October Chair's Column
2021-22 ABA Civil Rights and Social Justice Section Chair Beth K. Whittenbury pens her third column of the new Bar year.
Civil Rights and Social Justice
Join Us. Whatever your area of specialization, CRSJ has a place for you. The Section fulfills our role by: raising and addressing often complex and difficult civil rights and civil liberties issues in a changing and diverse society; and ensuring that protection of individual rights remains a focus of legal and policy decisions.
2021 CRSJ Fall Council Meeting
October 19-22 | Virtual
The ABA Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice will hold its 2021 Fall Council Meeting virtually on October 19-22. During the first meeting of the 2021-22 Bar year, Section Chair Beth K. Whittenbury will address key civil rights and social justice issues during her Bar year, and the Section's role in addressing them. Please join the Section for the 2021 Fall Council Meeting for networking opportunities, a Resolution Workshop, business meetings, and more!
Learn - MoreCRSJ & ABA Giving Day
Participate on October 28
ABA Giving Day features 16 programs and entities – including the Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice – working to prevent housing insecurity, improve outcomes for children in the child welfare system, promote civics education, secure voting rights for all, and so much more. ABA Giving Day provides you with a day to make a gift and join forces with others to invest in a more just society. We hope that you choose to donate to the Section to ensure our charitable programs make an impact.
About - ABA Giving DayCRSJ & ABA Giving Day - October 28
ABA Giving Day features 16 programs and entities – including the Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice – working to prevent housing insecurity, improve outcomes for children in the child welfare system, promote civics education, secure voting rights for all, and so much more. ABA Giving Day provides you with a day to make a gift and join forces with others to invest in a more just society. We hope that you choose to donate to the Section to ensure our charitable programs make an impact.
Human Rights Magazine - New Issue Available!
Volume 47, No. 1
The latest issue of the ABA Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice’s award-winning quarterly Human Rights Magazine is a collaboration with the ABA Commission on Youth at Risk and the ABA Commission on Homelessness & Poverty, and focuses on achieving access to justice for those among us who are so many times easily ignored or overlooked—our children.
Read - the latest issue
NAACP LDF President and Director Counsel Sherrilyn Ifill to Receive 2022 Award
2022 Annual Meeting
The Section will honor the esteemed President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), Sherrilyn Ifill, with the 2022 Thurgood Marshall Award in a celebration during the ABA Annual Meeting.
About - the Recipient
TLPI Executive Director Jerry Gardner to Receive Drinan Award
The Section will honor longtime leader and current Special Counsel Jerry Gardner with its Father Robert F. Drinan Award for Distinguished Service, during the 2022 ABA Midyear Meeting.
Save the Date! - A Social Justice Policy Summit: A New Administration
December 8-9, 2021 | Summit
On December 8 and 9, the ABA Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice Rights of Immigrants Committee–in strategic partnership with the ABA Coalition on Racial and Ethnic Justice–is hosting a policy summit designed to advance racial equity and social justice principles. Over the course of two days, the interdisciplinary conference will explore myriad manifestations of interpersonal, structural, and institutionalized discrimination to create enhanced awareness around these issues. The convening will also culminate in concrete community-driven policy recommendations to achieve positive social, political, and legal reform.
Learn - More
The State of Criminal Justice 2021 - Capital Punishment
Longtime Section leader and Death Penalty Committee Co-chair Ron Tabak pens his annual chapter for the Criminal Justice Section's State of Criminal Justice publication. His insightful chapter includes dramatic developments that could lead to fundamental change in the death penalty’s future in the United States.
Access, Asymmetries, and Eviction Diversion: The Eviction Crisis COVID-19 Forced America to Confront
On July 31, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 11-month nationwide eviction moratorium expired after its fourth extension, placing millions of Americans at risk of housing loss. Following widespread public pressure, the Biden administration ordered an additional moratorium on August 3. The Court’s 6-3 decision in Alabama Association of Realtors v. Department of Health and Human Services just 23 days later, however, overturned the moratorium as unconstitutional.
Voting Rights Toolkit
As a part of our multi-component voting rights initiative, CRSJ has created a Voting Rights Toolkit to provide technical assistance to you as you serve your community and our country in various ways. We have included information to help you identify election-related issues encountered by vulnerable populations and work toward solutions.
Dr. Clarence B. Jones Awarded 2021 Thurgood Marshall Award
About the Event
On August 6, the Section honored legendary civil rights leader Dr. Clarence B. Jones with the 2021 Thurgood Marshall Award in a virtual celebration during the ABA Annual Meeting. The 1-hour program features poignant remarks from multiple esteemed guests, including colleagues throughout Dr. Jones's lifetime, as they paid homage to the legend. The virtual event was a joyous moment for the civil rights legal community, with acclaim pouring in from the audience. President Barack Obama also shared his thoughts on the awardee, and told the audience to "embrace action over resignation.
Learn - MoreThank you to our 2021 Sponsors
The Section deeply thanks each generous sponsor of the 2021 Thurgood Marshall Award Celebration for its support that enables the Section to advance its programs and publications and better serve our community of advocates nationwide working to protect civil rights and social justice.
CRSJ 101 – Monthly Membership Event
Attention new and interested CRSJ members! Join Section leaders and staff on Monday, November 1, at 3:00 p.m. ET for a 30-minute event to learn more about the ABA Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice, our projects and initiatives, committee membership, and opportunities to get involved or get published! This event is open to all ABA members and non-members. This recurring membership orientation will occur on the first Monday of every month at 3:00 p.m. ET.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Member Spotlights
We are proud to showcase the work and accomplishments of our esteemed members. Check out our spotlights of some of our more active members, and learn more about their work, goals, and achievements.
Latest News
Upcoming Programs
Oct
18
Events | Webinar
Moving Forward: What the Workplace Looks Like for Disabled Lawyers Post-Pandemic
For the past two years, employers across the nation have moved with unprecedented speed to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic, developing remote work policies and conducting interviews, onboarding, train…
Oct
19
Events | Webinar
The Insurgent Origins of Critical Race Theory: Looking Backwards to Move Forward
The ABA Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice and the African American Policy Forum are pleased to collaborate on a four-part webinar series on Critical Race Theory (CRT).
Oct
21
Events | Webinar
Schoolhouse Burning: A Conversation with Author Derek W. Black
Join us for the spectacular launch of “One Section, One Book,” the Section’s inaugural book club. We will be reading and discussing Schoolhouse Burning: Public Education and the Assault on American D…
Join Us
Whatever your area of specialization, CRSJ has a place for you. By joining us today, you can help ensure that the world’s largest voluntary professional association continues to uphold the Bill of Rights and the ideals it embodies.
Donate
Over the past five decades, the Section and its members have worked on hundreds of issues addressing a broad range of civil rights, civil liberties, and international human rights. Today, the Section continues to promote policies affecting religious freedom, LGBT rights, gender equity, and other significant civil rights issues. Your gift will help make our efforts possible for the next fifty years!