Massachusetts Appleseed Center for Law and Justice

Yesterday's inhumane ruling in #JohnsonVGrantsPass has been disappointing to say the least, but we must move forward. On Monday, July 1st, join a panel of experts for a discussion of the ruling, impacts on homelessness, and next steps in the housing justice movement. Thousands of advocates have been rallying around this case for months, and now is the time to tap into the collective power we've shared. #HousingNotHandcuffs Panelists: Antonia Fasanelli, Law Center Executive Director Jesse Rabinowitz, Law Center Campaign and Communications Director Will Knight, Law Center Decriminalization Director Helen Cruz, Grants Pass resident and homelessness advocate Ann Oliva, National Alliance to End Homelessness CEO Register here: bit.ly/grantspasswebinar

We are deeply disappointed in today’s decision from the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of Grants Pass, Oregon and will allow cities to punish people with no choice but to sleep outside for using things like pillows, blankets, or cardboard boxes to protect themselves from the elements. Youth and young adults experiencing homelessness already face unique barriers to obtaining shelter and a scarcity of age-appropriate services, leaving them exceptionally vulnerable to this ruling. It should go without saying: the last thing these young people need is a criminal record for simply existing in public. Arresting and ticketing individuals for sleeping outside when they have nowhere else to go is cruel and ineffective. In addition to worsening the homelessness crisis, this will distract cities from real solutions like housing, supportive services, and eviction prevention. Read our full statement: #SCOTUS #youthhomelessness #JohnsonvGrantsPass

MA Appleseed is seeking rising third-year law students or recent law school graduates interested in social justice and systemic change to apply for the externally funded Equal Justice Works Fellowship, set to begin in fall 2025. Learn more and apply today! https://lnkd.in/enZtfRdv

🚨ACTION ALERT🚨 Key amendments to the economic development bond bill and the historic housing bond bill have given us the opportunity to advance our policy priorities, but legislators need to hear from you now! Take action to create welcoming, inclusive schools for all students and ensure youth experiencing homelessness have the supports they need. #mapoli

We’re excited to welcome current Boston University School of Law student Angel Yi to the MA Appleseed team as our summer legal intern! Prior to law school, Angel worked at the District Attorney’s Office in Bethel, Alaska before returning to Massachusetts where she served as a shelter advocate at the Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence. Her time spent working directly with clients from low-income and marginalized communities and navigating the numerous barriers to accessing justice inspires her to find ways to create systems-level change, and she is excited to explore opportunities to make the legal system more accessible through collaboration with the broader community. For fun, she enjoys reading fantasy and sci-fi books, going on long walks while listening to new music, and exploring Boston with friends. Welcome, Angel!

MA Appleseed’s office is closed today in observance of Juneteenth, commemorating the day in 1865 when federal troops marched into Galveston, Texas and freed those who remained enslaved more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. America’s history is not past, but continues to inform our present inequities. On this day of celebration, education, and action, we reflect on the struggle for Black liberation and the critical need to center racial justice and healing in all we do. #Juneteenth

Last month, our Executive Director Deb Silva flew to Detroit, Michigan for this year’s Equal Justice Conference, an annual gathering of legal services and pro bono advocates hosted by the American Bar Association and National Legal Aid & Defender Association. There, she joined our partners from the National Center for State Courts to lead a workshop session, "Survey Says…Self-Help Centers Expand Access: Explore National Survey Findings, Recommendations and Best Practices" that amplified our 2023 collaborative report through an interactive Family Feud-style game show! From linking low-income families with wraparound services like rental assistance to connecting limited English proficient litigants with interpreters, court-based self-help centers are a lifeline for the most vulnerable residents. The report uplifts proven strategies that self-help centers can use to expand their impact even further, and we're grateful to have had this opportunity to share our research on the national stage! Revisit the report: https://lnkd.in/eZdEjC8D #equaljusticeconference #probono #legalservices #courtreform #law

In early May, the MA Appleseed staff hit the road and headed to St. Louis, Missouri for the 2024 annual Appleseed Network meeting! The annual meeting is an important opportunity to discuss cross-center collaboration, share challenges, and swap insights and advocacy strategies with our Appleseed peers. We loved getting to learn about the amazing work happening at our sister centers across the United States and Mexico! Together, we dug into the many ways social justice issues intersect with health equity, listened to powerful stories of resilience and organizing from formerly-incarcerated folks working in partnership with Missouri Appleseed, and celebrated their wins – including a recent victory to provide free menstrual hygiene products in Missouri prisons! Hearing about the work of our fellow advocates to promote economic justice, reform our criminal legal system, support children in school, and so much more always leaves us feeling inspired and energized about our own work here in Massachusetts. Many thanks to our hosts at Missouri Appleseed and the Appleseed Network for facilitating these days of learning and connection!

We celebrated a major victory in 2022 when the CROWN Act was signed into law, establishing civil rights protections against natural hairstyle discrimination to prevent the over-policing and surveillance of Black and brown girls as young as five years old. But we cannot stop now – just a few months after the passage of the CROWN Act, an eighth-grade student in Malden was punished for wearing a hijab. School rules regarding grooming and dress continue to disproportionately target girls of color and LGBTQ+ students for punishment, reinforcing racist, sexist, homophobic, and transphobic norms in classrooms across the Commonwealth. H.4400/S.2663 would build on the progress established by the CROWN Act by making rules related to student grooming and dress unbiased and objective. Crucially, it would also stop the suspension or expulsion of students for the perceived violation of these rules, an important component to keep girls of color and LGBTQ+ students in class and out of the school-to-prison pipeline. Massachusetts students deserve welcoming, inclusive schools where they can show up as their authentic selves and thrive. This bill is now sitting in House and Senate Ways and Means and we need your help to keep it moving to the next stage in the legislative process. Take action today and urge your legislators to advocate with State House leadership, asking them to release H.4400/S.2663 and send it to the floor for a vote! #ActionAlert #mapoli

ICYMI: Boston Red Sox trailblazer Elaine Weddington Steward was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame yesterday on May 29th! We had the privilege of presenting Elaine with our 2023 Good Apple Award last year in honor of her dedication to public service and social justice, and she continues to be an extraordinary leader in the Boston legal community. We congratulate her on this well-deserved recognition!