Massachusetts Appleseed Center for Law and Justice

Last week, we stopped by Massachusetts Law Reform Institute’s office to share about the Massachusetts Homeless Youth Legal Network with the Immigration Coalition (IMCO)! With 60+ members, the MHYLN works to improve outcomes for youth and young adults experiencing homelessness by mobilizing the Massachusetts legal community to advocate for policy changes and provide pro bono legal resources. If you are an attorney with experience meeting the legal needs of young people who is interested in joining the MHYLN and staying updated on opportunities to participate, reach out to us! As we see an increasing number of newly arrived immigrant youth experience homelessness, offering legal supports to match their unique needs is critical. Huge thanks to our friends at Massachusetts Law Reform Institute for connecting us with the IMCO members to strengthen this important initiative!

Voting is a fundamental right – your voice is your power! When we all participate in decision-making processes, our communities grow stronger and more resilient. The deadline to register to vote in Massachusetts is tomorrow, 10/26. Questions about ID, language access, and more? Check out this #knowyourights explainer from the ACLU of Massachusetts: https://lnkd.in/ePquAXuX

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and we have the privilege of partnering with numerous organizations leading efforts to end intimate partner violence and abuse in Massachusetts. By working together to improve access to justice, we can ensure survivors of domestic violence have the resources they need to safely exit abusive situations, achieve economic independence, and rebuild their lives. We stand in solidarity with survivors and say: You are not alone. 💜 Thank you to partners like Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence for your tireless work and steadfast advocacy! #DomesticViolenceAwarenessMonth

As we celebrate #ProBonoMonth, we are thrilled to recognize our longtime pro bono partner, Baker McKenzie, for their leadership in creating the Massachusetts Homeless Youth Handbook with us! This know-your-rights guide addresses the way legal problems regularly intersect with a young person's life and can affect their ability to meet their basic needs. And with homelessness surging over the past year, resources like this are more important than ever. Thank you, Jaclyn Pampel (Jacobs) and everyone at Baker McKenzie, for your unwavering commitment to expanding access to justice for Massachusetts’ most vulnerable youth!

The Massachusetts Homeless Youth Handbook has 20 chapters addressing common legal questions youth and young adults experiencing homelessness may have, such as how to stay connected to school, sign a lease, prepare for a court appearance, access healthcare, interact with police and immigration officials, and more. Pro bono partners and individual volunteers provide essential support each year to help us keep this know-your-rights guide updated, ensuring it reflects changes in the law and new resources that become available. As we celebrate #ProBonoMonth, we’re so thankful to Drew Dulberg and the WilmerHale team members who contributed their time and expertise to this project in 2024! Access the Handbook: https://lnkd.in/gZRQfRU

Last month, our Community Engagement & Advocacy Coordinator Nadia headed out to University of Massachusetts Amherst for the Western MA Health Equity & Policy Showcase, helping celebrate 10 years of the Western MA Health Equity Network and connecting with fellow changemakers! Thankful for the great conversations on elevating community voice and how issues like language access, educational justice, and youth homelessness directly intersect with people's ability to live safe, healthy lives. A huge shoutout to the student leaders from Youth for Equity & Action at Northampton High School for sharing their inspiring work on safety in school and community! 

Last week, we were honored to join Eastern Bank’s annual Celebration of Social Justice! Many congratulations to Eastern Bank Foundation for 30 incredible years of impact and to honoree Jackie Jenkins-Scott, a true trailblazer who has advanced equity throughout her extraordinary career. We are so grateful for the Foundation’s sustained support and years of partnership as we work to solve systemic social injustices impacting Massachusetts families and youth!

The U.S. Government Accountability Office recently released a new report which found that Black girls face disproportionately severe school discipline compared to other girls, receiving harsher punishments than their white peers for similar behaviors. This report is devastating and reinforces what we found in our own research, data analysis, and conversations with students: Black girls face criminalization and unjust pushout from school, harming their overall well-being and denying them the same opportunities to succeed. Some key findings from the report we want to highlight: 🔴In Massachusetts, Black girls get suspended at a rate 4.2x higher than their white counterparts.  🔴Adultification — a form of racial and gender bias in which adults view Black girls as older and more promiscuous than their same-age peers — leads to harsher punishments for Black girls. 🔴The effects of colorism are clear — Black girls with darker skin were more likely to be suspended than their white counterparts.  🔴An estimated 90% of dress codes prohibit clothing typically worn by girls as opposed to 69% that prohibit items typically worn by boys. 🔴Nationally, Black girls had the lowest perceptions of safety and connectedness at school. We're so grateful to Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley for continuing to champion this issue at the federal level and for working with Speaker-Emerita Nancy Pelosi and House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro to request this report. Too often, girls are left out of school discipline discussions. Efforts like this help pinpoint the ways Black girls caught in the intersection of racial and gender-based discrimination are driven towards incarceration and away from the healthy, successful futures they deserve. Explore the report further: https://lnkd.in/eE_RJ4Cr

Pro Bono Month kicks off this week and we're so thankful to the partners who help us move the dial on urgent social justice issues throughout the year like Baker McKenzie, Bloomberg, Edgeworth Economics, Mintz, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, Ropes & Gray LLP, and WilmerHale! This year's theme is Making Justice a Reality in Our Communities. Whether conducting in-depth legal research, keeping know-your-rights resources updated and accurate, or analyzing data to inform policy recommendations, our pro bono partners provide essential, capacity-expanding support that helps us realize the promise of justice for all!

Stay informed and take action! Inequitable laws and policies fuel structural racism and injustice, driving Bay Staters into poverty and crisis. Together, we can change that. Sign up for our monthly newsletter to stay in the loop about our research, advocacy, and the ongoing fight for systemic change in Massachusetts! https://lnkd.in/exPR9PYD