Tomorrow, at 11 a.m., outside the UNC Center for School Leadership Development, Defenders of Civil Rights, a coalition group of students, faculty, alumni, and concerned North Carolinians will stand in support of the UNC Chapel Hill Center for Civil Rights and urge members of the Board of Governors to vote down a proposed litigation ban.

The litigation ban would harm the University’s reputation, chill free expression and association on campus, and contravene the public interest mission of the University.

Students, faculty members, and former clients of the center will speak and then attend the meeting to bear witness to the committee’s vote.

“The Board of Governors should oppose this effort by a small, ideological group of Board
members to end the work of the Center for Civil Rights, which extends the legacy of legendary civil rights lawyer Julius Chambers by helping poor and minority communities in North Carolina secure equal opportunity under the law,” said Tim Longest, a third-year UNC Law student. “Not only does the Center give the next generation of civil rights lawyers the tools we need to be excellent advocates, it does so while advancing the public interest mission of the University by extending legal services to historically excluded communities in North Carolina.”

The proposal is concerning to faculty as well. “Faculty must be in charge of deciding what our students learn in any program of study,” said Altha Cravey, UNC-Chapel Hill Geography Professor and President of the North Carolina Conference of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP). “Our institution rose to prominence on the foundation of academic freedom. The Board’s proposal undermines this core principle and thus threatens our institution’s stature and accreditation.”

For more information, contact Tim Longest – 252.814.7957 / twlongest@gmail.com or Altha Cravey – 919.903.6539 / altha.cravey@gmail.com.