How You Can Help: Taking Legal Action
Against Racial and Social Inequities
June 2020
Our Commitment to Low-Income Communities of Color
The Law Foundation of Silicon Valley has a long history of working to increase access to justice for low-income families and communities of color.
Since our launch in 1974, we have provided tens of thousands of low-income people of color free legal services aimed at ensuring access to the opportunities they are entitled to, including quality education, safe housing and freedom from discrimination. At the same time, we have long advocated for solutions to broken systems that result in the application of racist policies in housing, health, education, criminal justice and more.
In recent months, we have been reminded of just how deeply rooted racism is in all aspects of our lives. The COVID-19 pandemic is disproportionately affecting people of color, including here in Silicon Valley, where Black and Latinx residents are at higher risk of infection than white people are, and have suffered greater economic hardship.
The brutal deaths of Rayshard Brooks, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade and too many others, as a result of police brutality, state-sanctioned violence and structural racism, each provides a bitter reminder that racism remains a significant threat to so many.
We cannot let this movement taper off. Our communities cannot return to normal. We need long-term and meaningful change to our systems, policies and standards of accountability and must take it upon ourselves to examine all facets of our society with an anti-racist lens.
We take solace in the fact that you, too, recognize that justice is really only served when it’s served to all.
How We Are Responding
Like you, we are strengthening our commitment to racial and social justice.
We recognize that our response in this moment—to the COVID-19 pandemic and the latest unnecessary deaths of Black Americans—will have long-term implications on the health of our country. In recent months, we have been engaged in the following work:
Keeping People of Color In Their Homes. For many people of color, the order to shelter-in-place has resulted in a significant loss of income and as a result, many families can’t make rent payments. We successfully advocated for eviction moratoriums in San Jose, Palo Alto, and the City of Santa Clara and with the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, which voted to freeze evictions within the county until July 28, 2020. We expect there to be a surge of evictions in the fall when the moratoria are lifted, and are preparing to provide direct legal services for those affected.
Supporting the Affordable Care Act and Helping People Access Stimulus Payments. As the U.S. struggles to overcome the most significant health crisis in a century, we worked with partners to file an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in California v. Texas, a case that will decide the fate of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). We also joined a national advocacy effort to support making economic stimulus payments automatic for recipients of Social Security Disability Insurance, Supplemental Security Income, and certain Veterans benefits. The efforts were largely successful, and will have a significant impact on the health and well-being of our community members of color.
Upholding the Rights of Foster Children. There are 60,000 children in foster care in California on any given day. In Santa Clara County, Black and Latinx children make up a disproportionate share of the foster care population. Visits with siblings, parents or other family members are crucial to their well-being. The order to shelter-in-place put hundreds of children in Silicon Valley at risk of being unable to connect with family in person. We successfully advocated with the Department of Family and Children's Services, the Office of County Counsel and Dependency Advocacy Center so that many of these foster youth can see their family if it is safe, and visit by phone and video conference when it is not.
Protecting People Who Are Incarcerated from Unnecessary Exposure to COVID-19. We have been actively monitoring and advocating for improved safety conditions for people in Santa Clara County jails. Working directly with people who are incarcerated and in coalition with community-based groups representing family members of detainees, we prompted a monitoring visit through the office of the County Public Health Officer. We continue to believe that people who are incarcerated, a disproportionate number of whom are people of color, are at risk due to inadequate protections and are exploring other advocacy options.
Call to Action
We are heartened by the increased interest we’ve received from our dedicated community of supporters. You want to do something tangible to address systemic racism, and there are many ways that you can help.
Volunteer
Current Opportunities - June 2020:
Small Business Pro Bono Program: We launched a small-business pro bono program this spring to support business owners who are at risk of eviction due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Economic development for Black- and people of color-owned businesses is racial justice. To date, nearly every client in our small business program has been a woman of color-owned business. Volunteer attorneys provide advice to clients on their protections under the eviction moratorium and when possible, advise business-owners on issues related to commercial lease terms, insurance coverage and more.
Name and Gender Marker Change Program: In spite of the pandemic the need to help transgender clients with identity document changes has not gone away, and this is an issue that is directly tied to social and racial justice. In fact, many of our clients who are transgender are also people of color. Identity documents are an important part of daily life—working, voting, traveling, accessing government institutions—and it is important that they include a legal name and gender marker that accurately reflects a person’s gender identity. The process of updating identity documents to reflect a person’s preferred name and gender marker can be confusing and overwhelming. We rely on support from volunteers who work directly with clients to complete the appropriate paperwork. This important work can be conducted by pro bono attorneys or non-lawyer volunteers.
To learn more, contact probono.info@lawfoundation.org.
Future Opportunities:
We expect the need for our services to increase significantly in the coming months as shelter in place restrictions continue to be lifted and courts and schools reopen, and as the economic impact of the crisis becomes clearer. We are developing legal training sessions that can be conducted remotely and will reach out to interested volunteers soon with next steps. Specifically, we expect to need support in the following areas: Eviction Assistance; Foster Youth Identity Theft; School Expulsion; Special Education; Jail Monitoring; and Unaccompanied Minors.
To learn more, contact probono.info@lawfoundation.org.
Spread the Word
It’s important that we educate our colleagues, family, and friends on the critical role legal services organizations like the Law Foundation play in addressing racial and social inequities.
Please follow us on social media (click the icons below) and “like,” share and retweet our posts.
Sign up to receive our emails and then forward them on. You’ll learn more about our work and what you can do to be an advocate.
Donate
As a non-profit organization, we rely on government grants and contracts and donations from generous donors to make our work possible. With state and local budgets facing serious cuts due to the economic downturn, we are also expecting financial challenges. In the meantime, the need for our services is greater than ever.
We are asking those who are able to make a tax-deductible donation to the Law Foundation to ensure that our team of staff attorneys and volunteers is available to support clients in the months to come.
Join our mission by making a tax-deductible gift today. Any amount will make a difference.
Thank you for your support.