Emancipate NC Organizer Dedan Waciuri and attorneys Jaelyn Miller and Dillon Sharpe recently joined Emancipate NC Strategic Director Elizabeth Simpson’s UNC School of Law class, Social Justice Lawyering, to discuss the real-world impacts of marijuana convictions and the importance of advocacy both inside of and beyond the courtroom.
The conversation gave law students an opportunity to hear directly from Emancipate NC organizers and attorneys about how weed convictions can create consequences that extend far beyond a criminal case—including barriers to employment, housing, education, and other opportunities.
The team also discussed Emancipate NC’s Don’t Plead to Weed campaign, which challenges the practice of accepting criminal convictions for marijuana-related charges when those convictions can have lasting consequences for individuals and their families.
For Emancipate NC, Don’t Plead to Weed is about more than what happens in court. It is about recognizing the broader systems that can turn a low-level marijuana charge into a lasting barrier to stability and opportunity.
Bringing this work into the classroom also reflects Emancipate NC’s commitment to preparing the next generation of lawyers and advocates to understand the human impact of the criminal legal system—and to use their legal skills to challenge injustice and build meaningful change.
See Jaelyn, Dedan, and Dillon in the classroom!
