2021 ACCESS TO JUSTICE CONFERENCE August 11–13, 2021

PROGRAM2021 ACCESS TO JUSTICE CONFERENCE August 11–13, 2021

A Call to Dismantle Unjust Systems

2021 ACCESS TO JUSTICE CONFERENCE CRISIS AND RECKONING: A CALL TO DISMANTLE UNJUST SYSTEMS207/30 - 5:29 PM

2021 ACCESS TO JUSTICE CONFERENCE

Welcome Conference Participants 3

Introduction 4

Conference Schedule 5–18

Day 1 5

Day 2 12

Day 3 17

Access to Justice Award Winners 19–20

Keynote Biography 21

Access to Justice Board Members 22

Access to Justice Conference Planning Committee 22

Sponsors 23

Registration Information 24

TABLE OF CONTENTS


WELCOME TO THE 2021 ACCESS TO JUSTICE CONFERENCEDear Conference Participants,

We all know how the horrific murder of George Floyd ignited anti-racist protest around the world, fueled by the racist inequities laid bare by COVID-19. In the midst of this historic upheaval, while I was teaching a graduate course in “Legal & Ethical Practices of Moral Leadership,” I watched my students grapple with how to make meaning of what was happening. They showed me how, in the midst of unimaginable tragedy, there is also powerful momentum for transformative change—momentum which our equity & justice community must not squander. This is what the Access to Justice Conference is all about.

On June 4, 2020, our Washington Supreme Court issued a powerful anti-racism statement. In turn, the Access to Justice Board rededicated its commitment to race equity and the importance of working shoulder-to-shoulder with those Black, Indigenous and other Communities of Color most harmed by racism, who know best what must change, and who are often furthest from power to make that change happen. This is where our equity & justice system partners come in under the guidance and direction of our client communities, using their privilege and access to the law & justice system to undo institutionalized racism as well as all other often compounding forms of structural oppression, while ensuring that we ourselves are not complicit in perpetuating harm.

At this conference, you’ll have the chance to share your work and learn how the Access to Justice Board and our equity & justice community are taking action. By way of example, the Access to Justice Board has established a statewide Community Advisory Panel, made up of community-based leaders engaged in pro-equity, anti-racism work. You’ll have a chance to hear from these remarkable community leaders during the conference about strategies for cultivating community accountability in ways that move towards dismantling the 4 “silos” of our law and justice systems—the civil, juvenile, criminal and child welfare systems—silos that operate to amplify multi-generational harm, especially to BIPOC.

Conference co-chairs, Vanessa Hernandez and Jaime Cuevas, Jr., and their Conference Planning Team have worked magic, bringing us a treasure trove of information and resources for the transformational equity work ahead. We hope you will come away from the conference reenergized, renewed and with a broader network of partners to support our collective long-haul fight against racism, poverty and all forms of structural oppression.

Welcoming you and grateful for the equity & justice work you do!

Francis AdewaleChair, Access to Justice Board

Francis AdewaleChair, Access to Justice Board


2021 ACCESS TO JUSTICE CONFERENCE Crisis and Reckoning: A Call to Dismantle Unjust Systems

WSBA CLE 21563 WEB*

21564 WEB**

Wednesday, August 11, 2021 Thursday, August 12, 2021 Friday, August 13, 2021

*Tuition for CLE 21563: $100 – Standard

**Tuition for CLE 21564: Free (No CLE Credit)

CLE credits Pending

Washington State Bar Association

WEBCAST

Presented in collaboration with the Access to Justice Board

DESCRIPTION:Every two years, the Access to Justice Conference brings together community members, legal system advocates, judges, attorneys, and policymakers across Washington State who are committed to dismantling systems of oppression and poverty.

The 2021 Access to Justice Conference theme is Crisis and Reckoning: A Call to Dismantle Unjust Systems. The COVID-19 crisis and resulting economic downturn have laid bare and contributed to deep systemic inequalities, and particularly exposed the ways in which systemic racism continues to impact Black, Indigenous, and other people of color.

This time of crisis calls upon law and justice advocates, working in partnership with communities of color most impacted by systemic racism, to reckon with and dismantle injustice within the legal system.

This year will be the first ever entirely virtual Access to Justice Conference. The Planning Committee chose to move forward with a virtual conference

as a way to improve accessibility and ensure the health and safety of conference attendees and presenters.

CO-CHAIRS: Vanessa Hernandez – SeattleJaime Cuevas, Jr. – Ramsey Companies, Yakima

For a list of the 2021 Access to Justice Conference Planning Committee see page 22.

SESSION SCHEDULEIn addition to plenary sessions there are also justice tracks which run concurrently in morning and afternoon time slots throughout the conference:

Criminal Justice and Reentry Track Gender Justice TrackImmigrant Rights TrackRacial Justice TrackHousing and Homelessness TrackYouth Track

These tracks provide the opportunity to customize your conference experience. Participants are welcome to move between and combine tracks.


WEDNESDAY AUGUST 11

8:30 a.m. Virtual Lobby Opens

9:00 a.m. Opening and Welcome 60 minutes

Salvador Mungia – Endowment for Equal Justice, Seattle

Candelaria Murillo – Legal Foundation of Washington, Seattle

Francis Adewale – Access to Justice Board, Seattle

Chief Justice González – Washington State Supreme Court, Olympia

Gabriel Galanda – Galanda Broadman, PLLC, Seattle

10:00 a.m. BREAK

10:15 a.m. JUSTICE TRACKS

A. Criminal Justice and Reentry Track: Criminal Justice Equity Tool 75 minutes

Criminal justice data can shine a light on otherwise hidden disparities, unconscious biases, and systemic racism. Without the timely and equitable access to that data, anecdotes and assumptions too often drive the decisions made in our courtrooms, our legislature, and our public sphere. Recognizing this problem, a formerly incarcerated man, former prosecutor, and criminal defense lawyer, joined data and technology experts from Microsoft to create a database and public dashboard that makes data accessible and filterable to all interested parties or stakeholders. Now housed at the nonprofit American Equity and Justice Group, this tool aims to transform criminal justice conversations in Washington, and eventually, nationwide. AEJG will present the tool and discuss its potential.

