National Lawyers Guild Chicago Chapter

The Libby Scooter:

637 South Dearborn Street, Third Floor Chicago, Illinois 60605 Ph: 312-913-0039 Fax: 312-913-0045 contact@nlgchicago.org www.nlgchicago.org "...to the end that human rights shall be regarded as more sacred than property interests." The National Lawyers Guild is dedicated to the need for basic and progressive change in the structure of our political and economic system. Through its members -- lawyers, law students, jailhouse lawyers, and legal workers united in chapters and committees -- the Guild works locally, nationally and internationally as an effective political and social force in the service of the people. Our aims: . to eliminate racism; . to safeguard and strengthen the rights of workers, women, farmers and minority groups, upon whom the welfare of the entire nation depends; . to maintain and protect our civil rights and liberties in the face of persistent attacks upon them; . to use the law as an instrument for the protection of the people, rather than for their repression. More about the NLG Support Lynne Stewart "You can't tell lawyers how to do their job." View Our Rosa Parks Memorial

ALABAMA MANIFESTO The United People of Color Caucus (TUPOCC) of the National Lawyer's Guild (NLG) is an alliance of law students, legal workers, attorneys and other people of color within the NLG community. The necessity of such an organization is borne from the historical context of the capitalist United States where economic prowess is dependent on the furthered and continued subjugation of people of color, women, the poor, queers, and other oppressed people. We are dedicated to fostering and supporting the growth and empowerment of all people of color, particularly within the organization of the NLG. We believe that meaningful social change and actual justice can only be attained when people of color and all other beleaguered communities are more than mere afterthoughts. Equality must be woven throughout the fabric of the organization. We seek to further educate ourselves and inform the larger NLG community about the issues that affect us and investigate the relationship of these issues to social justice. We strongly believe that this work cannot be done unaided, and we encourage support from our allies throughout the NLG in furtherance of our goals. We wish to provide all people of color opportunities in support of these goals, and when such opportunities are not available, to work with our associates and allies to create them. We seek to unite ourselves, represent our communities, achieve our potential, and function as a powerful force within the NLG, our chapters, schools, communities, the United States of America and the global population. The United People of Color Caucus (TUPOCC) of the NLG has a multi-point strategy that we shall use to advance our mission: 1. Elect students of color and people of color into leadership positions within the NLG. 2. Demand that white and privileged Guild members take accountability for their racism and other oppressive behaviors by joining us in examining and effectively changing the culture of the NLG. Together we believe that we can accomplish this goal by: a. Meeting as people of color regularly to deal with oppression and other issues we uniquely experience as people of color b. Encouraging all members who are not of this caucus to regularly attend meetings of the Anti-Racism Committee, or preferably, to join such committees. c. Institutionalize an anti-racist agenda by creating policies in favor of and beneficial to eliminating racism and other oppressions. (e.g. making anti-racism an active and prioritized component of the National Convention) 3. Alter the focus of the NLG by learning how to be accountable to the communities that it seeks to support and protect. Membership Membership is open to all members of the NLG community who self-id! entify as people of color. There will be no arbitrary exclusion from membership on the basis of sexuality, religion, gender, gender presentation or identity, sexual orientation, disability or age. All other members of the NLG are invited to work with and support TUPOCC as allies in the pursuit of true justice.