Programs of Change: Law Schools Explain Their Commitment to Public Service

Ed. Note: Champions of Change is a weekly initiative to highlight Americans who are making an impact in their communities and helping our country rise to meet the many challenges of the 21st century.

At the October 13 Champions of Change event, Stanford Law Professor Deborah Rhode noted that it is a “shameful irony that the country with the highest concentration of lawyers in the world does such an abysmal job of ensuring that they are available for the vast majority of low-income people who need them, and whose needs are greatest.” 

Millions of people in the United States cannot access legal assistance that is often critical to their wellbeing and freedom.  All parts of the legal profession need to be engaged to address this crisis. There is no better place to begin than when future lawyers are at the very start of their careers – when they are still in law school. 

Champion Martha Bergmark, President of the Mississippi Center for Justice, noted with some envy that when she was in law school, clinics were only just beginning.  But as most Champions observed on October 13, times have changed and law schools now offer a wide range of opportunities for students to learn about legal issues involving poverty and equal justice.

 Students are able to get hands-on experience helping victims of domestic violence, individuals who need a second chance, or Native Americans in need of defender services. There are a diverse range of opportunities for students interested in supporting the cause of access to justice.  

Why We Need the American Jobs Act

President Barack Obama delivers remarks on the American Jobs Act at Fire Station No. 9 in North Chesterfield, Virginia during the American Jobs Act bus tour, Oct. 19, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Last week, President Obama took a bus tour through North Carolina and Virginia to talk directly to the American people about jobs, the economy, and the importance of the American Jobs Act.

After attending the President’s speech at Langley Air Force Base, Stacie Walls-Beegle sent us a note about her experience running ACCESS AIDS Care, a non-profit organization in Hampton, Virginia that provides services to people living with HIV/AIDS as well as a safe space for the local LGBT community:

“For the last ten years, I have run ACCESS AIDS Care, a non-profit organization that serves the Eastern region of Virginia, including Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Hampton, Newport News, and adjoining areas.  Our small organization employs 45 individuals and serves more than 500 people a year living with HIV/AIDS.  This year we opened the LGBT Center of Hampton Roads, the first of its kind in this region.

On a daily basis, me and my staff work diligently to keep our doors open to serve individuals and families who are already living below the federal poverty line.  Many of them are also employed in minimum wage jobs and are uninsured.”

We also heard from Jay Squires, President of the Gay Community Center of Richmond, following the President’s speech in Chesterfield, Virginia:

“America’s LGBT community centers serve 40,000 people each week.  725,000 people are affiliated with 200 centers nationwide.  The centers, often volunteer-run and lightly funded, do critical work to address issues of poverty, homelessness, substance abuse, health care, and discrimination, seven days a week, and one person at a time. 

These are the issues that impact our people’s lives daily.  Smaller centers do their work with the support of individuals who donate what they can to support the work that needs to be done.  Tens of thousands of times each week, we make a difference.  The community center movement is a great example of the American spirit – people coming together because they need to, to care for their own.”

Community centers, health clinics, and local non-profits across the country provide critical services for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people – many of whom are especially vulnerable in a tough economy.  Passing the American Jobs Act will help put people back to work and put more money in the pockets of working Americans.

The American Jobs Act will provide tax relief for workers and businesses, put teachers, police officers and firefighters back on the job, and invest in rebuilding our infrastructure and modernizing our schools. It also focuses on providing pathways back to work for the long-term unemployed – providing incentives for employers to hire, expanding efforts for youth employment and subsidized jobs, and prohibiting discrimination on the basis of unemployed status.     

Learn more about the American Jobs Act, and take a look at front pages from the American Jobs Act Bus Tour.

Gautam Raghavan is an Associate Director in the White House Office of Public Engagement.

Committing to Helping Those in Need, One Person at a Time

Ed. Note: Champions of Change is a weekly initiative to highlight Americans who are making an impact in their communities and helping our country rise to meet the many challenges of the 21st century.