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Equal Justice Society EJS is transforming the nation's consciousness on race through law, social science, and the arts.

The Equal Justice Society is transforming the nation’s consciousness on race through law, social science, and the arts. Led by President Eva Paterson, our legal strategy aims to broaden conceptions of present-day discrimination to include unconscious and structural bias by using social science, structural analysis, and real-life experience.

The Equal Justice Society honors Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15 through October 15, and the contributions and ach...
09/15/2026

The Equal Justice Society honors Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15 through October 15, and the contributions and achievements of Latinos, Latinas, Latines, and Hispanic Americans and immigrants in this country. We especially celebrate our staff, board members, and advisory board members who are of Latina/o/e or Hispanic descent.

Latino and Hispanic Americans and immigrants are cherished and vital to our nation yet face systemic and widespread oppression by the authoritarian Trump/MAGA regime.

The tragic reality is highlighted by a recent opinion piece by journalist Julio Túpac Cabello, published on palabra, the digital news site of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.

Visit equaljusticesociety.org or https://equaljusticesociety.org/2026/09/15/hispanic-heritage-month for a link to Cabello's opinion piece.

This the new poem titled ‘And…’ by Michael Tyler."I awakened on Tuesday to the disturbing news of yet two more lynchings...
08/28/2026

This the new poem titled ‘And…’ by Michael Tyler.

"I awakened on Tuesday to the disturbing news of yet two more lynchings. For months now, these stories, woefully unreported and shamefully dismissed, have plagued my conscience. While growing up, I was told by relatives, who lived through America’s lynching spree during the early to mid-20th century, about eyewitness accounts of bodies hanging from trees, barns, phone poles, and even church steeples. I learned about two relatives who met that end. So, these deaths impact me at a very visceral level. I’ve finally been able to steady my mind enough to write a piece about it. I’ve constructed a poem, woven and threaded by a series of ellipses, to suggest the weaving and threading that makes rope. In fact, the entire poem details the creation of rope from plant to end product. I use language to relate that creation to slavery and the coercive brutality of racism. It is not an easy read. It shouldn’t be."

The Alliance for Reparations, Reconciliation and Truth (ARRT) hosted a media event today promoting the Truth and Disclos...
08/25/2026

The Alliance for Reparations, Reconciliation and Truth (ARRT) hosted a media event today promoting the Truth and Disclosure Act (AB 2599) at the California State Capitol. The event included staff from the Equal Justice Society, pictured here with event speaker W. Kamau Bell: (from left) LaRita Y. Gibson-Smith, Bell, Mona Tawatao, Tyler Kyser, and Alexandra Santa Ana. EJS board member Donald K. Tamaki also delivered remarks. Learn more at equaljusticesociety.org.

EJS is proud to be part of the Alliance for Reparations, Reconciliation, and Truth (ARRT) - at the California State Cap...
08/25/2026

EJS is proud to be part of the Alliance for Reparations, Reconciliation, and Truth (ARRT) - at the California State Capitol today meeting advocating for the Truth in Disclosure Act, AB 2599.

The Truth in Disclosure Act (AB2599) is a first-of-its-kind legislative bill that would require corporations to search their records and disclose any ties to slavery and human trafficking, including profiting from the buying, selling, or financing of enslaved people.

Repairing the harm requires truth-telling and action and is the responsibility of everyone working together to ensure Black Californians receive healing and repair.



https://alliancefor.org

In yet another disgraceful action, the Supreme Court today allowed the Trump regime to proceed with implementing parts o...
08/25/2026

In yet another disgraceful action, the Supreme Court today allowed the Trump regime to proceed with implementing parts of its executive order to restrict mail-in voting, according to CNN and other media reports.

Earlier this month, the Equal Justice Society joined an amicus brief filed by the Asian Law Caucus and other organizations in the U.S. Supreme Court urging the Court to reject the Trump administration’s request to reinstate Executive Order 14399, which would undermine access to the ballot, potentially disenfranchising tens of millions of American voters, and bring federal interference into state elections administration.

Media reporting indicates that there are other related judicial proceedings related to this issue forthcoming that may prevent immediate widescale implementation of voting restrictions. EJS is monitoring the issue.

EJS’s work extends to other aspects of mail voting and voter protection. Learn more via links in our bio and at equaljusticesociety.org.

Nonprofit Quarterly published a new op-ed by EJS President Lisa Holder, “From the Birthing Chamber to the Ballot Box: A ...
08/18/2026

Nonprofit Quarterly published a new op-ed by EJS President Lisa Holder, “From the Birthing Chamber to the Ballot Box: A Choice Between Erasure and Equality.”

It's part of the : America 250 series, a national narrative movement to put the multiracial nonprofit and civil society workers, organizations, and communities at the center of how the United States tells the stories and histories of 250 years of fighting for a true, vibrant democracy for all.

https://equaljusticesociety.org to access the link to the op-ed.

