a mini doc on his wrongful conviction and the community standing behind him.

📽️ Watch + Share:

SCSJ mourns the loss of our esteemed founding board member, James “Fergie” Ferguson, who passed away Monday.

Ferguson’s legacy of civil rights advocacy and community lawyering is woven deeply into the fabric of racial justice across NC and the nation.

More: southerncoalition.org/scsj-extends...

A Win for Community Mapping in Edgecombe County The Edgecombe County Board of Education unanimously adopted a community redistricting map for its 2026 electoral districts earlier this week.

Edgecombe County showed what's possible when communities are heard. After almost two years of organizing, the school board adopted Map C, a redistricting map shaped by the community. southerncoalition.org/a-win-for-co...

Steps to Build Flood Resiliency This infographic outlines how to take preventative measures to respond more quickly and effectively when floods occur.

Historic flooding from Chantal caused road closures and damage across Moore, Chatham, and Orange counties. Storms like this are becoming more intense and more frequent.

Check out our 'Steps to Build Flood Resiliency' resource for steps to protect your home:

Central Piedmont fulfilling requests that would lead to First Amendment lawsuit being dropped: Plaintiffs Last month, crickets were released at a Mecklenburg County Commissioners’ meeting, as a form of protest against the training facility.

Law enforcement training facilities are expanding, and the public deserves to have input.

We challenged Central Piedmont’s refusal to follow transparency laws. Now, they’ve agreed to turn over public records and lift bans on two residents who simply asked questions. www.yahoo.com/news/central...

Southern States Face Legal Battles Over Racial Gerrymandering On July 9, 2025, a series of pivotal legal battles unfolded across the American South, spotlighting the enduring and contentious issue of racial gerrymandering…

Racial gerrymandering is being challenged in courtrooms across the South. From North Carolina to Texas and Alabama, Black voters are fighting to protect their political power. evrimagaci.org/tpg/southern...

We Keep Us Alive: An Afternoon to Remember Those Executed & Envision a Future of Abolition Why We Gather This August marks 19 years since North Carolina carried out its last execution, a reminder of how close we've come to ending the death penalty and how far we still have to go. Since 19...

North Carolina hasn’t had an execution in 19 years, but the machinery of death stands ready.

On Aug 16 in Raleigh, we gather to mourn, move, and manifest a future without death row. Join us for creative workshops, art, a vigil, and abolition.

🔗 Register: bit.ly/WeKeepUsAlive

"North Carolina’s Missing Voters” with Phi Nguyen of Demos and Sarah Ovaska of the SCSJ • NC Newsline More than 1.5 million North Carolinians are considered “missing voters,” individuals who are eligible to vote but either aren’t registered to vote or aren’t participating in elections, according to “N...

There are 1.5M “missing” voters in North Carolina, people who are eligible to vote but don’t, because NC has designed its voting system to discourage them from doing so.

We joined @scsjofficial.bsky.social for an interview with NC Newsline to explain our findings: ncnewsline.com/2025/07/07/n...

Citizens say no to 293-acre landfill: Court to hear arguments in Burnettown Rabbit Hill case Citizens' legal backers allege the 293-acre landfill planned for Burnettown, by Jefferson Elementary, wouldn't have been OK'd except for a "loophole."

"Communities like Horse Creek Valley should not be dumping grounds for polluting industries simply because they’ve carried that burden before." www.postandcourier.com/aikenstandar...

SCSJ Applauds OSHA Heat Prevention-Related Rulemaking SCSJ commended OSHA’s eat Injury and Illness Prevention Rulemaking as a positive first step, but stressed the need for greater equity considerations.

Extreme heat is becoming the norm. Worker protections should be too.

Last week, we urged OSHA to center equity in its new heat safety rules so those most at risk, like farmworkers, have more than bare minimum protections. southerncoalition.org/scsj-applaud...

NC: Pack the Court Against Racial Gerrymandering! · Common Cause We're taking the lawless NC legislature to court for rigging voting maps against the people of North Carolina — a scheme that unjustly comes at the expense of Black voters, especially. It's time to…

The fight for fair maps is back in court.

Common Cause NC is asking community members to join them in packing the federal courtroom in Winston-Salem on Tuesday, July 8.

Will you be joining? RSVP here:

Today, our clients are continuing that legacy.

Through community organizing and advocacy, they are standing firm in the face of intimidation and delay.

Edenton has a long and proud legacy of Black activism and resistance:
-A maritime stop on the Underground Railroad
-Home to Harriet and John S. Jacobs
-The birthplace of the Edenton Movement led by Golden Frinks — a top lieutenant to Dr. King who fought to desegregate several public spaces.

A town tried to heal racial divides. It energized Confederate supporters instead. What started as an effort to promote racial unity in Edenton by reconsidering its most prominent downtown symbol has done the opposite.

When Edenton’s Human Relations Commission pushed to remove the Confederate monument from the town’s waterfront in 2020, it was part of a larger vision for racial reconciliation. But pro-Confederate groups have fought those efforts every step of the way.

www.washingtonpost.com/history/2025...

Settlement Reached in Lawsuit Over CPCC Transparency, Campus Bans A settlement has been reached in a federal lawsuit against CPCC challenging its transparency practices and actions against two community members.

Two Charlotte community members banned from CPCC’s campus after speaking out have had their bans lifted—and the college has committed to greater transparency moving forward. southerncoalition.org/settlement-r...

Who Are North Carolina's 1.5 Million Missing Voters? | Demos In this report, Dēmos and Southern Coalition for Social Justice expose a crisis in North Carolina's democracy and its voter rolls, and share commonsense policy solutions to fix it.

🧵 New research reveals 1.5 million North Carolinians are missing during election time, in part because NC has become one of the hardest states to vote in.

The solution? Remove the barriers. Empower voters.

Read our new report with @scsjofficial.bsky.social: demos.nyc/nc-missing-v...

Shelby County v. Holder The Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965 to ensure state and local governments do not pass laws or policies that deny American citizens the equal right to vote based on race. On June 25, 2013, the…

Today marks 12 years since Shelby v. Holder. One ruling gutted the Voting Rights Act. 12 years later, we’re still fighting voter suppression and working to restore what was lost.

Groups Go to Court Over Permit for New Landfill in Aiken County This Thursday, the Administrative Law Court will hear oral arguments in a community’s challenge of a permit for a 292.5-acre landfill in Aiken County.

Aiken County residents are going to court to challenge a landfill 127x larger than the one it’s replacing. The Rabbit Hill landfill threatens homes, a local school, and a community that has carried the weight of pollution for decades.

southerncoalition.org/groups-go-to...

Imagine a gas station being built right in your backyard. That’s the reality for Brookhaven residents. A proposed RaceTrac station threatens the health, safety, and peace of a historic Black neighborhood and children at a nearby middle school.