Valerie Johnson is among the dozens of attorneys across the state offering their services to victims of North Carolina’s Eugenics Program. Lawyers with the North Carolina Advocates for Justice are working to give people who were forcibly sterilized some dignity in the face of loss. New legislation offers financial compensation to the surviving victims of the program, which represents a shameful chapter in the state’s history.
In the 45 years from 1929 to 1974, nearly 7600 North Carolinians were sterilized by the state by force, coercion or choice. Of those individuals, 85 percent were female and 40 percent were minorities. While the exact number of victims still alive today is unknown, a recent report by the State Center for Health Statistics estimated as many as 1800 victims are living.
If you were a victim of the program or if you know a friend or loved one who was sterilized by the state, we urge you to please call CJG Law Firm. We will work hard to assist you in filing your claim or to find you a volunteer lawyer. Claims must be filed before June 30, 2014.
For more information about the program, please visit this site established for victims and their loved ones.
You can read more about the program here.