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Non-profit

Emancipate NC

Website:

www.emancipatenc.org
Location:

Durham, NC
Tax ID:

59-1755809
Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(3)

Budget (2021):

Revenue: $726,369
Expenses: $550,363
Assets: $1,002,472
Type:

Criminal Justice Activist Group
Formation:

1976
Executive Director:

Dawn Blagrove
Budget (2022):

Revenue: $1,576,532
Expenses: $829,861
Assets: $1,775,243 1

References

  1. Emancipate NC. Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. (Form 990 – Part I). 2022.

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Emancipate NC is a left-of-center activist organization of attorneys and organizers focused on eliminating what the group refers to as “structural racism and mass incarceration” through community education, litigation, and policy reform activism. Focus areas include changing the bail system, ending youth imprisonment, leveraging restorative justice to replace incarceration, and reducing police involvement in Black and Brown communities. The main premise of Emancipate NC is that Black and Brown people are “criminalized and dehumanized,” causing mass incarceration. 1

Emancipate NC is funded by several left-of-center organizations including Southern Partners Fund, The Tides Foundation, Black Lives Matter Support Fund, Movement Voter Project (MVP), Movement for Black Lives, and Proteus Action League. 2

Background

Emancipate NC was founded in 1976 as The Carolina Justice Policy Center (CJPC). 3 In 2019 CJPC was reorganized as Emancipate NC. 4

Emancipate NC states that it fights “structural racism and mass incarceration” in North Carolina. It claims that “prison is state-sponsored violence” that criminalizes Black and Brown people, 5 that the distribution of resources and opportunity only benefits white people, and that Black people are “criminalized and dehumanized.” 6

Focus Areas

Through policy advocacy, Emancipate NC attempts to change the bail system, which it claims is discriminatory against Black and Brown people and causes mass incarceration. 7

Emancipate NC works to end Black and Brown youth imprisonment, which it claims is caused by systemic racism by identifying and advocating for alternative policies. 8

Through community education in Black communities, Emancipate NC fights to replace incarceration with alternative approaches such as restorative justice. 9 Restorative justice entails mediation and conflict resolution between the lawbreaker and victims, often as an alternative to incarceration. 10

Emancipate NC attorneys perform litigation work including civil lawsuits against police departments for wrongful arrest, unlawful searches, and excessive use of force. 11

It advocates for reducing police involvement in 9-1-1 calls and replacing them with unarmed responders. 12

Campaigns and Events

Emancipate NC’s Don’t Plead to Weed campaign encourages anyone stopped by police to remain silent, obtain a lawyer, and refuse permission to search. The campaign premise is that weed is “criminalized in North Carolina because of racism and xenophobia” and that the smell of weed is “an excuse for police to harass Black and Brown people and search their cars.” 13

Emancipate NC’s Raleigh H.E.A.R.T. campaign works to eliminate armed police responding to 911 calls and replace them with mental health professionals and EMTs. It is also supported by American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina, Forward Justice, Democracy Out Loud, and left-of-center think tank North Carolina Justice Center. 14

As part of the North Carolina Coalition for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, Emancipate NC organized a rally in December 2023 at the governor’s mansion demanding that North Carolina’s 138 death sentences be immediately commuted. The rally was part of the annual Vigil for Freedom and Racial Justice 15 organized by Decarcerate Now! NC. 16

Emancipate NC organizes Emancipated CLE, an annual continuing legal education conference for lawyers, law students, and activists that covers subjects such as protest defense and human-informed lawyering. 17

Justice League

Emancipate NC organizes a fellowship program for formerly incarcerated and “justice-impacted” people to train them on organizing and activism in preparation for planning and developing campaigns against mass incarceration. 18 Emancipate NC relies on its Justice League fellows for much of its work, including speaking in communities and helping to develop and advocate for criminal reform policies such as bail reform and restorative justice. 19

Funding

Emancipate NC lists several of its funding partners, including Vera Institute of Justice, an activist organization focused on mass incarceration and immigrant advocacy; 20 The Tides Foundation; Black Lives Matter Support Fund; Piper Fund; Southern Partners Fund, an activist funder that supports left-of-center program areas including incarceration reform and assistance for illegal immigrants; 21 National Juvenile Justice Network; National Bail Fund Network; Movement Voter Project, which invests in groups focused on ensuring Democrats win the 2024 elections; 22 Movement for Black Lives; Black Voters Matter; Heising-Simons Foundation; and Community Change, a social movement that supports people of color, immigrants, and other “marginalized groups.” 23 24

