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

Guild members of color organized The United People of Color Caucus (TUPOCC) at the 2004 NLG National Convention in Birmingham, AL. The language of the law perpetuates race, class, gender, and heterosexual privilege. As a result, we often find ourselves challenging professors, fellow students, co-workers — and, all too often, our comrades in the movement — calling on them to confront their own racism and other exclusionary practices. TUPOCC: Notes on Changing the Fabric of the Law & the Guild, by Ranya Ghuma & Renee Sanchez * In a field dominated by white males, the very presence of people of color and women of color is an act of resistance. * The law is not race and gender neutral. * A "color blind" approach to race in the United States is a distorted & deceptive ideology. * For the law truly to represent the people, a massive structural change must occur. TUPOCC was born out of this resistance. A year ago, at the January, 2005, meeting of the NLG National Executive Committee, Renee Sanchez and Ranya Ghuma presented TUPOCC's 2-year strategic plan, including: 1. Increase recruitment & retention of people of color in the NLG. 2. Foster a culture within the Guild that encourages self-criticism & an awareness of anti-racist practices.