• Obtener Ayuda
  • Օգնություն ստանալ
  • 获得帮助
  • Cần trợ giúp
  • 도움 요청하기
  • Получите помощь
NLSLA
  • Home
  • Who We Are
    • Our Work
    • Our Staff
    • Our Board
    • History & Milestones
    • News & Press
    • Financial Information
  • Our Services
    • COVID-19
    • Healthcare
    • Housing
    • Domestic Violence / Family
    • Public Benefits
    • Immigration
    • Clean Slate Initiatives
    • Workers’ Rights
    • Medical-Legal Partnerships
    • Self-Help Centers
    • Disaster Assistance Project
    • Education Rights
    • Legal Workshops & Clinics
    • Apply for Help
    • Other Resources
  • Get Involved
    • Donate
    • Pro Bono / Volunteer
    • Fundraising Events
    • Careers
    • Partners
    • Contact Us
  • Donate
  • Get Help
    • Obtener Ayuda
    • Օգնություն ստանալ
    • 获得帮助
    • Cần trợ giúp
    • 도움 요청하기
    • Получите помощь
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
Black-Lives-Matter

Black Lives Matter

June 2, 2020/in News

Dear Friends:

We are, at this moment, a nation in anguish. The pain and anger bringing people to the street in demonstrations across the country was sparked by police brutality, but it is fueled by myriad longstanding injustices and inequalities.

At NLSLA we see the result of these entrenched disparities every day. We see it in our clients’ tenuous grip on stable housing, in their lack of access to basic healthcare, in their economic struggles, and in their lack of access to justice.

The COVID-19 pandemic has both underscored and significantly exacerbated these disparities. People living on the margins became destitute, almost overnight. While some families stock their fridge with food to last for months, others wait in long lines at food banks. While some lament the challenges of working from home, others must risk their health each day in jobs that are suddenly considered essential but that offer little pay and few, if any, protections. The virus has not been, as some have suggested, an equalizer. Rather, it has shown us how fractured we really are.

And it is in this fragile state that we all watched, in horror, the 8 minutes and 46 seconds that would bring a nation to its knees. To some of us, the video of police officers killing George Floyd – an unarmed Black man – was shocking. To others, it was a familiar heartbreak – another collective trauma to weave into the experience of being Black in America.

We can only hope that this difficult moment compels us, finally, to change direction. To look with clear eyes at the systemic racism that has plagued our country and our institutions. NLSLA was formed in the belief that the law could be a powerful tool to fight for individual rights and social change. We will honor George Floyd by committing to change – in our own lives, here at NLSLA, and in our wider communities.

Martin Luther King said “True peace is not merely the absence of tension, it is the presence of justice.” Tonight I wish all of us more justice.

In Solidarity,


Yvonne Mariajimenez, President & CEO

Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share by Mail
https://nlsla.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Black-Lives-Matter-scaled.jpg 1422 2560 Madison Eckardt http://nlsla.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/NLSLA-logo-tag-drop-enfold-600x296.png Madison Eckardt2020-06-02 02:21:032020-08-18 17:39:30Black Lives Matter
Back to News

Latest News

  • LA County Agrees to Stop Delaying Food Assistance to Neediest ApplicantsJune 14, 2022
  • NLSLA Joins Forces with Disability Rights California to Address Neglect, Abuse, and Criminalization of Black Disabled Students in AV SchoolsMay 6, 2022
  • Political Scientist and Writer Mara Cohen Joins NLSLA’s BoardMay 6, 2022
  • NLSLA’s Fred Nakamura Wins Prestigious National Award for Civil Legal AidMay 6, 2022
  • Register: Disaster Preparedness Training ConferenceApril 14, 2022

News Categories

  • Client Stories (11)
  • Events (1)
  • News (55)
  • Press (15)
  • Registrations (2)

Get Help

General Legal Assistance
800-433-6251

Health Consumer Center
800-896-3202

Self-Help Legal Access Centers
View locations, hours, services.

Apply Online
More Info

Get Involved

Donate
818-291-1764

Volunteer
818-834-7585

Join Our Team
818-291-1762

More Info

Stay Informed

Connect

linkedintwitterfacebookinstagram

Our Partners

Law Help CA
LSC-Logo

Please let us know if you have any suggestions for improving this website:

  • Obtener Ayuda
  • Օգնություն ստանալ
  • 获得帮助
  • Cần trợ giúp
  • 도움 요청하기
  • Получите помощь
Advocates Hail End of Controversial Los Angeles County PACE ProgramAdvocates-Hail-End-of-Controversial-Los-Angeles-County-PACE-ProgramSan-Gabriel-Valley TribuneEl Monte nonprofit offers free unemployment assistance in Chinese
Scroll to top