Additional donors include Proteus Action League, Chinese Progressive Association (San Francisco), and Rockefeller Family Fund. 25

In 2022 Emancipate NC made grants to NC Community Bail Fund of Durham and American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of North Carolina. 26

Leadership

Dawn Blagrove is executive director of Emancipate NC. She received a law degree from North Carolina Central University School of Law. Previously, she was a post-conviction staff attorney for North Carolina Prisoner Legal Services, litigating on behalf of people convicted of crimes. In 2016 she joined Carolina Justice Policy Center as assistant director and became executive director in March 2017. 27

Elizabeth Simpson joined Emancipate NC as strategic director and attorney in 2019. She received a law degree from Yale University and worked as an attorney for North Carolina Prisoner Legal Services, litigating for prisoners’ civil rights, then as a senior staff attorney for the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild where she sued then-President Donald Trump on behalf of illegal immigrant activists. 28 29 Simpson is the board co-chair of the Southern Vision Alliance, an incubator for left-wing organizing and a fiscal sponsor of projects and campaigns that support far-left issues. 30

Kerwinn Pitman is Emancipate NC’s director of development and a supporter of Black Lives Matter. He is also executive director of Recidivism Reduction Educational Program Services and a member of the North Carolina Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice. At age 19, Pitman was a gang member convicted of conspiracy to commit murder. He spent over 11 years in prison. 31 32

Savannah Baker is board chair and an investigative fellow at the Civil Rights Corps in Washington, D.C., 33 a nonprofit organization focused on fighting the United States’ legal system which it argues is “built on white supremacy and economic inequality.” 34

References

  1. “What We Do.” Emancipate NC. Accessed January 17, 2024. https://emancipatenc.org/what-we-do/
  2. “Our Funders.” Emancipate NC – Who We Are. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://emancipatenc.org/our-funders/
  3. Bob Friedman. “Emancipate NC: Battling Mass Incarceration and Structural Racism.” Attorney At Law Magazine. December 2, 2020. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://attorneyatlawmagazine.com/lawyer-life/greater-good/emancipate-nc-battling-mass-incarceration-and-structural-racism
  4. Dawn Blagrove. “Our Growing Evolution to Emancipate NC.” Carolina Justice Policy Center. December 22, 2019. Accessed January 15, 2024. https://www.cjpcenter.org/our-growing-evolution-to-emancipatenc/
  5. “About.” Emancipate NC. Accessed January 15, 2024. https://emancipatenc.org/
  6. “What We Do.” Emancipate NC. Accessed January 15, 2024. https://emancipatenc.org/what-we-do/
  7. “End Reliance on Incarceration.” Emancipate NC – What We Do. Accessed January 15, 2024. https://emancipatenc.org/what-we-do/
  8. “Ending Youth Confinement.” Emancipate NC – What We Do. Accessed January 15, 2024. https://emancipatenc.org/what-we-do/
  9. “Authentic Community Safety.” Emancipate NC – What We Do. Accessed January 15, 2024. https://emancipatenc.org/what-we-do/
  10. “Restorative Justice.” Britannica. Accessed January 15, 2024. https://www.britannica.com/topic/restorative-justice
  11. “Opportunities.” Emancipate NC – What We Do. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://emancipatenc.org/opportunities/
  12. Will Michaels. WUNC 91.5 North Carolina Public Radio. December 14, 2023. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://www.wunc.org/2023-12-14/raleigh-police-911-unarmed-kerwin-pittman-emancipate-nc
  13. Don’t Plead To Weed website. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://www.dontpleadtoweed.com/
  14. “What if Raleigh Had H.E.A.R.T?” Raleigh H.E.A.R.T. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://www.whatifraleighhadaheart.org/
  15. “Now is the Time! Rally for Commutation, Community, & Compassion.” Emancipate NC. Accessed January 15, 2024. https://emancipatenc.org/category/ending-the-death-penalty/
  16. “The Vigil for Freedom and Racial Justice.” Decarcerate Now! NC. Accessed January 15, 2024. https://www.decarceratenownc.org/about-the-vigil
  17. “Register for the Emancipated CLE.” Emancipate NC – Events. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://emancipatenc.org/register-for-the-emancipated-cle/
  18. “The Justice League.” Emancipate NC – What We Do. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://emancipatenc.org/justice-league/
  19. Bob Friedman. “Emancipate NC: Battling Mass Incarceration and Structural Racism.” Attorney At Law Magazine. December 2, 2020. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://attorneyatlawmagazine.com/lawyer-life/greater-good/emancipate-nc-battling-mass-incarceration-and-structural-racism
  20. Vera website. Accessed January 17, 2024. https://www.vera.org/
  21. Southern Partners Fund website. Accessed January 17, 2024. https://southernpartnersfund.org/
  22. “How We Win In 2024.” Movement Voter Project. Accessed January 17, 2024. https://movement.vote/2024campaign/
  23. “About.” Community Change. Accessed January 17, 2024. https://communitychange.org/about/
  24. “Our Funders.” Emancipate NC – Who We Are. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://emancipatenc.org/our-funders/
  25. [1] “Emancipate NC.” ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. Accessed January 15, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/full_text_search?sort=best&form%5B%5D=IRS990ScheduleI&year%5B%5D=2022&q=emancipate+nc&submit=Apply
  26. Emancipate NC. Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. (Form 990 – Schedule I). 2022.
  27. LinkedIn – Dawn Blagrove. Accessed January 15, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawn-blagrove-4a31136/
  28. LinkedIn – Elizabeth Simpson. Accessed January 15, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-simpson-b8650182/
  29. “Leadership and Staff.” Emancipate NC – Who We Are. Accessed January 15, 2024. https://emancipatenc.org/leadership-and-staff/
  30. Southern Vision Alliance website. Accessed January 15, 2024. https://southernvision.org/
  31. LinkedIn – Kerwin Pittman. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerwin-pittman-9884b1189/
  32. Rebecca Martinez. “”I Sleep, Eat, Live, Breathe Activism”: Kerwin Pittman Advocates For Prison Reform.” WUNC 91.5 North Carolina Public Radio. September 10, 2020. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://www.wunc.org/race-demographics/2020-09-10/i-sleep-eat-live-breathe-activism-kerwin-pittman-advocates-for-prison-reform
  33. LinkedIn – Savannah Baker. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/savannah-baker-797b19168/
  34. “About.” Civil Rights Corps. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://civilrightscorps.org/about/
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Nonprofit Information

