In the News
CSAJ Announces Exciting New Race Equity Work
March 07, 2016
Announcing the Legal Impact for Racial and Economic Equity of Survivors Project
The Center for Survivor Agency and Justice is thrilled to announce a groundbreaking national technical assistance project, thanks to funding from the Office on Violence Against Women, Department of Justice. The Legal Impact for Racial & Economic Equity of Survivors Project (REEP) seeks to remedy the systemic inequalities facing survivors of color that currently impair their access to economic security and safety.
In partnership with diverse anti-poverty, race equity, and violence against women practitioners, REEP will shift the current violence against women paradigm by employing impact strategies that engage communities in identifying inequalities and by employing impact legal and policy strategies that facilitate access to economic opportunity for survivors of color. Project partners include: Women of Color Network, Inc., Southwest Center for Law and Policy, Asian Pacific Islander Institute on Gender-Based Violence, Casa de Esperanza, National Legal Aid & Defender Association, Legal Momentum, Lisalyn Jacobs, Bill Kennedy of Race Equity Project, Kirwan Institute, Camille Holmes, Race Equity Consultant, and the Texas Council on Family Violence, among others.
REEP will provide training and technical assistance to community-based advocates, civil legal attorneys, program leaders, and other OVW grantees (and potential grantees) for Culturally Specific Services (CLSSP), Outreach and Services to Underserved Populations (Underserved Program), State and Tribal Coalitions, STOP, and LAV grantees.
CSAJ and our coalition of partners will engage in this work in several exciting ways:
Impact Sites for Racial & Economic Equity: Tailoring CSAJ’s current demonstration site model, two Impact Sites will be selected to engage in intensive community work to identify and address systemic economic barriers facing survivors of color.
National Strategic Impact Agenda: In consultation with Project Partners, CSAJ will galvanize community-based advocates and lawyers working with marginalized communities to develop a National Strategic Impact Agenda through a National Survey and series of Discipline & Strategy Calls.
Survivor Corps: Stories in Action: An online bank will document survivor narratives to drive training, program development, and systems change work targeting systemic inequality.
Legal Impact Resource Library: A specialized Online Resource Library will house a collection of Strategic Impact Legal and Policy Resources (case law, legal and policy briefs, journal articles, training guides, and mapping tools) particularly geared towards racial equity, community lawyering and impact litigation strategies.
Race & Economic Equity Webinar Series: A series of six webinars will focus upon using an equity lens to address the systemic barriers facing survivors marginalized by race and poverty.
Individual Technical Assistance: Technical assistance will be provided to OVW grantees on issues related to legal services, program development, and systems advocacy to address systemic barriers facing survivors of color.
Given its intersectional approach, both across identities and across social justice movements, REEP holds transformative potential. Please contact us to get involved or learn more.