Fighting for Justice, Equality and Liberty

Justice At Last is turning five years old in the month of July! And, as we prepare to celebrate the values of justice, equality, and liberty on the July Fourth holiday, it is a good time to reflect that the work we do is directly connected to these values.

In the month of June we advocated for our clients’ parental rights and secured custody orders; protected our clients’ crime victims’ rights by securing criminal protective orders; and, ensured our clients were not penalized for offenses that occurred when they were being trafficked. We helped clients secure gainful employment through our records clearance project with the assistance of one our dedicated pro bono attorneys, Jennifer Kuenster of Nixon Peabody. We applauded Supreme Court decisions to uphold LGBTQIA+ workers’ rights and to protect dreamers’ rights to status through DACA. And, we stood and continue to stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.

Justice At Last also continues to work with our community partners like Dignity Health Sequoia Hospital in Redwood City and the Peninsula Health Care District who are both assisting our clients by donating Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) supplies and granting funds to assist with out-of-pocket expenses for culturally and linguistically appropriate mental health care.

We recently presented and contributed to the National Crime Victim Law Institute’s discussions about crime victims’ rights during Covid-19 as well as the National Council of Jewish Women San Francisco’s webinar about the impact of Covid-19 on trafficked persons. We provided two in-depth trainings to the steadfast staff at the Women’s Building in San Francisco about the legal needs of trafficked persons and in June we welcomed two legal fellows and an advocate to the Justice At Last team to strengthen and expand our holistic wrap-around legal practice.

Justice At Last continually strives for improvement with our commitment to anti-racism and seeking justice for trafficked persons, regardless of race, age, gender identity, nationality or type of trafficking. In July, our staff and the Board of Directors will be participating in diversity and inclusion trainings addressing the intersections of racism, sexism, homophobia, and xenophobia as the root causes of human trafficking.

In the month celebrating justice, equality and liberty, we know that providing our clients an opportunity to seek justice on their own terms helps restore some balance and equality, helps empower them to gain independence, and protects their right to self-determination and liberty.

We thank you sincerely for all your continued support. We hope that you have a safe and healthy July Fourth holiday and that you join us in celebrating our 5th birthday on July 24th, 2020.

Rose Mukhar, Executive Director