District 8 News - July 2021

District 8 News
Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky
Director: Judge Ann Breen-Greco

District 8’s Color of Justice program is moving forward for July.  On July 27, District 8 will be hosting girls from  Polished Pebbles, which  mentors girls on the south and west side of Chicago to empower them. They are  interested in having the girls talk to lawyers and judges about career paths.  District 8 is also working with the  Chicago Mayor’s One Summer program, which has 2,000 students/young people.  We are in the process of setting a date for to talk to their young people about careers in the profession.   District will be co sponsoring the NAWJ Human Trafficking Committee’s webinar July 7 on the Intersection of human trafficking, immigration, and LGBTQ youth.  

District 8 has been involved in the matter of the resolution on travel ban in states with legislation that is anti-transgender.  Civil rights and advocacy organizations are increasingly alarmed at the number of states passing anti-transgender legislation - so far 33 states.  The NAWJ LGBTQ Committee is planning  education seminars to provide an understanding on the needs of the LGBTQ community. District 8 is working with the LGBTQ community trying to find a path of unity to go forward on this, while addressing the very real concerns regarding safety that NAWJ LGBTQ members would experience in traveling to states with anti-transgender legislation.   It is clear that there are also many kinds of legislation in states that target communities of color and deny women’s rights.   We are quickly becoming a country where there are concerns about travel to many states which deny rights to protected classes.  District 8 hopes to contribute to the development of an NAWJ policy on site selection for conferences.  District 8 recognizes intersectionality and advocates for an end to all discrimination.