Anthony Powers – American Equity and Justice Group, Seattle

Kim Gordon – Law Offices of Gordon & Saunders PLLC, Seattle

Kate Sigafoos – Microsoft, Redmond

B. Gender Justice Track: Three Voices of Trauma 75 minutes

Vanna and Linsay are two community leaders who are asking the community to see humanity through the lens of Trauma and Pain. Trauma has many faces, many views, many lenses. This is our story, the voice of a few but not all. Our stories: BIPOC stories, are the voices of advocacy. The way the legal system, the school to prison pipeline, non-profit industrial complex treats people of color in the BIPOC community is not justified; their biases are the reason the community is distrustful. We need systems to show up for our communities, so our voice no longer has to be the advocacy against oppression, but the voices of people who are seen and valued.

Linsay Hill – Multi Service Center, Kent

Vanna Sing – Tacoma Healing Awareness Community, Tacoma

DAY 12021 ACCESS TO JUSTICE CONFERENCE SCHEDULE


10:15 a.m. JUSTICE TRACKS continued

C. Immigrant Rights Track: Immigration Change Makers: Intersections of Grassroots Advocacy and Access to Legal Services 75 minutes

This panel will explore America’s racist and exclusionary immigration history as it pertains to the current system. The panel will discuss how obstacles and barriers to naturalization led to the creation of OneAmerica’s Washington New Americans (WNA) pro bono naturalization program and the partnership with the State of Washington and the American Immigration Lawyers Association, Washington Chapter (AILAWA). Naturalization may be the culmination of a long immigration process, but it is the beginning of a lifetime of civic engagement and power building. How OneAmerica/WNA builds power in immigrant communities will be discussed including its work in civic engagement and grassroots organizing. Working with coalition partners, OneAmerica and grass roots leaders fight against restrictive immigration laws through regulatory and legislative work, as well as litigation and advocacy at the local, state and federal levels to promote more equitable and inclusionary laws that impact our immigrant and new citizen communities.

Examples include the Washington Immigrant Relief Fund, expansion of Washington State unemployment insurance, fighting for mixed status families to get COVID relief, and creation of a $5 million county immigration application assistance fund. Creation of an ambassadorship program and outreach to black immigrant communities is part of the work being done to improve racial equity. A direct beneficiary of WNA’s services will discuss the difficulty finding and affording legal services and how becoming a US citizen has changed his life.

Bonnie Stern Wasser – OneAmerica, Seattle

Alizeh Bhojani – OneAmerica, Seattle

Rafael Torres – La Casa Hogar Fellowship Student, Seattle

D. Racial Justice Track: Galvanizing Advocacy Around SCAR’s Platform for Change 75 minutes

A discussion session with the Spokane Community Against Racism SCAR steering committee around their work on the Platform for Change. Learn the instigating moment, the work to create the proposal for our community, how to organize a coalition of support, how to bring a coalition’s message to the public, and the ongoing efforts and advancements within our community based on these efforts. We encourage participation and questions from the audience wanting to learn more about community coalition building and addressing local policy issues.

Jac Archer – SCAR Steering Committee, Spokane

Walter Kendricks – SCAR Steering Committee, Spokane

Pui-Yan Lam – SCAR Steering Committee, Spokane

Rick Matters – SCAR Steering Committee, Spokane

Sandy Williams – SCAR Steering Committee, Spokane

(schedule continued next page)

DAY 1


E. Housing and Homelessness Track: And Justice for Some 75 minutes

Homelessness inequities in housing, criminalization of people experiencing homelessness, racial inequalities, and disproportion. Topics covered include:

� Community Court and laws specific to homelessness � Racial disparities and systematic racism in homeless services

� Generational homelessness and the solutions that create barriers to exiting cycles of homelessness

Inequities and racial inequalities in the healthcare system as pertains to people experiencing homelessness

� Racial disproportion � Access to services � Current solutions and “real” solutions

Inequalities in justice system as pertains to homelessness/re-entry

� Racial inequalities in the prison system � Disproportion of population � How previously incarcerated individuals become such a big population of homeless?

� Housing the previously incarcerated and its barriers

Inequalities in employment as pertains to homeless individuals and barriers created to exiting cycles of homelessness

� 2nd chance employment � Importance of second chance employment and removing barriers for homeless individuals to jobs

� Racial disparities in employment of homeless individual

Julie Garcia – Jewels Helping Hands, Spokane

Robert Lippman – Spokane Homeless Coalition, Spokane

Megan Pirie – Eastern Washington All of Us or None, Spokane

Barry Barfield – Spokane Homeless Coalition, Spokane

11:30 a.m. LUNCH BREAK

12:45 p.m. JUSTICE TRACKS

A. Gender Justice Track: Victim’s Journey: The Role of Survivor-Defined Justice 75 minutes

Walk in the shoes of victims of crime and their journey as they try to access justice. Through narration, the presenters will share the steps a victim must take and the barriers they may face while trying to find justice after victimization. The presenters will share their expertise regarding victimization and how community members at the forefront of court systems impact the lived experience of those who have experienced trauma. The group will be encouraged to reflect on how to address the needs of those affected by systemic oppression and revictimization while trying to achieve an attainable form of justice.

Blaine Huizinga – Lutheran Community Services Northwest, Spokane

Kristina Poffenroth – Lutheran Community Services Northwest, Spokane

Julia Sheafor – Lutheran Community Services Northwest, Spokane


10:15 a.m. JUSTICE TRACKS continued DAY 1


B. Gender and Racial Justice/Criminal Justice and Reentry Tracks: Righting the Ship: Effective Civil Legal Advocacy for Criminalized Survivors of Violence 75 minutes

Victim-defendants (survivors of domestic and sexual violence who have been charged and/or convicted of dv-related crimes instead of the person who abused them) demonstrate the ultimate failures of our legal system – not only does the legal system fail to protect the survivor but now further victimizes them through incarceration and increased barriers to obtaining stability, making them susceptible to even more exploitation and abuse. The consequences of these criminal cases are devastating in the survivor’s family law, protection order, immigration and other civil cases. Whether working with a survivor who has a pending criminal case against them or has already been convicted, it is important to know concrete ways to intervene, mitigate, and restore a survivor’s reputation in order to establish access to their children, protection, and dignity. This session focuses on practical tips and strategies for representing criminalized survivors in civil cases.

