Solving the access to justice gap is our moral obligation and an obligation of the faith community. Faith and justice must walk hand in hand to serve our communities. Working together we can ensure that all people have access to justice.

The North Carolina Faith and Justice Alliance (FJA) is an exciting new program through which legal and faith-based communities can come together to address the legal needs of low-income North Carolinians. Inspired by an established model in Tennessee, the FJA will build a coalition of faith-based groups and legal practitioners to help meet the growing need for legal assistance for North Carolinians who lack the resources to access our courts and protect their legal rights. The Alliance will empower legal practitioners to serve those in need of legal services by partnering with the religious leaders and faith institutions that are so often the first to know of the legal issues facing the members of their community. Guided by a statewide, interfaith steering committee, this partnership will equip faith leaders in local communities to identify the legal needs affecting their congregations and connect them to resources that can help. To learn more about this program, view this resource.

Meetings

June 5, 2020

The first meeting of the Faith and Justice Alliance Steering Committee was held on Friday, June 5, from 3:00-4:30 p.m. – please view the recording of this meeting here. This meeting’s agenda included a guest presentation from Justice Cornelia A. Clark of the Tennessee Supreme Court, who shared these slides about their Faith and Justice Alliance.

September 22, 2020

The second meeting of the Alliance Steering Committee was held on September 22, 2020 to explore legal needs reported via an online survey. Please view the recording of this meeting here. Meeting slides are also available to view here.

October 8, 2020 - Public Convening

The Faith and Justice Alliance hosted a Public Convening, where former Chief Justice Cheri Beasley, Alliance leadership, and subject matter experts provided an overview of the Alliance’s work, present information about timely legal issues, and answer questions from attendees. The meeting was held on October 8, 2020, from 1 p.m. - 2 p.m. by Zoom Webinar. People who were unable to pre-register for the Zoom Webinar may watch the Public Convening below. If you would like to submit feedback for consideration by the N.C. Faith and Justice Alliance Steering Committee, please use this submission form. For more information about the resources discussed during this Convening, visit our resource page.