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2018 Year in Review

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2018 Year in Review 2018 YEAR IN REVIEW LAWYERS FOR CIVIL RIGHTS BOSTON Table of Contents Mission & History 2 Message from the Executive Director 3 Intake Statistics 6 BOSTON MUST Voting Rights 7 BECOME A Fighting for Immigrant Communities 9 TESTING Economic Justice Project 11 GROUND FOR Police Accountability 13 THE IDEALS OF Employment 15 FREEDOM. Education 16 Medical Legal Partnership 19 50th Anniversary Celebration Supporters & Sponsors 24 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Edward J. Barshak Fund for Justice 26 BizGrow 2018 27 Board of Directors 30 Member Firms and Organizations 32 Congressional Resolution Honors LCR 33 Boston City Council Resolution Honors LCR 35 Timeline & Case History 36 Staff, Volunteers & Interns 40 Mission & History Message from the Executive Director Our organization is a leading hub for litigation, advocacy, and resistance to discrimination. Entrenched injustice requires 21st century solutions. To stay current, we evolve. This year, in celebration of our 50th Anniversary, It’s a new day at LCR! we are reinvigorating our powerful foundations and breaking new ground. Over the past year, to further guide our work and ensure its sus- We are excited to announce that the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights tainability, our organization embarked on a comprehensive strategic and Economic Justice is now Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR). planning and rebranding process. With the help of many of our key Lawyers for Civil Rights fosters equal opportunity and fights discrimi- constituents, we produced a dynamic vision for driving the organiza- nation on behalf of people of color and immigrants. We engage in creative tion forward as we celebrate our 50th Anniversary in 2018. and courageous legal action, education, and advocacy in collaboration Our name has changed, but our commitment to fighting discrimi- with law firms and community partners. nation remains unchanged. We know that modern-day advocacy must Our organization was founded in 1968 in the midst of riots, the after- be nimble, innovative, bold, and exciting. Our work is life-changing math of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the findings and law-changing. of the Kerner Commission concluding that the nation was “moving toward Every day, our legal warriors are in the trenches litigating ground- two societies. One Black, one White – separate and unequal.” breaking cases, engaging in innovative policy advocacy, leading With funding and pro bono legal services contributed by Boston law comprehensive community education and outreach, spearheading firms, the organization became the first of eight independent local affili- community economic development, and partnering with law firms and ates of the Washington, D.C.-based Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights community groups to further the cause of civil rights. Every day, we Under Law, a national organization formed at the request of President bring people together to promote equal opportunity. Every day, we John F. Kennedy to enlist the private bar in providing legal representation fight discrimination. to address racial discrimination. From desegregating Boston’s public schools and public housing In 1973, we became the first pro bono project of the Boston Bar Asso- projects to our ongoing work to eradicate discrimination in the work- ciation and the only Lawyers’ Committee affiliate in the nation directly place, we are a catalyst for justice and equality. We are building on our connected with a major bar association. Although the organization is now rich legacy, expanding our work to make it even more diverse, inclu- separately incorporated with its own 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, we sive, visible, and impactful. continue to maintain strong ties to the private bar in Boston. Our staff, Board of Directors, law firm partners, community allies, Membership by private law firms still forms the working foundation of and supporters are working in concert to move the struggle for civil our organization. Member law firms fund a significant part of our annual rights from the streets to the courtroom. Together, we are providing operating expenses and provide millions of dollars in pro bono legal ser- free legal services to individuals and small businesses in communities vices by working closely with the organization. In this way, for decades, that are often deprived of justice because of barriers such as race, we have harnessed the resources and talent of Boston’s leading law firms language, and national origin. to secure and protect the civil rights of Massachusetts residents. Thank you for celebrating the legacy and future of civil rights! Over the years, our organization has also grown, adding new projects Here’s to moving forward – without fail and without fear. and initiatives to respond to the changing face of discrimination. While working closely with an ever-increasing number of diverse community partners, we remain true to our core mission to challenge and eradicate all Iván Espinoza-Madrigal, Esq. forms of discrimination. Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) The struggle continues, but the future is bright. Lawyers for Civil Rights will continue advancing justice and equality for decades to come. 2 3 4 Intake Statistics Voting Rights As LCR enters its fiftieth year, the number of community members seek- Voting Rights Lawsuit Against Election Protection ing our legal assistance continues to grow. We serve some of the most Lowell, Massachusetts The 2018 Massachusetts state vulnerable populations in the Commonwealth, providing representation, In May 2017, together with our pro elections spotlighted the most di- counsel, advice, and referrals in a variety of civil practice areas. bono allies at Ropes & Gray, we verse slate of political leaders that filed a federal voting rights lawsuit the Commonwealth has ever seen. on behalf of a diverse coalition of In response to the swell of voters, Asian-American and Latinx resi- LCR led a critical nonpartisan voter dents of Lowell, alleging that the protection campaign to ensure that Intake Statistics city’s municipal election system every eligible voter in the Com- discriminates against communi- monwealth had equal access to the ties of color. ballot box. According to the lawsuit, the Our campaign, Massachusetts use of citywide at-large elections Election Protection, included a for all seats on the Lowell City state-wide toll-free hotline and a Council and Lowell School Com- comprehensive field program. The mittee dilutes the voting power of hotline, housed at and supported minority voters in Lowell, violating by WilmerHale, was staffed by the federal Voting Rights Act, as volunteer attorneys from our mem- well as the U.S. Constitution. The ber firms. Calls were answered complaint sets forth how although throughout Election Day, providing the city is approximately 49% mi- eligible voters with the assistance nority, both its nine-member City they needed in real-time to ensure Council and its six-member School their ability to vote. The compre- 285 404 601 780 939 Committee have been virtually hensive field program, consisting 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 all-white for all of Lowell’s histo- of more than 200 volunteers, mar- ry. In an at-large winner-take-all shalled support to communities system such as Lowell’s, 51% of the of color throughout the Common- electorate can control 100% of the wealth and served as the eyes and seats and win every election. ears for the Election Protection White Other Immigrant Justice The case is currently pending command staff. Our partners in Asian Employment in federal district court, where this effort included: ACLU of Mas- Disability / the judge has already rejected sachusetts, Anti-Defamation 76 42 2 4 Benefits 67 6 the City’s motion to dismiss. The League, Common Cause Mas- 8 4 9 8 lawsuit is believed to be the first of sachusetts, MassVOTE, and the 5 2018 Intake 2018 Intake 2 6 5 its kind in the country to be filed on League of Women Voters. Demographics Education 9 Breakdown 2 3 2 behalf of a coalition of Asian-Amer- 2 1 6 0 7 Black 1 ican and Latinx residents. Latinx Criminal Justice Housing and Policing 6 7 Fighting for Immigrant Communities Automatic Voter Registration triumphed again, ushering in legislation to Since the 2016 election, immi- the Supreme Court’s ruling on the LCR is a member of the Election Modern- create Automatic Voter Registration (AVR). grants in the United States are in Trump Administration’s “trav- ization Coalition (EMC), a small cohort of AVR will ensure that the 700,000 people in a more precarious position than el ban” and provides a model of organizations committed to modernizing the Commonwealth who are not registered to ever. With increased raids, a per- creative litigation aimed at holding the electoral process so that more eligible vote, a majority of whom reside in urban areas vasive climate of fear, and threats those in the highest echelons of individuals can register, vote, and have their with high levels of poverty, become registered to life saving programs like Tem- power to account. voices heard. EMC has made significant ac- with ease. LCR and the rest of the coalition porary Protected Status (TPS), complishments, including a successful drive are now providing their expertise and insight the fight for immigrant rights is Challenging Illegal Detentions that resulted in 2014 legislation establish- to advise on the proper implementation of front and center. LCR continues In March 2018, LCR, along with our ing state-wide early voting. This year, EMC AVR throughout the Commonwealth. to aggressively and strategically pro bono partners from Latham & advocate on behalf of immigrant Watkins LLP, filed Rivas v. Hodg- communities and to develop son, a federal lawsuit to hold Bris- creative responses to meet new tol County’s rogue sheriff, Thomas challenges. Hodgson, accountable for his anti-immigrant policies and prac- Protecting Temporary tices, and for the illegal detention Protected Status of our client.
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