Moderator: Riddhi Mukhopadhyay – Sexual Violence Law Center, Seattle

Elizabeth Hendren – Northwest Justice Project, Seattle

Sara Mooney – Sexual Violence Law Center, Seattle

Nature Carter – YWCA – Seattle, Seattle

C. Racial Justice Track: Manifesting Our Missions: What Being Client-Centered Actually Looks Like 75 minutes

Client-centered, culturally-responsive, and pro-equity are big buzzwords in the legal community, but are legal service providers actually effecting these values? The legal system was built intentionally to perpetuate existing power structures and maintain the marginalization of certain communities. Those most impacted by the harms of structural racism are those most likely to have the instability, mental health challenges, cultural differences, and other such factors that result in a poor fit for how many legal services organizations offer their services. This panel brings together several service providers experienced in shaping their services to meet clients where they are at and realizing the agency we, as service providers, have in shaping the legal system away from white supremacist norms and towards equity and justice.

Moderator: Cina Littlebird – Northwest Justice Project, Seattle

Colleen Chalmers – Native American Youth & Family Center, Portland, OR and Seattle

Deb Soccumtickem-Ost – American Indian Community Center / The Bail Project, Spokane

Nawiishtunmi Nightgun – Wellspring Family Services, Seattle

D. Housing and Homelessness Track: Fighting Homelessness by Representing Community Groups and Unhoused People 75 minutes

Lawyers can combat homelessness by assisting both homeless individuals and the organizations that serve them in local communities. This case-study session will review one such organization’s journey, through a panel of presenters including organizational staff and involved lawyers. Typical and unexpected legal and political issues, case studies involving individual and organizational clients, and opportunities for pro bono and civil legal aid collaboration will be explored.

Moderator: Ric Rose – Homeward Bound Board Member, Puyallup

Paula Anderson – New Hope Resource Center, Puyallup

John Purbaugh – Northwest Justice Project, Tacoma

Tristia Bauman – National Homelessness Law Center, Washington DC

12:45 p.m. JUSTICE TRACKS continued DAY 1


E. Criminal Justice and Reentry Track: Communities of Healing for Formerly Incarcerated People 75 minutes

As the overwhelming majority of those in U.S. prisons will rejoin society, it is imperative to prepare individuals to transition with effective rehabilitative programs. Understanding and dismantling the barriers that prevent formerly incarcerated individuals from re-entry into a viable sustainable life through employment, legal aid, criminal background check, LFO’s, transportation, higher education, housing, etc., are crucial components of our healing as a society. We do this by building relationships across community partners, providing community engagement for people that have been judicially impacted by the criminal system, and educating ourselves on race, ethnicity, historic oppression, and mass incarceration. We do this by banding together to create communities of healing. We will use a PowerPoint presentation to lay out the problem, the need, and the potential solutions. Next, we will have a robust panel discussion with formerly incarcerated individuals sharing their experiences, followed by a Q&A with the audience.

Andre Henderson – Olympic College Re-entry Collective, Civil Survival Project, and the Formerly Incarcerated Students Association at University of Washington- Tacoma, Tacoma

Cory Walster – Civil Survival Project, Seattle

Brian Weekman – Olympic College (Student), Bremerton

Steven Simmons – University of Washington-Tacoma (Student), Tacoma

Melvin Stones – Olympic College (Student), Bremerton

2:00 p.m. BREAK

2:15 p.m. PLENARY: COVID 19 Crisis and Washington’s Response: A Panel with Washington Lawmakers 60 minutes

Join Senator Rebecca Saldaña and Representatives Jamila Taylor, Kirsten Harris-Talley, and Tarra Simmons in a discussion about Washington’s response to the COVID-19 crisis and their vision for ways the future of the justice system in the wake of this crisis. Moderated by Eric Gonzalez, Legislative Director for the ACLU of Washington, the panel will discuss this year’s legislative session and future efforts to reform the justice system and realize equity for communities of color and people living in poverty.

Moderator: Eric Gonzalez – ACLU of Washington, Seattle

Senator Rebecca Saldaña – Washington State Senate, Olympia

Representative Jamila Taylor – House of Representatives, Olympia

Representative Kirsten Harris-Talley – House of Representatives, Olympia

Representative Tara Simmons – House of Representatives, Olympia

3:15 p.m. BREAK





A. Immigrant Rights Track: Mano a Mano, Conectando con Nuestra Comunidades en Tiempos Difíciles / Hand in Hand, Connecting with our Communities in Difficult Times 60 minutes

During the pandemic, our communities have been especially hard hit: losing work and being exposed to COVID at a high rate while not qualifying for benefits. The few types of assistance that are available are often in a form that is hard or impossible for our community members to access. As we saw need increase and doors closing all around us, our communities came together and took action. We redirected our organizing efforts to finding resources and re-distributing them. Our mutual aid networks have helped our communities survive during the pandemic and have also highlighted the injustices that have created the need for our work.

El Comite de Derechos Humanos de Forks / Forks Human Rights, Forks

Ayuda Mutua Solidaridad de Skagit / Mutual Aid Solidarity of Skagit, Skagit

B. Criminal Justice and Reentry Track: Holistic Approaches to Healing Families from the Collateral Consequences of Incarceration 60 minutes

The Washington Chapter of All of Us or None will provide a video with the real-life experiences of our children, family, friends, and support systems. A panel discussion will directly follow the video to discuss the inequities in our criminal legal system and the way these collateral consequences flow into our systems of health care and education. Attendees will discover ways to partner with previously incarcerated community members to achieve progress towards a healthy community. We often quote "Each one of us is more than the worst thing we ever did" Bryan Stevenson. After attending this presentation attendees will understand the depth of this quote.

