Model and Strategy
Our communities are at a crossroads; decades of hard-won rights are in jeopardy. The Southern Poverty Law Center reports that there is a marked increase in hate crimes following the election, with crimes against women and girls increasing. Justice is inaccessible to most victims of gender discrimination, and existing legal remedies are in great danger of being rolled back by the new administration and its judges.
This project will create a culture shift so that enforcing gender equality becomes obligatory and mainstream. LM will create national networks that will: 1) quantify/ publicize gender inequality in the U.S.; 2) provide plain language tools so that girls/women know their rights and can access justice; 3) ensure that federal guidelines create access to the criminal justice system for girls/women; 4) significantly expand pro bono legal services and networks for women/girls; and 5) advocate for a Constitutional amendment to advance gender equality.
Impact
A just society requires that all people be treated equally under the law. For this to occur, all people must know that they have rights, and that they can enforce those rights. Access to justice must exist for everyone, especially to the most vulnerable and marginalized. LM’s objective is to simplify rights-based knowledge on gender equality and make it accessible through multilingual and plain language tools. At the same time, LM will identify diverse pro bono partners and build networks that help women and girls, in real time. This advocacy will create a new paradigm of gender equality in the U.S.
The goal is to empower every girl and woman to know and assert her rights, and to seek assistance. Institutions (like schools, hospitals, employers, and the criminal justice system) will then become truly responsive to girls’ and women’s needs and interests.
LM’s project will: 1) provide information about gender equality in the simplest and most user-friendly way; 2) demystify the legal system; 3) train lawyers and create legal networks to provide the highest quality community-based legal help for girls and women in need; and 4) work collectively to identify and remedy gaps in the law that perpetuate gender inequality, including advocating for the Equal Rights Amendment. Through the sheer volume of advocates who use LM’s tools and networks, LM’s project will advance gender based civil rights nationally. LM will dismantle legal frameworks that impede women’s rights, and create a more just and equal society.
Leadership
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Carol Robles-Román
President & CEO