In her piece, Lisa reminds us to look beyond the myth of unblemished progress and confront the brutal reality of systemic racism. From the birthing chamber to the ballot box, the biological and systemic toll of exclusion remains stark:

Maternal Health Crisis: Black women nationwide are 3 to 4 times more likely to die in childbirth than non-Black women, regardless of education or income level.

Devastating Disparities: In wealthy cities like San Francisco, Black newborns face an infant mortality rate 6 times higher than White infants.

Erosion of Rights: These healthcare disparities reflect broader systemic attacks, mirrored in Supreme Court decisions like Louisiana v. Callais that erode democratic protections.

True freedom requires dismantling these legacy injustices rather than tearing down the foundations of democracy.

What steps must we take to protect Black mothers and preserve equal rights for all? Please read and share Lisa’s thought piece.

The Equal Justice Society joined an amicus brief filed by the Asian Law Caucus and other organizations in the U.S. Supre...
08/04/2026

The Equal Justice Society joined an amicus brief filed by the Asian Law Caucus and other organizations in the U.S. Supreme Court urging the Court to reject the Trump administration’s request to reinstate Executive Order 14399, which would undermine access to the ballot, potentially disenfranchising tens of millions of American voters, and bring federal interference into state elections administration.

The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Atlanta, Missouri Voter Protection Coalition, South Asian American Justice Collaborative, and Common Cause were the other groups that filed the brief on behalf of EJS and 23 organizations.

The filing comes after a federal court blocked key provisions of the Executive Order and the Trump administration and intervenor states asked the Supreme Court to allow its implementation while the case proceeds. With the November midterm elections only months away, civil rights and community organizations are alarmed by the Executive Order.

Many of these organizations have spent decades providing direct services and conducting voter outreach and education and urge the Supreme Court to deny the Trump Administration’s request to stay the lower court’s decision invalidating the main sections of the Executive Order. In addition to disenfranchising eligible voters, the Executive Order creates confusion and doubt for all eligible voters seeking to mail in their ballots.

Read more at https://equaljusticesociety.org.

07/31/2026

KNOW MY NAME
By Michael Tyler, EJS Poet-in-Residence

Pick your plagues, your afflictions,
Your calamitous conditions
And blend them in a lethal combination.
Add your viruses, your germs,
Your parasitic worms
And prepare them for deadly dissemination.

Cast their carnage, their rife,
Their contempt for all life,
Their competence for devastation.
And with combined ferocity
They won’t measure to me.
I am the most malignant contamination.

My toxins, my gloom,
My decay and my doom
Are constrained only by imagination.
My disease, my infection,
My cruel predilection
Have destroyed entire populations.

I’ve no conscience, no code,
No morality mode,
Neither virtue nor humiliation.
My sole purpose, my aim
Is to service my gain.
I’ve no use for humane consideration.

Know my name.
Know my need.
I am greed.

--
From Sow the Seeds: A composition in verse

Read more of Michael Tyler's poetry on equaljusticesociety.org

Equal Justice Society Board Chair Fernando Gaytan and President Lisa Holder welcomed Tiseme Zegeye and Nicole Middleton ...
07/22/2026

Equal Justice Society Board Chair Fernando Gaytan and President Lisa Holder welcomed Tiseme Zegeye and Nicole Middleton Holloway to the organization’s board of directors.

Tiseme Zegeye is a partner in Lieff Cabraser’s San Francisco office, representing consumers, employees, and the injured in individual, complex, and class actions. She specializes in women’s health, civil rights, and environmental justice cases. Tiseme has been working with EJS since late 2022 as a member of the Lieff Cabraser/EJS team in litigation against hair relaxer companies holding them accountable for cancer-causing products sold to Black women. Over 10,000 women have filed claims in federal court against hair relaxer manufacturers and sellers alleging that the use of chemical hair relaxer products caused gynecological cancers and related injuries. Tiseme also helps lead the Lieff Cabraser/EJS Health Equity Newsletter advocating for racial health equity and environmental justice in the United States.

Nicole Middleton Holloway is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® and co-founder/CEO of Strategy Squad, a wealth management firm based in Oakland, CA. As a financial advisor and a financial activist, Nicole specializes in helping individuals and nonprofits across the U.S. incorporate racial, gender, and economic justice into their investment strategies. Her mission is to empower more investors to adopt investing practices that build community wealth and power, and help transition our world of extraction towards a world of interdependence, liberation, and resilience. Nicole has been able to leverage her skills and expertise to both grow a successful book of business, and open the door for more underrepresented groups to work in the field of sustainable investing. Nicole has also been an advisor with Natural Investments PBLLC since 2020, where she has served in leadership as a Trust Steward since 2023.

Tiseme and Nicole join current EJS board members Fernando Gaytan, Eric Gibbs, Michael Harris, Lisa Holder, Raymond C. Marshall, Shauna Marshall, and Donald K. Tamaki.

Learn more: https://equaljusticesociety.org/2026/07/22/new-board-members-tiseme-zegeye-and-nicole-middleton-holloway/

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