July at the WLC: Embracing our mission

July 2017 | Washington Lawyers' Committee eNewsletter

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Dear Friend of the Washington Lawyers' Committee,

Fifty years ago this month, following an incident of police brutality, the City of Detroit experienced an uprising that left 43 dead and dozens of blocks in ashes. Over the course of the summer other cities across the nation went up in flames. A year later the Kerner Commission issued its report detailing the causes of the unrest: racial discrimination in housing and employment, police misconduct, and government indifference to extreme racial inequality.

The Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs was founded in direct response to the Kerner Commission report. We proudly embraced the challenge and our mission is as vital today as the day we opened our doors.

Please learn more below about our clients, our volunteers, our staff, and our most recent work—all made possible because of your support.

Jonathan Smith
Executive Director, Washington Lawyers' Committee

If you or someone you know has experienced any act of hate or bias because of their race, gender, national origin, religion, or disability, the Washington Lawyers’ Committee is ready to help. Please contact us at ReportHate@washlaw.org.

Our Clients Speak

The Washington Lawyers' Committee has the honor of partnering with extraordinary clients. Their courage and sense of justice inspires and guides us. We interviewed three clients for the 2017 Wiley A. Branton Lunch. The videos of these interviews are available at this link.

Become a Workers' Rights Volunteer

Fifty years ago, the Kerner Commission identified that the unavailability of well-paying jobs was a driver of racial inequality and suffering in the nation's urban centers. This inequality continues to exist and workplace justice is a central priority for the Washington Lawyers' Committee.

As a part of our workplace justice efforts, the Washington Lawyers’ Committee operates Workers’ Rights Clinics that serve more than 100 workers each month. These clinics, located in the community, provide advice, pro se support, and representation regarding discrimination, wages, benefits, and working conditions. Our client, Domingo Zamora, recently described the devastating impact of wage theft.

Clinics are staffed by a dedicated group of volunteers and supported by Committee lawyers and advocates. Though these clinics, workers have been restored to their jobs, received hundreds of thousands of dollars in back wages, and identified systemic issues that have led to key legislative or policy changes.

Carol Light, one of our Advising Attorneys, volunteers at Clinic because “I love the work, I appreciate the variety, I greatly value the community of people there (lawyers, volunteers, advising attorneys), and best of all, the opportunity to do some good and give back.” You can get involved too.

Akin Gump Parole Representation Efforts are Honored

Hundreds of District of Columbia prisoners must face the Parole Commission without counsel. A Parole Commission hearing determines whether the prisoner—after having served, in many cases, decades—will be released, or ordered to remain incarcerated for additional years. The guiding hand of counsel can mean the difference between freedom or continued incarceration. Our client Louis Sawyer spoke eloquently about the parole process.

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP has made a commitment to assist prisoners facing parole hearings. This year more than a dozen Akin Gump lawyers and paralegals represented DC residents incarcerated at federal facilities nationwide. They traveled to remote facilities, providing essential legal services, and increasing the likelihood of a fair hearing and a positive outcome for the men they represented. Associate Abby Kohlman, who led the firm’s involvement, stated, “These prisoners are usually left to represent themselves without the help of pro bono attorneys. It is truly rewarding work to reunite families with prisoners who have spent decades in prison.” Akin Gump also recognized its DC parole hearing team with the firm wide Litigation Matter of the Year award.

We also thank Akin Gump lawyers for their financial support. The firm's pro bono auction raised more than $11,000 in July for the Washington Lawyers’ Committee.

Lawsuit Against Uber for Excluding
Wheelchair Users from Its Services

The revolutionary and disruptive “ride-sharing” industry has provided new freedom of travel for many people in Washington, D.C. and elsewhere. We can now use smartphones to secure rides more swiftly, reliably, and conveniently—and ride more cheaply—than was possible under taxi service alone. Wheelchair users, however, have been denied these benefits because Uber has not included wheelchair-accessible vehicles in their growing fleet. In fact, none of the 30,000+ vehicles operated by Uber drivers in the District is capable of transporting individuals who use wheelchairs that cannot be folded and stowed in a trunk. That’s why we are suing Uber on behalf of the Equal Rights Center.

Staff Spotlight: Deepa Goraya

This month, Deepa Goraya, who focuses on disability rights advocacy at the Washington Lawyers’ Committee, shared what drove her to become a civil rights lawyer, and how she sees her personal experiences reflected in her current practice—“The Barbri case reminds me of the struggles I experienced throughout my education…Had I simply given up in high school and let myself fall behind my sighted peers, or quit because something was inaccessible, I too would have fallen through the cracks like so many other blind individuals I know." Read more...

More July News

We are hiring an experienced attorney to help lead our employment justice work.
Workers’ Rights Clinic volunteers fielded over 110 calls during ABC7 On Your Side’s Workers’ Rights phone bank!
A new federal report harshly criticized the way the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) treats inmates with mental illness, singling out treatment at the prison at Lewisburg, Pa—the facility at the center of a recently filed class action lawsuit by the Committee alleging that the BOP has systematically mistreated seriously mentally ill prisoners.
One of our Fluvanna plaintiffs was profiled in this heartbreaking story about the severe medical neglect she experienced during her confinement.
Jonathan Smith talked to Think Twice Podcast about Ferguson, police accountability, and justice.
The Committee joined with almost 50 civil rights and criminal justice groups to endorse the Private Prison Information Act (H.R. 1980).
Phil Fornaci talked about returning citizens and prisoners’ issues on WPFW 89.3 PM Crossroads with Roach Brown.
Brook Hill talked with our corporate partners about the ongoing perpetuation of segregation in DC housing during our successful first Corporate Advisory Board lunch-and-learn.
Gregg Kelley spoke at the MIE 2017 National Fundraising Conference about donor acquisition.
Deepa Goraya spoke on a panel at the National Association of Blind Lawyers (NABL) Conference about using technology and other strategies to practice law as a blind attorney. Deepa is serving a 2-year term on the board of the NABL beginning this fall.

Our summer interns visited the Supreme Court of the United States this month. We can’t wait to see these future civil rights leaders make a difference!

Fight Injustice & Inequality with WLC: Volunteer and Pro Bono Opportunities

Workers' Rights Clinic August Schedule

Interested in becoming a Clinic volunteer? Fill out this form. Email Rebecca Davis for more information about Clinic.
The Workers' Rights Clinic will be closed during the month of August.

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