Equal Justice Society

06/03/2026

Young people have constitutional rights, including the right to privacy and self-expression at school. EJS joins NCYL and partner organizations in standing with LGBTQ+ youth in the Mirabelli case and making sure their voice, and their rights, are heard and considered.

https://equaljusticesociety.org/2026/06/03/ejs-mirabelli-amicus/

05/27/2026

EJS is thrilled to welcome three incredible students for the summer!

Brianna Morrison (HBCU Law Summer Intern, Howard University School of Law) is focused on racial justice and community-centered advocacy, addressing inequities across multiple areas.

Nazrawi Allen (Summer Intern, UC Law San Francisco) is committed to advocating for and expanding the rights and protections of economically vulnerable and racially targeted communities.

Kaysia Harrington (Mindich Service Fellow, Harvard College) will support EJS’s work to advance a more inclusive and multiracial democracy, bringing her focus on U.S. Schools, Prisons, and Law.

Brianna and Naz started on May 26, and Kaysia will join us the first week of June. Welcome to the EJS team!

Learn more at equaljusticesociety.org.

05/22/2026

Ready to dive deep into the movements shaping our future? 🌍✊🏽

We’re partnering with the Native American Cultural Center to host a Reparations & Land Back Teach-In at Stanford University on May 28. Whether you're deeply familiar with these movements or just starting your learning journey, this session is designed to offer critical insights into the historical and ongoing efforts for Black and Indigenous communities.

Slide through to learn about the moral foundations of reparations, the reality of land back initiatives, and how we build a truly inclusive democracy.

🎟️ Secure your spot: RSVP today at bit.ly/StanfordRepLandBack
📍 Where: Stanford University, Bldg. 300, Room 300

Let’s change the narrative together. Tag a friend who needs to come with you! 👇

05/15/2026

This Sunday is the 72nd anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, the decision that marked the beginning of the end of the Jim Crow era and the legal defeat of the “separate but equal” doctrine.

As we descend further into the second Jim Crow era, our reflection of Brown centers on the wisdom shared by EJS co-founder and board member Shauna Marshall, The Honorable Raymond L. Sullivan Professor of Law and Co-Director of the Center on Racial and Economic Justice at UC Law San Francisco.

For Professor Marshall, the legacy of Brown isn’t only a historic Supreme Court decision, it’s family history: she is the first cousin once removed and goddaughter of Dr. Kenneth Clark, who, along with his wife Dr. Mamie Clark, conducted the famous doll experiments resulting in psychological evidence proving segregation’s damaging effects on Black children, evidence that became a critical piece of Brown.

👉 Read more: https://tinyurl.com/28qud9uv or equaljusticesociety.org

05/12/2026

The dismantling of the Voting Rights Act is a reminder that we have unfinished business. This fight is ours — and we are going to finish it.

https://tinyurl.com/26xdkr98

05/09/2026

‘There’ by Michael Tyler, EJS Poet-in-Residence
A poem for
https://tinyurl.com/2abclmu9

05/04/2026

“Many of today’s corporations — including those in the textile, railroad, shipping, agriculture, prison, insurance, and financial industries — are tied to profits gained from enslaved labor. The legacy of slavery continues to shape California’s and the nation’s social and economic structures and deeply influences patterns of health, economic, educational, and social inequities that persist, impacting the lives of millions of Black Californians.”

Read more from our Legal Director, Mona Tawatao in CalMatters.org on why we should all be paying attention to – and supporting – AB 2599. The bill, introduced by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, would compel major corporations doing business in California to examine their own history of “ill-gotten gains” so the state can compile and publicly disclose the true story of how corporations profited from slavery.

https://calmatters.org/commentary/2026/04/corporations-slavery-truth-act-california/

05/01/2026

The Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais, invalidating Louisiana’s congressional map that gave Black voters more fair representation, is a devastating blow to civil rights and democracy.

As Justice Kagan noted in her historic dissent, the Court’s ruling is the “latest chapter in the majority’s now-completed demolition of the Voting Rights Act.”

We stand with the appellants in this case and the majority of the people in this country who remain committed to the principles and promise of the Voting Rights Act, which was established to reverse and repair centuries of denial and repression of Black people’s right to vote.

As monumental a regression this is in the centuries-old struggle for freedom and the fair vote, we have been here before and know that we have no choice but to regather and press onward.
Read our full statement on the Court's decision:

Following the SCOTUS decision in Louisiana v. Callais, the Equal Justice Society released the following statement: The Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais, invalidating Louisiana’s co…

04/24/2026

Following the Department of Justice targeting the Southern Poverty Law Center, Equal Justice Society President Lisa Holder released the following statement:

“At Equal Justice Society, we understand that while laws are made in the legislature and in the courtroom, grassroots movements can be a primary catalyst for policies that advance civil rights and racial justice, and that move us towards an inclusive multiracial democracy. Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) sits at the intersection of law, policy, grassroots power-building, and freedom’s legacy. They are a key part of the nonprofit civil rights apparatus that helps ensure people can exercise power, amplify their voices, and shape democracy.

An attack on SPLC is a direct assault on one of our critical levers of power. It is as brazen and objectionable as an attack on our right to cast a ballot. And it is no coincidence that this assault on one of the leaders of people-powered democracy comes as our country is gearing up for the 2026 midterm elections.

But our opposition should know that this threat will be met with fierce resistance. The segregationists and billionaires who seek to upend our democratic institutions will not prevail. Our civil rights ecosystem stands resolute as vigilant protectors of inclusive democracy, voting rights, of the nonprofit system that is the cornerstone of a democratic republic, and of the Southern Poverty Law Center.”

04/14/2026

The path to repair is not passive; it is built through action.
AB 2599: The Truth in Disclosure Act represents an opportunity to
move from conversation to commitment.
We stand in support of policies that center justice, accountability,
and community voice.