Special Issues
Black Lives Matter
The Alameda County Bar Association (ACBA) is heartbroken over the brutal killing of George Floyd.
ACBA stands for inclusion, equity, diversity, and fostering relationships within our legal and general community. We are aware of the senseless and merciless killings of unarmed black men across our nation – along with the intentional misuse of white privilege. We also recognize that these incidents have happened before and continue to happen to black women, transgender individuals and people of color. We are aware that there are systemic issues of racism that plague our institutions.
ACBA builds up attorneys who practice with fervor, skill, and compassion. We need strong voices who will stand against injustice and advocate for the voiceless. Our goal is to be a driving force in cultivating fierce advocates who will take action to ensure equal protection under the law. Breaks in our system will not be bandaged, but repaired. We stand against racism, oppression, and discrimination. We will continue to promote justice for all.
LDF Toolkit to Help Communities Hold Police Accountable.
ACBA Barristers and CHBA Civil Rights Series
We’re working on a free series of CLE programs related to civil rights and racial justice issues to provide lawyers with information, resources and tools necessary to effectively advocate for racial justice, and systemic reform. Keep an eye out for more information soon on dates and speakers.
RSVP to Watch Live
- Reparations – More than Financial – 7/29
- Trying Race Discrimination Cases Part Two – 8/5
- Rebellious Lawyering: A Community Approach to DACA Cases – 8/24
- Concrete Ways Attorneys Can Support BLM – 8/31
- Juvenile Justice: The Incarceration of Black and Brown Young People – Causes, Solutions? Mass Incarceration Part 1 – 9/20
- Mass Incarceration Part 2 – 9/29
- Free Speech and Hate Speech – 10/18
- Vote By Mail – 10/28
- Health Issues and Disproportionate Impact – 11/30
Watch the Recordings:
Prolearn is best accessed in Google Chrome
- Juneteenth Observation
- What it Means to Defund the Police
- Discrimination, Allyship, and Intersectionality– a Town Hall
- An Overview of Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement and Addressing Racial Bias Within Policing
- The Black Panther Party – Legal and Social Impact
- Voting Rights & Voter Suppression
- Affirmative Action
- Law Enforcement and People in Mental Health Crises
- Allyship: How Lawyers Can Support Directly Impacted Communities
- Federal Police Intervention in Protests
- Housing Justice Town Hall
- Allyship Part 2: A Call to Action for Lawyers in Supporting Directly Impacted Communities – recording coming soon
- Anti-API Violence and Heightened Xenophobia and Racism
- The Intersection of LGBTQ Identity and Race
- The Face of Hate in the Workplace – Rights and Remedies
- Virtual Juneteenth Commemoration
- An Overview of Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement and Addressing Racial Bias Within Policing
- Litigating Race Discrimination Cases
- Policing as Trauma: Litigating Race and Police Trauma in a Juvenile and Criminal Case
- Deconstructing the Electoral College: Examining its History, Purposes, and Impact Today
Pandemic and Inequality
The Color of Law author Richard Rothstein joined The Pandemic and Inequality, a virtual conversation about the ways this global health crisis has exacerbated racial injustice and disparities. The Civil Justice Research Initiative hosted this special 30-minute conversation. The recording will be available soon here.
Statements/Articles
- STATEMENT OF THE CHARLES HOUSTON BAR ASSOCIATION ON THE DEATH OF GEORGE FLOYD Read it here
- President Barack Obama: How to Make this Moment the Turning Point for Real Change Read it here
- Supreme Court of California Issues Statement on Equality and Inclusion: June 11, 2020 Read it here
- Op-Ed: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Don’t understand the protests? What you’re seeing is people pushed to the edge Read it here
- What if…..White People Took Responsibility for Our Role in this Moment? Read it here
- 2019 Oakland youth poet laureate : You shouldn’t need a Harvard degree to survive birdwatching while black Read it here
- A Quick Read for White People Who Don’t Consider Themselves Racist Read it here
- A Judge Asked Harvard to Find Out Why So Many Black People Were In Prison. They Could Only Find 1 Answer: Systemic Racism
- How You Start is How You Finish? The Slave Patrol and Jim Crow Origins of Policing Read it here
We want to hear from you
We are interested in publishing our members’ thoughts on the Black Lives Matter movement and, in particular, the role of the legal system and the Rule of Law in addressing police brutality and racial oppression. Blogs are 250 words, and can be submitted to valerie@acbanet.org. We’ll post blogs on this webpage, and they also go out in our newsletter.
ACBA member Jonathan Madison made a keynote speech at a Black Lives Matter protest in San Mateo.
Additional Tips For Protesting:
- Amnesty International: https://www.amnestyusa.org/pdfs/SafeyDuringProtest_F.pdf
- ACLU: https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/protesters-rights/
Sign up to be a Legal Observer
Details on the National Lawyers Guild Legal Observer® program here
Opportunity to Represent Protesters Learn more
Support Black Owned Businesses
Check out the BAOBOB (Black Area Organization of Black Owned Businesses) directory here: BAOBOB-Directory
Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Racial Justice Newsletter
Sign Up for LCCRSF’s Racial Justice Newsletter by emailing Sam Lew: slew@lccrsf.org. For inquiries on pro bono opportunities please reach out to Elica Vafaie and Bréyon Austin: evafaie@lccrsf.org and baustin@lccrsf.org.