The Past, Present, and Future of the NC Racial Equity Network

Five years ago, the UNC School of Government published a unique manual, Raising Issues of Race in North Carolina Criminal Cases, as part of our Defender Manual Series. Supported by a grant from the Z Smith Reynolds Foundation, the manual examines how issues of race and bias can improperly influence criminal processes and outcomes, and it suggests strategies for lawyers to consider when addressing these issues. I coauthored the manual with former Defender Educator Alyson A. Grine, Professor John Rubin edited it, and a stellar volunteer advisory board, including James Williams, Tye Hunter, Rich Rosen, Mary Pollard, and Breana Smith, provided guidance during the creation of the manual. Primarily intended for criminal defense attorneys, the manual is a tool for all court actors working to eradicate racial bias from criminal proceedings. For example, District Attorney for New Hanover and Pender Counties Benjamin David observed that “[m]aintaining public trust, from the police encounter through sentencing, requires that race play no role in how people are treated throughout the process. This manual provides an important tool for ensuring that criminal trials are free from improper influences of race.” The reach of the manual has been wider than we could have hoped: in addition to feedback that it has been useful to our target audience of North Carolina attorneys, it has been recognized by media outlets including the NY Times (see here and here), and was even cited in a US Supreme Court opinion (in a dissent, in a footnote, but still!). Building on [...]