“No one in the progressive community is comfortable talking about race. We need to put race back on the table.” EJS 2000
“Explicit bias and overt racism are things of our past. We can focus on implicit bias” EJS 2003
“President Trump” The electorate 2016
The Equal Justice Society was formed in the first part of this century with the idea that the courts were moving to the right; that social science could help us in litigation a la Charles Hamilton Houston and his evisceration of “separate but equal”; that art lifts us up and speaks of justice in ways that lawsuits cannot; and that we wanted to be part of a larger struggle to create the Beloved Community that Dr. King saw in his mind’s eye.
Seventeen years later, we find white supremacy on the rise and a Senate Majority Leader who has stolen judicial appointments away from the first Black president, but we also see people mobilized and active who have never been involved in politics. The owner of the Pilates studio that I frequent reminds me that shortly after the election I said, “Now you all know how Black folks feel.”
EJS is part of The Resistance. This past year we have:
- Settled a lawsuit that resulted in the implementation of a comprehensive program that will bring mind science concepts such implicit bias to the staff and faculty of local high schools in Bakersfield;
- Held a conference on the Resilience of Racism;
- Spoke out forcefully against white supremacy and publish the weekly newsletter This Week in White Supremacy;
- Strengthened our coalition building by staffing the Good Ally Collaborative and the California Civil Rights Coalition; and
- Provided trainings on combating racism and implicit bias and speaking at numerous events sharing our insights on how to support resistance efforts to protect communities under attack.
And so much more!
One of the few benefits of the era of Trumpism – it goes beyond the president, as there are many Americans who support his policies and bigoted utterances – is that people like yourselves know that you need to support those fighting against the madness. We hope you will give generously.
Here’s how you can help us continue our critical work:
- Make a secure, online donation right now;
- Write a check payable to the Equal Justice Society and mail your donation to the Equal Justice Society, 1939 Harrison Street, Suite 818, Oakland, CA 94612;
- Call us at 415-288-8700 to learn more about our road map to litigation, pledge your support, or find out how you can help; and
- Use AmazonSmile to donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible purchases to EJS.
In gratitude for your continued love and support,
Eva Paterson, on behalf of the Board and Staff of the Equal Justice Society