Moderator: Megan Pirie – Eastern Washington All of Us or None, Spokane

Moderator: Laura Hixon – Eastern Washington All of Us or None, Spokane

Eurekus Carney – Eastern Washington All of Us or None, Spokane

Terry Britt – Eastern Washington All of Us or None, Spokane

Stanely Harewood – Eastern Washington All of Us or None, Spokane

C. Gender Justice Track: Understanding Domestic Violence in LGBTQ+ Communities 60 minutes

This workshop will center on the importance of building awareness of the context of LGBTQ people’s lives as a key component in supporting creative, effective advocacy with LGBTQ+ survivors. Through story sharing and examples, we will expand our understanding of the strengths, vulnerabilities and barriers LGBTQ survivors face in navigating systems and communities.

Elizabeth Bringier – The Northwest Network of Bisexual, Trans, Lesbian and Gay Survivors of Abuse, Seattle


AFTERNOON SESSION continued DAY 1


D. Racial Justice Track: Combating Anti-Asian Hate and Racism 60 minutes

Within this session, we will discuss the history, root causes, and health impacts of anti-Asian hate, as well as pathways to healing and justice through legislation, interracial solidarity, and education.

Sarah Dixit – Asian Pacific Islander Coalition Spokane Chapter, Spokane

Ryann Louie – Asian Pacific Islander Coalition Spokane Chapter, Spokane

Tia Moua – Asian Pacific Islander Coalition Spokane Chapter, Spokane

E. Racial Justice Track : Indian Child Welfare Act: History and Present Realities 60 minutes

This workshop will give a brief overview of how historically oppressive Indian laws and polices still impact tribal children in child welfare today. We will discuss the Boarding School Era, 60’s Scoop Era, general ICWA overview.

Jennifer Yogi – Northwest Justice Project, Spokane

Kateria Joe (Swinomish / Halalt) – Treehouse, Seattle

4:30 p.m. Adjourn Day 1




THURSDAY, AUGUST 12, 2021

9:00 a.m. PLENARY / KEYNOTE — The Intersections of Race and Disability 75 minutes

This plenary panel will discuss the ways in which the intersection of race and disability impacts people who interact with the justice system . Panelists will provide an overview of intersectionality, how racism and ableism intersect in the justice and other governmental systems, and ways for legal professionals and community advocates to support racial and disability justice.

Justice G. Helen Whitener – Washington State Supreme Court, Olympia

Judge Veronica Galván – King County Superior Court, Seattle

Carrie Basas – Office of the Education Ombuds, Seattle

Moderator: Leah Salerno – Disability Rights Washington, Seattle

10:15 a.m. BREAK


A. Criminal Justice and Reentry Track: Prison to Precinct/Breaking Down Bars 60 minutes

Breaking down the traditional barriers between law enforcement and formerly justice-involved individuals, the Olympia Police Department (OPD) employs two formerly incarcerated peers to work side-by-side with patrol officers in serving the most vulnerable and system failed individuals in Olympia. Our programs bridge the relationships and community knowledge of OPD officers with the assertive outreach/engagement and behavior health services of our Familiar Faces Program. We rely on the truth that changed people change people, and our model has the potential to not only help transform individual lives, but to change the culture of law enforcement from the inside out.

Moderator: Neil Hilton – Catholic Community Services of Western Washington, Seattle

Sgt. Al Weinnig – Olympia Police Department, Olympia Melissa McKee – Olympia Police Department, Olympia

Keith Whiteman – Olympia Police Department, Olympia

B. Youth Track: Building Equity in Spokane Public Schools: Organizers share five years of action,results and hope 60 minutes

The Every Student Counts Alliance is a coalition of impacted families and legal, racial equity and disability rights advocates, working together to dismantle the school to prison pipeline within Spokane Public Schools. After five years of work, we want to reflect and share what we’ve accomplished, the strategic relationships created in our community organizing work and lessons learned as we have shifted circles of influence and created space for change. We will include the voices of families, parent leaders, and a legal advocate to highlight the powerful partnerships created during our work together.

Erin Carden – Every Student Counts Alliance, Spokane

Nikki Lockwood – Spokane Public Schools Board of Directors, Spokane

Dan Ophardt – Every Student Counts Alliance and TeamChild Spokane Office, Spokane


DAY 22021 ACCESS TO JUSTICE CONFERENCE SCHEDULE


C. Racial Justice Track: A Conversation for Inclusion in the Conversation: A Reckoning on the Intersection of Disability and Race 60 minutes

This will be a facilitated panel presentation to include community advocates with developmental disabilities and family members who are also BIPOC. Topics to be addressed include:

� Intersectionality of racism, ableism (disability) � The “Nothing About Us Without Us” self-advocacy movement for people with developmental disabilities and their inclusion in movements to address racist and unjust systems

� How racism creates further barriers for people with disabilities to be included in the communities in which they live and work/the underrepresentation of people with DD who are BIPOC in employment

� Stories of lived experience from people with developmental disabilities who are BIPOC and their allies

Sima Thorpe – The Arc of Spokane, Spokane

Sorretie Jaro – The Arc of Spokane, Spokane

Aruna Bhuta – Community Advocate, Spokane

D. Criminal Justice and Reentry Track: Legal Empowerment: Realizing the Right to Relief from LFOs 60 minutes

Living with Conviction's peer-to-peer legal empowerment program, which supplements traditional legal aid, equips and empowers justice-involved individuals to help each other understand, claim, and shape their rights to request relief from court-imposed debt. We do this because such debt criminalizes poverty and keeps people with low incomes and from communities of color shackled to the criminal justice system for life. In this model, legal information about rights and procedures – and thus power – is in the hands of communities who have been and continue to be subject to systemic oppression and racialized wealth extraction. In doing so, our legal empowerment model seeks to dismantle the monopoly that lawyers enjoy with a model that instead supports and empowers communities in their efforts to secure justice.

