Foreign Affairs Symposium: Panel on Law and Social Movements

Description

The Foreign Affairs Symposium is hosting a Panel on Law and Social Movements featuring panelists from the following organizations:

ArchCity Defenders: The group is a nonprofit civil rights law firm that provides pro-bono criminal and civil legal services in St. Louis, Missouri. They strive to make social services more accessible for individuals facing chronic homelessness and poverty, and use impact legislation to push for criminal justice reform. Blake Strode, the firm's executive director, will speak.

Immigrant Defense Project: The group is an NYC-based nonprofit organization that leads impact litigation, legal training, post-conviction relief, and community defense efforts to protect America's vulnerable immigrants. Among their many projects, they have partnered with the Center for Constitutional Rights to develop the "ICEwatch: Raid Tactics Map." Marie Mark, the project's supervising attorney, will present.

Lakota People's Law Project: The group has launched a number of campaigns dedicated to protecting Lakota land, resources, and people. In 2016, the organization's Standing Rock legal defense fought the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Lead counsel Chase Iron Eyes will speak.

The Sentencing Project: The group has been committed to criminal justice reform in the United States, addressing issues such as incarceration, felony disenfranchisement, and the hyper-criminalization of drugs. Among their many accomplishments, they helped pass the 2010 Fair Sentencing Act and participated in a national coalition supporting the bipartisan Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act. Ashley Nellis, the senior research analyst for the project, will speak.

Founded in 1997, the annual Foreign Affairs Symposium is run by students and sponsored by the university's Office of Student Development and Programming.