Once again, we have seen another Black life brutally taken by police violence. Once again, we demand justice, beginning with systemic change to stop the centuries of institutionalized, legal oppression of Black communities. And once again, we are forced to remind the world that Black Lives Matter. We four women of color— three Black women and a Brown woman— started FirstGenJD to uplift marginalized voices … Continue reading Black Lives Matter.
I raise my hand a lot in class. The unwritten rule of law school is to avoid being called on at all costs— and here I am voluntarily subjecting myself to scrutiny— so it earns me a lot of strange looks. But it’s actually immensely important to me because it’s important to me to take up space— not physical space, but metaphorical space. I will … Continue reading What Does a Lawyer Look Like? Reflections on Representation in the Law
Some days, the law feels like a world of its own, complete with a “No non-lawyers allowed” sign. And on those days, I both feel like I haven’t earned my place in that posh, exclusive “lawyers” club but also feel like I’ve definitively left where I came from behind just to get this far. It’s a strange limbo where I don’t belong wholeheartedly in either … Continue reading From Layman to Lawyer
Being black in predominantly white spaces can feel like drowning. Not only do we feel isolated because of our status as a minority, but we feel erased by the persistent and often ambiguous use of “people of color” to address so many struggles that it addresses none. The relationship Black people have with the world is anything but vague. The systems that oppress back people all over … Continue reading Blackness in White Spaces
Here’s to law students who are the first in their family to go to college. To law students who have long since grown tired of checking the box that says their parents don’t have degrees as if they aren’t the most brilliant people you’ll ever meet. To law students whose lingering guilt at leaving home has now become a familiar shadow that wars with their … Continue reading To Law Students From Nontraditional Backgrounds: You Belong Here
One of the ways to sustain yourself though the marathon that is law school is to get involved in activities that interest you. Some of those interests could double as academic credit or legal experience, but some can just be for you. It might seem like there’s no time left over after all the reading, outlining and study-grouping. While that may be true in the … Continue reading Finding Further Enrichment through Law School Extracurriculars
First Gen JD 