Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Street Law engages in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work because it aligns with our mission to empower and equip all people and communities to fully participate in democracy. To act on this commitment, we must connect with and learn from each other and our stakeholders; hire, maintain, and promote diverse talent; and strive to continually move our organization towards antiracism and genuine inclusion.

If we are successful in our DEI work, then Street Law will:

  • Uplift and empower people and communities to support participation in a just and healthy democracy.
  • Include participants in how we create our materials and develop programming, with a focus on removing barriers for program participation.
  • Have enough evidence and data from our work to be an example of successful DEI integration in our field.
  • Have a diverse staff at all levels of the organization with an inclusive, accepting culture and equitable internal policies and practices.

In the past year (July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023), we have intentionally worked on living up to our DEI commitment. Here are some steps we’ve taken:

  • In 2023, our Supreme Court Summer Institute drew teachers from across the country representing 28 states, with diverse backgrounds and perspectives. There were 18 teachers from urban school districts, 28 teachers from suburban districts, and 12 teachers from rural districts. In addition, 34 of these participants teach at schools that serve more than 50% students of color. The teachers accepted into the Institutes came from a variety of communities with varying needs, including 37 teachers from Title I schools.
  • Three teachers presented with Street Law at the National Council for the Social Studies annual conference in Philadelphia in December 2022. Presenting alongside classroom teachers who use our materials and strategies in their own classrooms is a priority for Street Law. These teachers offer details about their personal experiences and can often answer questions about classroom connections that are best answered by a practicing teacher. Street Law also believes in the importance of investing funds to support teachers’ participation in national professional conferences.
  • Street Law collaborated with Ayo Magwood at Uprooting Inequality, LLC in the curriculum development process for the new LegalTimeline.org. Ayo provided Street Law with feedback on teaching resources about students’ rights and presidential powers. The materials were updated based on Ayo’s feedback and went on to be piloted by classroom teachers as a part of the Legal Timelines year 2 pilot cohort.
  • As a result of isolation during the pandemic, many students exhibited signs of social anxiety as they returned to school full-time and in-person. Street Law collaborated with Legal Diversity Pipeline Program partner teachers to identify strategies to help students return to in-person programming and reduce social anxiety when interacting with legal volunteers.
  • During Legal Diversity Pipeline Program trainings, Street Law encouraged volunteers to share their own pronouns and ask students to share those if they felt comfortable doing so. Many students appreciated the opportunity to share and to be addressed by names different than listed in their school records.
  • In Jordan, Street Law launched the Ed O’Brien Fellowship and awarded six youth leaders with small grants to support community initiatives focused on bringing together citizens and government officials to solve community problems. The Ed O’Brien Fellowship aims to increase youth contribution to rule of law application in the various governorates they live in by enabling youth to implement their innovative ideas and network with different governmental stakeholders.
  • In Uzbekistan, Street Law trained persons with disabilities on their rights and methods to defend those rights when they witness or experience a violation. The activity was very impactful, with the participants noting that before Street Law’s training, they were unaware that they even had protected rights.
  • We created and launched a Youth Career Exploration Academy to teach lessons from our Legal Life Skills Program to young people of color in Richmond, Virginia, about their rights and responsibilities in the workplace.
  • We delivered our Legal Life Skills Program to young Black men in Los Angeles, integrating our work into community empowerment and leadership development programs.
  • In light of the sharp rise in anti-AANHPI (Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders) hate, we began developing a curriculum to provide AANHPI youth with a practical understanding of the legal nature of issues they are facing, as well as mechanisms for addressing those issues.
  • Our internal DEI Task Force recommended policies to increase equity in compensation practices and in staff access to professional development opportunities. These recommendations were then implemented by Street Law’s senior leadership.