Blog
Emancipate ED Dawn Blagrove Essay on Changewire
Graphic by Olivia Lei “‘Hello, parents!’ That was the phrase, offered by Tyre’s mother as a normal greeting from him when he came into the house, that broke me this time.” So begins Dawn Blagrove’s latest story on Changewire.org, titled “From Memphis to...
“We apologize for the confederate statue. We’re working on it.”
Even when the long shadow of structural racism and white supremacy falls more quietly upon Black and brown communities, it is still harmful. The Move the Monument Coalition Edenton-Chowan has been fighting to remove a Confederate monument in Edenton, NC, one of the...
Demanding Accountability and Change, in the News and in the Streets
Image credit: Bob Karp (@photopup) In the wake of police murders, Emancipate responds. Gone are the days when Raleigh PD can direct the media narrative and make undisputed claims that its officers’ killings are “justified force.” On Tuesday, January 24, we...
We Must Invest In Authentic Alternatives to the Police
Emancipate NC seeks to build a vision — and reality — of authentic safety and wellness for our communities. We seek to dismantle systems of structural racism that mean that Black people are over-policed, over-incarcerated, and over-regulated – all...
The Story of Lester Kearney
The following is commentary by Elizabeth Simpson about the trial of Lester Kearney, and Emancipate NC’s role in shifting the narrative in the case, in the face of unethical prosecution tactics. Lester Kearney is an innocent man. Or, at least, he’s absolutely innocent...
Report Back on Durham DSS Public Records
Art by Dawn Blagrove For some time, Team Emancipate has been investigating the Durham County Department of Social Services (DSS). Last fall, we released a report full of county-level reforms to make Durham’s child welfare system work better for kids and their...
It’s systemic racism, dummy
Tyre Nichols is dead because systemic and institutional racism do not allow for Black people to be treated as human. Darryl Tyree Williams is dead because systemic and institutional racism do not allow for Black people to be treated as human. It’s exhausting to...
Emancipate Statement on RPD Murder of Darryl Tyree Williams
Thursday evening as members of the Emancipate NC team stood in a parking lot in southeast Raleigh, and watched balloons float into the air, celebrating the life of Darryl Tyree Williams, a man who was killed by RPD simply for being Black in an overpoliced...
Updates From The Raleigh No-Knock Litigation
As our case against the Raleigh Police Department’s use of no-knock and quick-knock warrants progresses, the City of Raleigh’s attorneys are using questionable methods to attack the character of the plaintiffs, rather than own up and pay out the damages they owe....
Now Accepting Applications for the 2023 Justice League Cohort!
Emancipate NC mobilizes and trains youth and other justice-impacted people in a fellowship program called the Justice League. We are currently seeking nominations of formerly-incarcerated people and youth impacted by incarceration to learn advocacy and organizing...
The Fight to Preserve Community
In Greenville, NC, Emancipate is working as part of the Peace Not Police coalition to build alternative structures for authentic community safety. Long-time community members like Jerome Wilson are essential to that cause. Such “anchor neighbors” provide safety and...
To Know King
Commentary by Dedan Waciuri To know King? Or to love King? Kwame Ture (previously known as Stokely Charmichael) once stated that, “It is one thing to love King, but how well do we know King?” This question, raised during his speech at Spelman College, was meant to...
The Story of April Barber
Recently, on the Black Light Mass Incarceration Show, Emancipate NC's Cierra Cobb interviewed April Barber. In 2022, April earned one of the first commutations from Governor Roy Cooper from the Juvenile Sentencing Review Board. April went into prison pregnant at the...
Protect Black Humanity
As 2022 comes to a close, Executive Director Dawn Blagrove responds to the arrest of a student at Winston Salem State University. Please make an end-of-year donation to Emancipate NC to protect Black humanity in North Carolina and keep our mission strong in...
Standing Up to SRO Abuse in Greenville
Image by Amanda Denise, NewsChannel 12. School Resource Officers are supposed to keep students safe -- but like most police in this country, they are actually trained to view the very people they are supposed to protect as the enemy. At North Pitt High School in...