Big Changes to EJS Legal Team and Board

The Equal Justice Society has some dynamic additions to our staff and board and one regretful departure. Legal Director Allison Elgart has joined the California Attorney General’s Office; Lisa Holder has been appointed Interim Legal Director; we’ve selected Yoana Tchoukleva as our new Judge Constance Baker Motley Legal Fellow; and Kelly Dermody and Sheila Warren have joined our Board of Directors.   Farewell to Allison Elgart  … Continue reading Big Changes to EJS Legal Team and Board

The Impact of Slavery on American Jurisprudence and Activism

Artwork is Aaron Douglas’ “Aspects of Negro Life: From Slavery Through Reconstruction” (1934) 2019 is the 400th anniversary of the beginning of slavery in the USA. In August of 1619, twenty Africans landed at Jamestown Virginia. In the 400 years that Africans have been here, their history has been full of struggle, resistance, and the … Continue reading The Impact of Slavery on American Jurisprudence and Activism

Support Monday’s Oral Arguments in Suit Against Trump Ban on Asylum Seekers

Vince Warren, Executive Director of the Center for Constitutional Rights, shared with us today that there will be oral arguments in San Francisco on Monday,  November 19, at 9:30 am in East Bay Sanctuary Covenant v. Trump, CCR's federal lawsuit challenging the new Trump proclamation, which bars people seeking asylum at the U.S. southern border if they attempt to enter outside a port … Continue reading Support Monday’s Oral Arguments in Suit Against Trump Ban on Asylum Seekers

EJS’s Chris Bridges Featured in Talkback after Irma Herrera’s ‘Why Would I Mispronounce My Own Name?’

When Irma Herrera gives her name its correct Spanish pronunciation, some people assume she’s a foreigner. She’s not. Irma proudly claims her Tejano roots and her Mexican and American identity as well as her native languages: Spanish and English. Irma worked three decades as a San Francisco civil rights lawyer and journalist. Her solo play … Continue reading EJS’s Chris Bridges Featured in Talkback after Irma Herrera’s ‘Why Would I Mispronounce My Own Name?’

Names matter.

Names matter. Our hearts go out to the families of the victims of the Pittsburgh massacre and and Louisville murders last week. Pittsburgh: Joyce Fienberg, 75 Richard Gottfried, 65 Rose Mallinger, 97 Jerry Rabinowitz, 66 Cecil Rosenthal, 59 David Rosenthal, 54 Bernice Simon, 84 Sylvan Simon, 86 Daniel Stein, 71 Melvin Wax, 88 Irving Younger, … Continue reading Names matter.

EJS Board Chair Named as a 2018 PEN America Writing for Justice Fellow

We are delighted to share that EJS Board Chair, Priscilla Ocen, was selected as a 2018 PEN America Writing for Justice Fellow. Priscilla will use long-form journalism to push against the concept of community supervision as an antidote to mass incarceration, specifically in relationship to system-involved Black women, accompanied by photographic portraiture and community resource … Continue reading EJS Board Chair Named as a 2018 PEN America Writing for Justice Fellow