On September 26, 2026, Emancipate NC Executive Director Dawn Blagrove joined young organizers, students, and community members in Greensboro for GenVote’s “Power Back: A Movement School for Election Defense.”
Hosted at the International Civil Rights Center & Museum, the Greensboro training was part of GenVote’s national youth-led training tour designed to equip communities with the knowledge and skills needed to defend voting rights and respond to challenges before, during, and after elections.
As a civil rights attorney and longtime movement leader, Dawn brought her experience in voting rights advocacy and community organizing to the training. Her participation reflected Emancipate NC’s ongoing commitment to ensuring that communities understand their rights and have the tools to protect them.
The full-day movement school focused on practical, interactive training, where participants learned how to identify potential voter suppression, understand voters’ rights at the ballot box, and recognize that election protection does not end when the polls close.
For Emancipate NC, helping develop informed and engaged community advocates is a critical part of protecting democracy. By sharing legal knowledge and organizing experience with emerging leaders, Dawn and Emancipate NC are helping build a broader movement capable of responding to threats to voting rights and defending the political participation of communities across North Carolina.
The Greensboro movement school brought together the lessons of North Carolina’s long history of civil rights organizing with the energy and leadership of a new generation. Through training, education, and collective action, participants were encouraged to take an active role in protecting the right to vote and ensuring that every community has a voice in our democracy.