Moderator: Carmen Pacheco-Jones – Health and Justice Recovery Alliance and Statewide Reentry Council, Spokane

Tina Woods – Living with Conviction, Bremerton

Dante Pollard – Living with Conviction, Federal Way

E. Youth Track: Holistic Services for Children and Youth 60 minutes

Multiple systems are responsible for providing services to children and youth of color, yet they are poorly served. Often the problem is that systems lack coordination and point fingers at each other rather than providing clearly needed services. This workshop will involve short presentations and sharing of material about the overall issue, followed by small group discussions to understand the issues and plan for solutions.

The conference is an excellent opportunity for this presentation and discussion because it will include advocates and community members with diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise.

Sujatha Jagadeesh Branch – Northwest Justice Project, Olympia

Kathy Jensen – Northwest Justice Project, Spokane

Jazzmine Lindsey – Youth Speaker

Juana Valencia – Youth Speaker

10:30 a.m. JUSTICE TRACKS continued DAY 2


11:30 a.m. Networking Lunch Roundtables

Grab your lunch and join your fellow conference attendees for networking roundtables, hosted by the Pro Bono Council! You’ll have the opportunity to join small group discussions around various hot topics.

12:45 p.m. PLENARY / KEYNOTE — Criminal Justice and Reentry: A Conversation with the Monroe Black Prisoners Caucus 75 minutes

The audience will hear from recently released members of the Monroe Black Prisoner’s Caucus and a formerly incarcerated sponsor and retired high school principal about the school to prison pipeline and their experience with reentry and reintegration into the community. The conversation will focus on what obstacles formerly incarcerated individuals face when attempting to reintegrate into society and what improvements need to be made in the systems designed to assist their reentry. There will also be discussion about the importance of education, how the public education system failed them, and how it can be improved.

Willie Bernard Butler – Monroe Black Prisoner’s Caucus member, Alexandria, Virginia

Eugene Youngblood – Monroe Black Prisoner’s Caucus member, Tacoma

Gerard Boseman – Monroe Black Prisoner’s Caucus member, Carbondale, Il

Anthony Wheat – Monroe Black Prisoner’s Caucus member, Seattle

Mark Perry, – Formerly incarcerated, retired principal, Monroe Black Prisoner’s Caucus Sponsor

Devon Adams – Monroe Black Prisoner’s Caucus member, Seattle

Moderator: Jill Malat – Former Monroe Black Prisoner’s Caucus Sponsor, Children’s Representation Program Manager, Office of Civil Legal Aid, Seattle

2:00 p.m. BREAK


A. Criminal Justice and Reentry Track: Restorative Justice as an Alternative to Incarceration 75 minutes

This presentation will explore our current model of incarceration and its impact on people who cause harm as well as those who have been harmed. We will explore how restorative justice might offer a better pathway to transformation and healing.

Travis Claybooks – Raphah Institute, Nashville, TN

Andrea Altheimer – Community Passageways, Seattle


DAY 2MORNING SESSION continued


B. Criminal Justice and Reentry Track: Mitigating Barriers to Reentry 75 minutes

This presentation will walk audience members through the lifecycle of the reentry process. Of the four presenters, we have a combined lived prison experience of over 100 years. Presenters will go in-depth on approaches inside of the prison system that help people to adjust easier upon release if they do them. Despite the mainstream thought process on this issue, it isn’t always education or vocational classes.Reintegration will also be covered, including the difficulties with housing, employment, learning technology, and getting proper documentation like State ID and SS cards that hinder a successful reentry even when people seek to do good. The often unspoken mental and emotional strains felt during reentry will be covered from a raw and personal viewpoint that will be enlightening to the audience.

Gail Brashear – Seattle Clemency Project, Olympia

Grady Mitchell – Seattle Clemency Project Client, Kent

Anthony Powers – Seattle Clemency Project, Seattle

Alyssa Knight – Seattle Clemency Project Client, Seattle

C. Gender Justice Track: Deadly Technology: Identifying and Addressing Tech Enabled Abuse 75 minutes

For survivors of gender-based violence, technology can become another source of control and coercion. Whether the tech-enabled abuse takes place online or is simply enabled by emerging technologies, it can have devastating impacts, becoming a source of ongoing abuse while limiting an individual’s access to their communities, opportunities and resources. Recognizing tech-enabled abused and understanding how to address the abuse through an equity lens allows for a more holistic approach to a survivor’s needs, along with increased knowledge and education about the evolving forms of victimization.

Dr. Dana Cuomo – Lafayette College, Easton, PA

Danyelle McNeary – Sexual Violence Law Center, Seattle

D. Youth Track: Structural Racism and How It Intersects With Child Welfare Background Checks and Kinship Care Systems 75 minutes

Despite the knowledge children do better with family, structural racism makes placement with kinship caregivers less supported and less likely for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). This panel will explore racial inequities in both the informal or family law system as well as within the foster care system impacting BIPOC kinship placements. Topics will include access to resources, benefits, and legal counsel in the informal/family law system as well as the impact of background checks, systemic mistrust of kinship caregivers and lack of transparency in the foster care system. Kinship caregivers from both systems will share their journeys.

Celeste Miller – King County Bar Association, Seattle

Reshell Wilson – Kinship Caregiver

Shrounda Selivanoff – Children’s Home Society of WA, Seattle

Amelia Watson – Washington State Office of Public Defense, Olympia

Barbara Harris – Washington State Office of Public Defense, Olympia




E. Youth Track: Meet the NAACP Youth Council – the Youth Tell the Truth About Racism in the Schools 75 minutes

Launched in 2017, the NAACP Youth Council (N-YC) has been working to change the reality of racial injustice in districts across the Pacific Northwest. Through a combination of panel and small-group discussions, N-YC leaders will share their list of demands for 2021, as well as their progress on initiatives, including expanding Black Lives Matter at School, stemming the school-to-prison pipeline, youth representation on school boards, and police-free schools.

