Many Basic Rights Are at Stake Throughout the Nation. But Together, We Can Fight Back.
Join L4GG as a Sustaining Member to Help us Defend Civil and Human Rights and Advance Systemic Change.
A few months ago, two friends were nearly killed by Florida’s 15-week abortion ban. The friends, who are both Black women, suffered from life-threatening pregnancy complications and were denied care that was readily available before the overturn of Roe v. Wade. And a few states away, two Black lawmakers were recently expelled from the Tennessee legislature for protesting against gun violence, yet their white colleague was allowed to keep her seat.
Stories like these are becoming incredibly commonplace. In recent months, there has been an unprecedented number of attacks waged on our basic rights and the lives of the most marginalized communities.
Dozens of state legislatures have banned abortions and are currently working to restrict access to gender-affirming care and medical abortions. At least 479 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced, many of which target transgender youth. A newly proposed rule will prevent even the most vulnerable migrants from pursuing their legal right to asylum. And various bills have been introduced to restrict voting rights for people of color, including a Jim-Crow era voting ban in Mississippi.
This is Only the Beginning.
The lawmakers mounting attacks on voting rights, immigrants’ rights, and bodily autonomy will next be empowered to launch attacks on same-sex marriage, birth control access, the right to protest, and more. State-level, directly impacted organizations lack staff, funding and community support capacity they need to fight effectively. The sheer number of bills and the lack of coordination among these organizations means many are left playing an ineffective version of legislative “whack a mole” — and the mole is largely unscathed.
If individuals are stripped of their rights, it could take decades of fighting for us to get them back. Moreover, these attacks are, and will continue, to have a detrimental impact on the lives and well-being of those already dealing with the everyday effects of systemic oppression.
What Can We Do About it?
We, as lawyers, need to organize and issue a coordinated response to these escalating attacks on our rights. No other organization is nationally coordinating efforts to engage in state-level legislative advocacy. With our nationwide community of 125,000+ lawyers and advocates, L4GG is the best organization to lead these efforts. We have the skills, expertise, membership, and coalition partners to make a profound difference in the battles around these basic rights. Together, we can carry out the following activities, and more:
Train lawyers and law students on state-level legislative advocacy to increase the number of lawyers engaged in policy change
Issue model bills that further voting access, racial equity, LGBTQIA+ rights, environmental justice, immigrants’ rights, and more
Create thoroughly-cited policy analysis and guidance to support the efforts of state legislators and local grassroots organizers in defending and advancing social and economic equity
Mobilize thousands of lawyers and allied organizations to support comment letters, petitions, proposed legislation, and more
Coordinate multi-state convenings to discuss and advance state-level legislative priorities
Work in coalition with other leading advocacy coalitions to develop strategies to defend against future state-level attacks and develop proactive, protective policy approaches
By joining L4GG’s Sustaining Member Program, you can bring us all one step closer to carrying out the above-referenced activities.
What is the Sustaining Member Program?
L4GG’s Sustaining Member Program is a monthly giving program that supports the L4GG Action Fund, our 501(c)(4). Program participants create a recurring, non-tax deductible donation that supports our policy advocacy, legislative advocacy training series, legal assistance programs, and more. Sustaining Members will also take part in L4GG’s organizing efforts to promote racial justice, reproductive rights, LGBTQIA+ rights, climate justice, immigrants’ rights, and more.
Why Should you Become a Sustaining Member?
By becoming a Sustaining Member, you will demonstrate your commitment to using your law degree for the public good, and take part in our efforts to advance systemic change. We, as a community of thousands of lawyers, are uniquely positioned to mobilize and defend against these escalating attacks on our basic rights. Moreover, the advocacy that we will engage in, together, cannot be supported by 501(c)(3) donations to L4GG. So your monthly contributions to the L4GG Action Fund will be critical to these timely efforts.
What Programs/Activities are Supported by the Sustaining Members Program?
Sustaining Members’ donations support the L4GG Action Fund, which supports the following activities and more:
The State Legislative Advocacy Academy
Advocacy to enact L4GG’s model racial justice policies in state legislatures
Drafting of model legislation that promotes civil rights and racial justice
Issuance of comment letters, petitions, policy guidance etc. distributed to lawmakers
Coalition work with grassroots organizations across the nation
L4GG’s Direct Legal Assistance Programs (i.e. Project Corazon, the Climate Change and Environmental Justice Program, Reproductive Health Legal Assistance Program, and our upcoming Second Chances Initiative)
What Issue Areas are Supported by the Sustaining Members Program?
At present, L4GG is leading state-level policy advocacy and/or in-depth policy research on the following issue areas: reproductive rights, immigration, transgender healthcare, lead in drinking water, voting rights, corporal punishment in public schools, climate change, child agricultural labor, automatic expungement, and more.
Why is it so Important For Us to Engage in State-Level Policy Reform Efforts?
Many of the current key policy battles are taking place at the state level. Moreover, in our present political climate, there’s very little that can be done to advance rights to abortion, gender-affirming healthcare, voting etc. at the federal level. While there are many amazing organizations doing work at the federal level, L4GG recognizes that with support from our nationwide network, we can create change more effectively at the state level.
Additionally, it’s critical that we complement our pro bono legal programs with policy advocacy in order to 1) defend against attacks on our basic rights and 2) to address the root causes of systemic inequality. Core to L4GG’s mission is a dedication to creating the social and economic conditions that lead to true equity, which will require us to reform and advocate against policies creating disparities. With a network of 125,000+ pro bono lawyers, we are also uniquely positioned to succeed in these efforts.