Forward Justice

n 2022 we continued to build on the rich legacy of those who have long believed in the Other America. After restoring access to the ballot to more than 56,000 people living in NC communities on felony supervision probation or parole in CSI v. Moore - the largest expansion of voting rights in our home state since the civil rights movement - we continued to protect the rights of these newly enfranchised Second Chance Voters. The Unlock Our Vote campaign's radical demand to expand the we in we the people to include people under felony community supervision deepened our analysis of what a Third Reconstruction means today our commitment to stand with the people most impacted and our imagination of what is possible across the South. Last year Forward Justice and our movement partners made progress in reducing racially discriminatory police stops in Mecklenburg County reduced the burden of criminal justice debt that drives the vicious cycle of criminalization of poverty and redoubled our voter protection and intimidation infrastructure. In our signature work to Protect Our Vote in NC NAACP v. Moore we celebrated another historic legal victory securing the people's right to be free from the abuses of unlimited power wielded by an illegally racially gerrymandered state legislature. And we were inspired by the launch of our work with our long-time partners SpiritHouse to build a Transformative Justice Center in Durham NC that will serve as a sacred home for a new vision of safety and justice.

Nationally we were buoyed by the spirit and power of joining with the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival in its audacious gathering for the Mass Poor People's Moral March on Washington in June prophetically calling for the restoration of the new Voting Rights Act - an unmet demand that should shame this nation as we enter the 10th year without a Voting Rights Act. We are grateful to all of our core movement partners for joining us in New Orleans Louisiana for the launch of our regional gathering series Ground the South in partnership with our 501c4 sister organization Forward Justice Action Network which is helping us to expand our reach in the South.