Alexis Mburu – NAACP Youth Council

Mia Dabney – NAACP Youth Council

Hibbah Khan – NAACP Youth Council

Rena Mateja Walker Burr – NAACP Youth Council

Maddie Jones – NAACP Youth Council

3:30 p.m. BREAK

3:45 p.m. Access to Justice Board Award Ceremony




FRIDAY, AUGUST 13, 2021

9:00 a.m. KEYNOTE — Justice Begins at Home: Finding the Strength and Care We Need to Fight Injustice in our World 45 minutes

As we address the unjust systems on which much of US society, law, and norms are based, we have internal work to do. Many organizations are doing race equity work. We sometimes confront barriers, frustration, and fatigue as we go deeper into it. When doing this counter-cultural work against norms of white supremacy, patriarchy, ableism, and other harmful ways, these systems would have us turn on each other, dividing to conquer and maintain status quo. We cannot give up; nor turn on each other. Let’s converse about being just with ourselves and each other, as we double-down on dismantling injustice.

Michele Storms – American Civil Liberties of Washington, Seattle

9:45 a.m. BREAK


A. Racial Justice Track: Building Collective Power to Dismantle Unjust Systems Through Legislative Advocacy 60 minutes

ACLU-WA Legislative Director Eric González Alfaro, Lobbyist Roxana Gomez, Field Director Liezl Tomas Rebugio, and Political Director Alison Holcomb will engage in a panel conversation with the audience about maximizing collective impact within state and local legislative branches in service of the goal of dismantling unjust systems, with a focus on stakeholder engagement, centering and amplifying the voices of directly impacted people, and collaboration on both long-term transformation and short-term gains.

Alison Holcomb – ACLU of Washington, Seattle

Eric González Alfaro – ACLU of Washington, Seattle

Roxana Gomez – ACLU of Washington, Seattle

Liezl Tomas Rebugio – ACLU of Washington, Seattle

B. Racial Justice and Gender Justice Track: Who Leads Us Out: BIPOC and Trans Strategies for Justice 60 minutes

This session is a panel discussion with community leaders focused on how to invest resources, time, and energy into movement building work with community, especially Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (QTBIPOC) communities. Panelists will address how legal system partners can best work with community members in a way that centers community needs and community-oriented justice. Panelists will speak from their lived experiences about the importance of movement building, identify where system partners need to plug in, and how to work towards dismantling the status quo.

Agaiotupu Viena – TRANSform Culture – Pride Foundation, Seattle

Jaelynn Scott – Lavender Rights Project, Tacoma

Monserrat Padilla – Satterberg Foundation, Seattle

Whaakadup Monger – Tulalip Tribal Elder, Tulalip


2021 ACCESS TO JUSTICE CONFERENCE SCHEDULE DAY 3


C. Racial Justice Track: Truth to Power: Interdisciplinary Social Science and Economic Research for Discovery, Public Interest Litigation, and Public Defense 60 minutes

Systemic change frequently requires research that goes far beyond the skills taught in law school. Finding and using economic data and statistics is key to effective coordinated systemic advocacy and encourages litigators to think holistically about the law within the context of society. This presentation, taught by three lawyer-librarians with deep backgrounds in both research instruction and public interest lawyering and public defense, will focus on the practical skills of finding and using interdisciplinary research and litigation research aids to deepen and strengthen systemic public interest litigation. Online live research examples will highlight the best tools and strategies for finding hard to find information.

Rob Mead – Washington State Law Library (Supreme Court), Olympia

Barbara Engstrom – King County Law Library, Seattle

Maren Anderson – Skagit County Law Library, Mt Vernon

D. Gender Justice Track: Gender Bias in Washington Courts: Reimagining Justice 60 minutes

The Washington State Supreme Court Gender and Justice Commission recently conducted a multi-year study of how the intersection of gender and race, ethnicity, poverty, and other identities impact access to justice and amplify inequities in the civil and criminal justice system in Washington. The Study, which will be published soon, analyzes Washington State and national data and research in almost thirty different priority areas, provides new original pilot projects and research, and has been grounded in the lived experiences of the most vulnerable justice system users.

This session will focus on gender and incarceration, including barriers to accessing the courts as an incarcerated person. It will highlight key recommendations for eliminating the identified systemic biases and invite discussion.

Elizabeth Hendren – RISE Project, Northwest Justice Project, Seattle

Kimberly Mays – Washington State Office of Public Defense, Tacoma

11:00 a.m. BREAK

11:15 a.m. PLENARY — We Made a Commitment to Anti-Racism. Now What? 90 minutes

Throughout the conference we will be exploring challenges communities around Washington State are facing, particularly as COVID-19 continues to reveal and create deepening disparities. As we close our time together, the Access to Justice Board is pleased to welcome members of its Community Advisory Panel to host conversation about the themes of the Conference and how we can move forward together. Panelists will bring forward ideas for centering perspectives of those who are most harmed by racism and poverty, building relationships between community and systems partners, and moving our collective commitments to anti-racism from statements to actions. As time allows, we will also invite participants into small group discussion that will generate momentum for the road ahead.

Carol Mitchell – Institute for Black Justice

Duaa-Raheemah Williams – Community Member

Karyn Kameroff – SW Washington Indigenous Community Member

Angel Tomeo Sam – Community Member

Marissa Perez – Cedar Rising

Michaela Brown – JustLead Washington, Spokane

12:45 p.m. Conference Adjourn, Evaluations

DAY 310:00 a.m. JUSTICE TRACKS continued


The Access to Justice Board honors colleagues and partners who promote equity within our legal system through their leadership, courage, and innovation by presenting the Access to Justice Awards. The deserving individuals and organizations will be honored during the Access to Justice Conference on Thursday, August 12. Please join us in thanking the award recipients for their dedication and commitment to justice and equity!

