Strengthening the legal arm of the #BlackLivesMatter movement

 

In keeping with our commitment to support the growing movement for Black Lives, we are bringing together lawyers, law students, legal workers, and jailhouse lawyers from diverse parts of the country to spend a day strategizing about how we can best support the activists on the frontlines of this movement. #Law4BlackLives, a conference hosted by CCR’s Bertha Justice Institute, will take place in New York City on July 31, 2015. This event will prioritize the voices and leadership of people of color, most importantly Black lawyers and legal advocates. We will explore how legal advocates can work collaboratively with #BlackLivesMatter activists and organizers on a range of efforts – from defending the civil rights of protesters to drafting transformative legislation and using international law venues. We will also survey current legal needs on the ground and generate possible legal tactics. Please share this announcement with relevant networks, friends and colleagues.

CCR has played a vital role supporting this important social movement. We helped form the Ferguson Legal Defense Committee, which organized hundreds of legal advocates across the country to support protesters in Ferguson through criminal defense representation and civil rights litigation, and co-convened national strategy sessions to deepen collective understanding of the challenges ahead. CCR was founded almost 50 years ago in te crucible of the civil rights struggle in the South, and the current efforts continue our longstanding commitment to racial justice.