Blog
Phillip Vance Smith’s Work and Award Highlighted by The News and Observer
Josh Shaffer of the News and Observer highlighted friend of Emancipate NC, Phillip Vance Smith’s work and recent Prison Journalist of the Year Award: Last week, Smith took Prison Journalist of the Year honors at the Stillwater Awards, presented in part by the Society...
Emancipate NC Supports Legal Challenge to South Carolina Prison Book Ban
Emancipate NC has been involved from the beginning in a major legal challenge to a South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) policy that severely restricts access to books for incarcerated people. Elizabeth Simpson, Strategic Director at Emancipate NC, has...
Common Cause NC — Virtual Town Hall
Emancipate NC Executive Director Dawn Blagrove recently joined a virtual town hall hosted by Common Cause North Carolina to discuss the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in the Callais case and what it means for voters in North Carolina and across the South....
REFORM Alliance Speaker Series
Kerwin Pittman recently served as the featured speaker for an internal speaker series hosted by REFORM Alliance, an organization founded by leaders including Meek Mill, JAY-Z, Michael Rubin, Robert Kraft, and Robert F. Smith>, all committed to transforming...
Dawn Appeared on the Sticky Note Conversations Podcast!
Emancipate NC Executive Director Dawn Blagrove recently joined host Erika Washington for a powerful conversation about the future of Black political power following a Supreme Court decision weakening Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. During the podcast, Dawn...
June is Stolen Children’s Month
We proclaim June as Stolen Children’s Month, a month dedicated to honoring children and families impacted by systems of separation and building collective power among those most affected. Founded by Ashley Albert, Stolen Children’s Month is a narrative and advocacy...
Family Justice Cohort and Black Mothers March
Team Emancipate’s Toia Potts, who is also a former Justice League Fellow, led this year’s inaugural Family Justice League Cohort, bringing her lived experience and leadership to help build and strengthen an impacted parent track rooted in healing, advocacy,...
Attention, Greenville: Seeking Information about Officer Jennifer Umphlet
Officer Umphlet was involved in an incident with our client, Anthony Drayton, at a McDonald’s in February 2025. We are gathering information to better understand community experiences and perspectives related to this officer. We welcome input from anyone who has had...
Congrats to Phillip Vance Smith, II — Journalist of the Year!
Huge congrats to friend of Emancipate NC on the 2025 Stillwater Award for Journalist of the Year! From Phill: "Earlier today I found out that I won the 2025 Stillwater Award for Journalist of the Year. This award only applies to incarcerated people, but it is a...
Kerwin Pittman Wins the 2026 Conen Morgan Trailblazer Award at the NC Black Summit
Congrats to Kerwin on his receipt of the Conen Morgan Trailblazer Award at the NC Black Summit! In Kerwin’s own words: "When your work speaks for you, even in your absence, you know you're walking in purpose. I am deeply honored to have received the 2026 Conen...
Amani Collective Community Center
By Dedan Waciuri The upcoming opening of the Amani Collective Community Center at 1100 Ward St. in Greenville is about more than just a new building—it’s about creating a space rooted in the community. The center is especially focused on serving youth and...
The Callais Decision
Last week, the Supreme Court invalidated Louisiana’s congressional map, delivering a devastating blow to voting rights by gutting Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and paving the way for states to enact discriminatory maps without accountability. As we learned of the...
Dawn Blagrove Honored at Bloom in Power
Dawn Blagrove was honored at Bloom in Power: Embracing Our Crowns, hosted by the North Carolina A&T State University chapter of Black Girls Vote. The evening focused on building confidence, fostering community, and celebrating individuality. More than just an...
What is ‘Failure to Appear’?
Did you know that from 2010 to 2025, the Wake County District Attorney’s Office pursued Felony Failure to Appear (FTA) charges in about 25 cases? Even more concerning, from 2017 to 2025, only Black men were charged with Felony FTA—including one of Emancipate NC’s...
‘Police Policing Each Other’
Commenting in a recent News & Observer article, “Ties to Highway Patrol leadership raise questions in NC deputy’s killing” by Virginia Bridges, Dawn Blagrove, Executive Director of Emancipate NC, noted that it is highly unusual for so little information to be...