ACCESS TO JUSTICE JUDICIAL LEADERSHIP AWARDThe Justices of the Washington Supreme Court are recognized as members of the judiciary who have shown significant leadership in improving access to the justice system. The Justices exhibited important leadership in the summer of 2020 when they issued a statement calling on the legal community to recognize its responsibility to address systemic racism. The statement calls on judges, attorneys, and all who work in the justice system to recognize our collective, systemic, and individual roles in devaluing black lives and our responsibility to develop a greater awareness of racial bias and to do the work to build an anti-racist system.

The statement concludes with the Justices asserting that “we reaffirm our deepest level of commitment to achieving justice by ending racism. We urge you to join us in these efforts. This is our moral imperative.” This statement was followed by action when the Court established the Racial Justice Consortium, which was launched with a year-long mission to identify actions and structural changes that could help end racism and the devaluation of Blacks, Indigenous, and People of Color lives within the state judicial system. Through their leadership, the Justices of the Washington Supreme Court have issued a call to action that continues to reverberate as we work towards a more just world.

ACCESS TO JUSTICE PARTNERSHIP AWARDThe Washington Immigrant Relief Fund Coalition (WIRF) is recognized as a community-based, grassroots organization that has collaborated with Alliance members and provided leadership in serving the needs of low-income people. At the beginning of the pandemic, a diverse range of community groups, including members of the Alliance for Equal Justice, came together to develop a response to the impact of COVID-19 on immigrant workers.

In addition to being disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, unemployed undocumented workers were excluded from both unemployment as well as all stimulus payments passed by Congress. The WIRF coalition organized a statewide campaign to push Washington State leaders to be bold and to meet the emergency needs of immigrant communities by creating one of the first publicly funded relief funds in the country.

ACCESS TO JUSTICE ADVOCACY AWARD

Rosey Thurman is recognized for her outstanding work as an advocate in furtherance of the promise of equal justice for those who face economic and other significant barriers. Rosey has dedicated 25 years to working with those whose very safety depended on her care, empathy, and unwavering dedication. While with TeamChild Spokane County, Rosey opened and closed more than 2,600 cases.

She has put her heart and soul into working with her individual youth clients, and she has also had a lasting impact on making the Spokane community a safer and more inclusive place for youth into the future. Rosey retired from TeamChild in the spring of 2021 and her legacy will be felt throughout the community for a long time to come.

2021 ACCESS TO JUSTICE AWARDS

https://www.courts.wa.gov/content/publicUpload/Supreme%20Court%20News/Judiciary%20Legal%20Community%20SIGNED%20060420.pdf

https://www.courts.wa.gov/content/publicUpload/Supreme%20Court%20News/Judiciary%20Legal%20Community%20SIGNED%20060420.pdf


ACCESS TO JUSTICE LEADERSHIP AWARDAlex Doolittle is recognized for her efforts in helping to build and promote a statewide, integrated, non-duplicative civil legal aid delivery system that is responsive to the needs of low-income Washingtonians. Alex Doolittle has served as the Benefit Law Center’s Executive Director for more than 10 years. In that time, she has grown the Benefit Law Center’s capacity to help the most vulnerable in our community through visionary innovation and courageous leadership.

Most recently, Alex marshalled the necessary resources and sustained energy needed to launch the Benefit Law Center’s Mobile Legal Unit—The Justice Bus. The Justice Bus has allowed the Benefit Law Center to provide services, anywhere anytime--and meet clients where they are. Alex’s vision and indefatigable energy has brought to life a model that others will follow for providing culturally competent and accessible legal representation.

ACCESS TO JUSTICE LEADERSHIP AWARD

Lori Isley is recognized for her efforts in helping to build and promote a statewide, integrated, non-duplicative civil legal aid delivery system that is responsive to the needs of low-income Washingtonians. Lori spent her career at Columbia Legal Services advocating for justice by representing tenants and fighting housing authorities as a new attorney.

She led and participated in cases that changed and challenged the status quo for farm workers and people who

are undocumented in Washington and across the country—ending a longtime racist exclusion by establishing the right to overtime for dairy workers, increased access to charity care in the Yakima Valley, improved farm worker contracting law, challenging the prevailing wage survey to protect farmworker pay, human trafficking claims on behalf of H2A workers, ending horrible living conditions for farmworkers, enforcing the fourth amendment for people who are undocumented, supporting the Keep WA Working Act, and advocating for protections for agricultural workers against COVID.

ACCESS TO JUSTICE COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP AWARD

Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network is recognized for playing a strategic, significant, and courageous leadership role in improving access to the justice system. WAISN’s mission is to protect and advance the power of immigrant and refugee communities through a multiracial, multilingual, and multi-faith coalition.

Their organizing strategy educates and mobilizes statewide to uphold and defend the rights and dignity of all immigrants and refugees, centering the voices of impacted communities. WAISN’s impact has been exemplified as they have coordinated to fill a major need in helping connect COVID-19 affected communities with resources, including legal resources.

NORM MALENG LEADERSHIP AWARD

Jointly given by the Access to Justice Board and Washington State Bar Association, this award honors Norm Maleng’s legacy of innovative and optimistic leadership, love of the law, and commitment to diversity and mentorship.

Edmund Witter is recognized as someone who embodies these characteristics as an influential member of the equal justice community. Edmund is the senior managing attorney at the Housing Justice Project and embodies commitment to access to civil legal aid, advocacy for marginalized communities, and a willingness to change the material conditions preventing tenants from fully exercising their legal rights.

Under Edmund’s leadership, the Housing Justice Project grew almost five times in size from a four-person boutique to a robust sixteen-person program and has become the leading force in eviction advocacy, providing both free legal and social services to tenants. Edmund has remained committed to amplifying the voice of those who suffer at the hands of institutional racism and violence and works to reform unjust laws and policies related to landlord-tenant law.

