Join radical law students, legal workers and lawyers from around the South at our annual Southern Regional Conference, to be held this March 18 and 19 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/930833930319291/
Saturday, March 19, 2016
8:30-9:15 a.m. - Registration
9:15-9:30 a.m. - Welcome and introduction
9:30-11:00 a.m. - Combating the New Wave of Islamophobia and Xenophobia in the South
This panel will examine the wave of Islamophobia and Xenophobia sweeping the South in the recent months as exhibited by many Governors’ attempts to ban Syrian refugees from their states or deny them services. The panel will also examine ways in which local communities have organized to counter the attacks. Lastly, the panel will examine the roots of the refugee crisis, specifically the role of the US government in creating it. Presenters include Dani Moore from the North Carolina Justice Center, Manzoor Cheema from the Movement to End Racism and Islamophobia, Zane Kuseybi of Greensboro and Azadeh Shahshahani, former NLG president and legal and advocacy director of Project South.
11:15-12:45 p.m. - Reframing Racial Inequity: A Groundwater Approach
As NLG members and movement lawyers, law students, and legal workers, we have already declared our commitment to practicing anti-racist principles in our political work. Still, many of us are still grappling with how to go about dismantling racism in the context of our Guild work. This session leverages quantitative analysis and history to provide a framework for understanding and explaining persistent racial inequity in the U.S. In part, we will touch on intersecting oppressions affecting structural racism. Join trainers from the Racial Equity Institute in Greensboro, NC for this presentation, which will be fast-paced and include participation from attendees.
12:45-1:30 p.m. - Lunch (provided)
1:45-3:15 p.m. - Public Housing for All: The Fight to End Discrimination Based on Criminal Records
This panel is presented through the lens of grassroots organizing to amend the Housing Authority of New Orleans policy regarding criminal records, and the momentum for HUD to develop a new national policy. This panel will provide an overview of HUD rules, the Rucker v. Oakland Housing Authority ruling, and Public Housing Authority discretion regarding criminal convictions of household members. It also addresses how these rules are impacted by (a) former HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan’s “myth busting” memo, (b) EEOC 2012 policy on criminal convictions and employment, (c) HUD’s 2013 policy on Disparate Impact (d) HUD’s 2015 memo eliminating arrests as grounds for eviction, and (e) the 2015 SCOTUS Inclusive Communities ruling. Presenters include Alfred Marshall, a community organizer for Stand With Dignity at the New Orleans Workers Center for Racial Justice, and Bruce Reilly, deputy director of VOTE in New Orleans.
3:30-5 p.m. - Movement Lawyering for Racial Justice and Human Rights
This training will expose participants to the movement lawyering approach through a discussion of the values and theoretical basis that underlie the work of the Community Justice Project and practical examples from the Project’s work involving tenants rights, workers rights, and racial justice campaigns. Presenters will surface common challenges facing lawyers serving grassroots organizing groups and discuss how other legal workers may integrate a movement lawyering approach into their current work. Presenters include Meena Jagannath and Alana Greer, who co-founded the Community Justice Project with Chuck Elsesser in 2015 to meet the growing need for movement-focused racial justice and human rights advocacy in South Florida.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/930833930319291/
Saturday, March 19, 2016
8:30-9:15 a.m. - Registration
9:15-9:30 a.m. - Welcome and introduction
9:30-11:00 a.m. - Combating the New Wave of Islamophobia and Xenophobia in the South
This panel will examine the wave of Islamophobia and Xenophobia sweeping the South in the recent months as exhibited by many Governors’ attempts to ban Syrian refugees from their states or deny them services. The panel will also examine ways in which local communities have organized to counter the attacks. Lastly, the panel will examine the roots of the refugee crisis, specifically the role of the US government in creating it. Presenters include Dani Moore from the North Carolina Justice Center, Manzoor Cheema from the Movement to End Racism and Islamophobia, Zane Kuseybi of Greensboro and Azadeh Shahshahani, former NLG president and legal and advocacy director of Project South.
11:15-12:45 p.m. - Reframing Racial Inequity: A Groundwater Approach
As NLG members and movement lawyers, law students, and legal workers, we have already declared our commitment to practicing anti-racist principles in our political work. Still, many of us are still grappling with how to go about dismantling racism in the context of our Guild work. This session leverages quantitative analysis and history to provide a framework for understanding and explaining persistent racial inequity in the U.S. In part, we will touch on intersecting oppressions affecting structural racism. Join trainers from the Racial Equity Institute in Greensboro, NC for this presentation, which will be fast-paced and include participation from attendees.
12:45-1:30 p.m. - Lunch (provided)
1:45-3:15 p.m. - Public Housing for All: The Fight to End Discrimination Based on Criminal Records
This panel is presented through the lens of grassroots organizing to amend the Housing Authority of New Orleans policy regarding criminal records, and the momentum for HUD to develop a new national policy. This panel will provide an overview of HUD rules, the Rucker v. Oakland Housing Authority ruling, and Public Housing Authority discretion regarding criminal convictions of household members. It also addresses how these rules are impacted by (a) former HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan’s “myth busting” memo, (b) EEOC 2012 policy on criminal convictions and employment, (c) HUD’s 2013 policy on Disparate Impact (d) HUD’s 2015 memo eliminating arrests as grounds for eviction, and (e) the 2015 SCOTUS Inclusive Communities ruling. Presenters include Alfred Marshall, a community organizer for Stand With Dignity at the New Orleans Workers Center for Racial Justice, and Bruce Reilly, deputy director of VOTE in New Orleans.
3:30-5 p.m. - Movement Lawyering for Racial Justice and Human Rights
This training will expose participants to the movement lawyering approach through a discussion of the values and theoretical basis that underlie the work of the Community Justice Project and practical examples from the Project’s work involving tenants rights, workers rights, and racial justice campaigns. Presenters will surface common challenges facing lawyers serving grassroots organizing groups and discuss how other legal workers may integrate a movement lawyering approach into their current work. Presenters include Meena Jagannath and Alana Greer, who co-founded the Community Justice Project with Chuck Elsesser in 2015 to meet the growing need for movement-focused racial justice and human rights advocacy in South Florida.