This International Women’s Day, please join us in celebrating the women and milestones that expanded the possibilities, broke down barriers, and created new opportunities for women who dreamed of practicing law:
#BlackHistoryMonth 2021: Honoring the Legacy of Black Lawyers in American History
While We The Action is dedicated year round to advancing racial justice and equity, this Black History Month it feels particularly important to honor the legacy and impact that Black lawyers have had on our country and our profession.
This year, We The Action honored fourteen of the most influential Black lawyers in our country's history. You can read more about these leaders and their impact on our nation below:
Amicus Mundi Award winner finds joy in volunteerism
Every month, we honor an outstanding lawyer from our community of more than 41,000 volunteer lawyers who exemplifies our ideals of service and volunteerism.
We’re proud to award the first Amicus Mundi Award winner of 2021 to a lawyer from Connecticut who went above and beyond to help an upstart nonprofit advance their mission of empowering inner city student-athletes.
Congratulations, Anna Dugbartey!
The big picture: A lawyer practicing in New York, Anna was nominated for the Amicus Mundi Award by the Ohio nonprofit she helped become a 501(c)(3) organization.
Despite a time-consuming day job, Anna says the events of the past months motivated her to seek other opportunities to further a cause she believes in.
That’s how Anna connected with the Get Everything U Foundation, a Cincinnati-based organization focused on educational support, coaching, and training for student-athletes.
Anna helped Get Everything U navigate the legal process to become a 501(c)(3) organization, opening the door to new funding and programming possibilities.
Get Everything U is one of 34 nonprofit organizations that WTA volunteer lawyers have helped incorporate, saving the nonprofits thousands of dollars and helping them focus on making an impact in their community!
A history of activism: Originally from Haiti, Anna says volunteerism gives her joy and considers it a calling for lawyers to give back.
Anna started volunteering her legal skills in 2017 when President Trump signed his Executive Order banning foreign nationals from seven predominantly Muslim countries from visiting the U.S.
That same day, Anna and a friend drove to JFK Airport in New York to help immigrants and travelers navigate the new restrictions.
“That is what we’re called to do as lawyers,” Anna says. “It was heart-warming to see how many lawyers came to JFK looking to help.”
“A perfect marriage from the start.” Anna volunteered to help Get Everything U because she believes education is a critical resource for young people, especially in communities of color.
“Anna was great from the jump,” said Brian Westbrook Sr., Founder & President of Get Everything U. “She was incredibly professional and worked around our schedule, and we are forever grateful for that.”
Westbrook says that their new 501(c)(3) status will help his organization keep growing, including exploring partnerships to offer tutoring, financial literacy education, and ACT prep services.
“The privilege to help the people that need it.” Anna believes every lawyer should explore volunteer opportunities to give back.
“I’m thankful I was able to help [Get Everything U], but I also learned so much,” Anna says. “Lawyers have stressful and time intensive jobs, but if you just try your best and be flexible, it’ll mean the world to someone else.”
Anna emphasizes that even if a project doesn’t match your expertise, you can still help -- and give yourself an opportunity to learn a new subject area or skill!
“If a lawyer can use their skills to help the organizations and individuals who need it, we should do it as much as possible,” she says.
A call to service: Anna says she’s planning on volunteering for her next project in the coming months, and urges every lawyer to consider donating their time and skills to a worthy cause.
On behalf of the more than 41,000 We The Action volunteers: Thank you, Anna!
We The Action 2020 Impact Report
Amicus Mundi Award: Celebrate the Unsung Heroes of the 2020 Election!
You may have noticed that we haven’t given the Amicus Mundi Award to anyone these past few months. Like many of you, we were focused on protecting the election and ensuring everyone -- regardless of race, income, ZIP code, or any other factor -- could cast their ballot.
But the Amicus Mundi Award is back, and we’re proud to award it to three lawyers who rose to the occasion to help make the 2020 election the most secure election in history!
Congratulations, Alan Rothstein!
Doing it all: This election, Alan -- a former General Counsel for the New York City Bar Association -- split his time between two organizations, tracking changes in voting laws in three states starting in April and answering voter questions as an Election Protection Hotline Captain.
Nonpartisan and pro-voter: Alan says he enjoyed this work because it addressed barriers to voting and helped ensure everyone had an equal opportunity to cast their ballot. “I saw tremendous commitment by lawyers to give back and focus on helping voters through a difficult election,” he says.
“His dedication was unparalleled.”: "Alan's work was essential in helping us provide accurate voting information to Americans during a time that election rules were changing due to COVID-19,” says Jennifer Hojaiban, Senior Advisor for We Can Vote. “Even when his power, Internet, and cell phone service were out due to a storm, Alan drove miles to a place where his cell phone would work."
Congratulations, Tom Crowley!
A commitment to protecting the right to vote: A lawyer from Delaware with more than 27 years of legal practice and legal education experience, Tom volunteered for more than 420 hours with When We All Vote (WWAV) to ensure voters had all the information they needed to vote. Tom also signed up for We The Action’s 20 in ‘20 Challenge, which called on lawyers to volunteer for 20 hours in 2020. He completed that challenge...21 times over!
“Even when you had an answer, it might change days later.”: After being named a Legal Fellow for WWAV, Tom worked to keep voter information up to date in three swing states, responding to daily changes to voting laws to empower voters with the knowledge they need to vote.
A calling to help: Tom says that he volunteered because he was worried about the direction of the country and wanted to find a new way to help. “I said to myself ‘I can sit here and complain, or I can find something to do,’” he says. “So I decided to find out what I could do from home.’”
“Making every vote count”: “The work of Tom and the other WTA volunteers allowed WWAV to provide its partners, organizers, and voters with up-to-the-minute information about the complex and frequently-changing rules and deadlines across the country with a focus on several key jurisdictions." said Megan Irving Tyler, Deputy Director of Campaigns at When We All Vote.
Congratulations, Siobhan Gilchrist!
Rising to the occasion amid COVID: A lawyer and former epidemiologist, Siobhan signed up with the ACLU of Georgia to be a first-time poll worker in her home county of Fulton County, Georgia -- but soon became a poll manager overseeing the polling site. On Election Day, Siobhan worked from 5 AM to nearly midnight to ensure the polling location ran smoothly.
“It’s so critical to protect the right to vote.”: A naturalized citizen, Siobhan says she grew up recognizing the importance of the right to vote, and she instills those same values in her children.
Lawyers have the power to do good: “I loved the opportunity to have a chance to use my legal background in a way that helps people,” she says. “That’s something unique lawyers can offer. It’s a form of public service.”
Her work isn’t over: Siobhan will be filling the same role in the upcoming Georgia Senate run-off elections.
Thank you for an amazing year!
On behalf of more than 41,000 We The Action volunteers: Thank you, Alan, Tom, and Siobhan!
And thank you to every lawyer who volunteered with We The Action this year. Thanks to your commitment, we were able to help protect the election, advance racial justice, help communities weather the COVID-19 pandemic, defend immigrant communities, support survivors of domestic abuse, and much more!
As always, you can browse the latest opportunities to get involved here. We hope you have a safe and joyous new year. See you all in 2021!