2021 ACCESS TO JUSTICE AWARDS


KEYNOTE BIOGRAPHY

Michele Storms – American Civil Liberties of Washington, Seattle

MICHELE STORMS is the Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington (ACLU of Washington), former Deputy Director of the ACLU of Washington, and previous Assistant Dean for Public Service and executive director of the William H. Gates Public Service Law program at the University of Washington School of Law.

Preceding those roles she served as a statewide advocacy coordinator first at Columbia Legal Services and later at the Northwest Justice Project where over a combined five year period she coordinated civil legal aid advocacy in the areas of family law, youth and education, housing, elder law, Native American and right to counsel issues. She was also previously on faculty at the University of Washington School of Law where she founded what is now the Child and Youth Advocacy Clinic and taught several other courses.

In addition to her service on numerous boards and guilds both locally and nationally, Michele served on the Washington State Access to Justice Board for six years and the board of One America.

Michele is concerned with equity and justice for all and has dedicated her professional and personal attention to access to justice, preservation of freedom and democracy for all and ensuring that all humxns safely reside in the “circle of human concern.”


2021 ACCESS TO JUSTICE BOARD MEMBERS

Francis Adewale, Chair

Esperanza Borboa

Judge Laura T. Bradley

Hon. Frederick P. Corbit

Hon. David S. Keenan

Lindy Laurence

Michelle Lucas

Salvador A. Mungia

Mirya Muñoz-Roach

Terry J. Price

2021 ACCESS TO JUSTICE CONFERENCE PLANNING COMMITTEECO–CHAIRS

Vanessa Hernandez – Seattle Jaime Cuevas, Jr. – Ramsey Companies, Yakima

COMMITTEE

Francis Adewale – Access to Justice Board and Spokane Public Defense, Spokane

Vanessa Arno Martinez – Arno Martinez Law, Wenatchee

Jenae Ball – Randall Danskin, Spokane

Blanche Barajas – Pasco City Council, Tri-Cities

Joanna Boisen – Davis Wright Tremaine, Seattle

Charla Boley – Seattle University School of Law, Seattle

Andrew Chanse – Spokane Public Library, Spokane

Vanessa Citlali Malapote – Centro Integral Educativo Latino de Olympia

Quinn Dalan – Yakima Volunteer Attorney Services, Yakima

Haiyun Damon-Feng – William H. Gates Public Service Law Program University School of Law, Seattle

Em Daniels – Spokane Marcena Day – University of Washington School of Law, Seattle

Denise Diskin – Qlaw Foundation, Seattle

Elizabeth Fitzgearld – Clark County Volunteer Lawyer Program, Vancouver

Larry Jefferson – Office of County Public Defense, Olympia

Claudia Johnson – Pro Bono Net, Tri-Cities

Jim Keddis – TeamChild, Yakima

Susan Hales – Refugee Connection Spokane, Spokane

Nikki Lockwood – Spokane Schools, Spokane

Ken Masters – Masters Law Group, Bainbridge Island

Genevieve Mann – Gonzaga School of Law, Spokane

Leah Medway – Perkins Coie, Seattle

Sal Mungia – Access to Justice Board and Gordon Thomas Honeywell, Tacoma

Andrew Newman – Gonzaga University School of Law, Spokane

Gloria Ochoa-Bruck – Kalispel Tribal Economic Authority, Spokane

Esteban Ortiz – City of Pasco, Tri-Cities

Ellen Reed – Tyler Technologies, Seattle

Ric Rose – Homeward Bound Puyallup, Puyallup

Junga Subedar – Whatcom Civil Rights Project, Bellingham

Kerry Summers – Northwest Justice Project, Colville

Michael Terasaki – Pro Bono Council, Seattle

Rosey Thurman – TeamChild, Spokane

Jennifer Werdell – JustLead WA, Seattle

Anastacia Williams – RisewithKJ, Tacoma

Alma Zuniga – Northwest Justice Project, Seattle,


SPONSORS

ACCESS TO JUSTICE SPONSOR

PRESENTING SPONSORS

CHAMPION FOR JUSTICE

LEADER FOR JUSTICE

PARTNERS FOR JUSTICE

SUPPORTERS OF JUSTICE � Barron Smith Daugert, PLLC � Empire Health Foundation � Washington State Minority and Justice Commission � Washington State Supreme Court Gender and Justice Commission

FRIENDS OF JUSTICE � Eastern Washington University Office for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

� Gonzaga University School of Law � Gordon Thomas Honeywell LLP � Larry Jefferson � Judicial Dispute Resolution, LLC � Peterson Wampold Rosato Feldman Luna � Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala

MASTERS LAW GROUPP L L C

https://www.barronsmithlaw.com/

https://www.empirehealthfoundation.org/

https://www.courts.wa.gov/index.cfm?fa=home.sub&org=mjc

https://www.courts.wa.gov/committee/?fa=committee.display&item_id=142&committee_id=85

https://www.courts.wa.gov/committee/?fa=committee.display&item_id=142&committee_id=85

https://inside.ewu.edu/diversityandinclusion/

https://inside.ewu.edu/diversityandinclusion/

https://www.gonzaga.edu/school-of-law

https://gth-law.com/

https://jdrllc.com/

https://www.pwrfl-law.com/

https://www.pcva.law/

https://legalfoundation.org/

https://www.wsba.org/Legal-Community/Committees-Boards-and-Other-Groups/atj-board

https://ocla.wa.gov/

https://www.wsba.org/

https://www.courts.wa.gov/appellate_trial_courts/SupremeCourt/

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/

https://www.perkinscoie.com/en/

https://www.aclu-wa.org/

https://justleadwa.org/

https://appeal-law.com/

24

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#21563 WEB, 8/11/2021 through 8/13/21 attend via webcast

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$100 – Standard FREE – No CLE Credits

2021 ACCESS TO JUSTICE CONFERENCE — CRISIS AND RECKONING: A Call to Dismantle Unjust Systems Wednesday through Friday, August 11 – 13, 2021 • 21563 WEB / 21564 WEB

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2021 ACCESS TO JUSTICE CONFERENCE August 11–13, 2021