  • Accounting Period: December - November
  • Tax Exemption Received: August 1, 1977

    • Available Filings

    Period Form Type Total revenue Total functional expenses Total assets (EOY) Total liabilities (EOY) Unrelated business income? Total contributions Program service revenue Investment income Comp. of current officers, directors, etc. Form 990
    2021 Dec Form 990 $726,369 $550,363 $1,002,472 $50 N $724,556 $0 $1,813 $82,016
    2020 Dec Form 990 $1,104,088 $380,706 $845,931 $19,515 N $1,102,735 $0 $1,353 $0
    2019 Dec Form 990 $132,498 $105,365 $103,137 $103 N $130,948 $0 $1,550 $0 PDF
    2018 Dec Form 990 $99,578 $122,727 $75,901 $0 N $98,085 $0 $1,493 $0 PDF
    2017 Dec Form 990 $84,817 $134,976 $101,781 $2,731 N $83,309 $0 $1,508 $0 PDF
    2016 Dec Form 990 $111,840 $121,671 $152,430 $3,221 N $110,650 $0 $1,190 $41,777 PDF
    2015 Dec Form 990 $148,735 $115,262 $162,293 $3,253 N $128,072 $0 $596 $40,643 PDF
    2014 Dec Form 990 $171,861 $164,995 $133,939 $8,371 N $163,533 $7,445 $601 $40,643 PDF
    2013 Dec Form 990 $152,001 $140,931 $124,333 $5,631 N $146,050 $4,340 $673 $38,366 PDF
    2012 Dec Form 990 $106,799 $134,396 $112,928 $5,296 N $104,456 $0 $1,014 $37,248 PDF
    2011 Dec Form 990 $212,582 $121,620 $139,774 $4,545 N $211,716 $0 $866 $43,066 PDF

    Additional Filings (PDFs)

    Emancipate NC

    PO BOX 309
    Durham, NC 27702-0309