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Law for Black Lives is a Black-led, queer, abolition minded, multiracial, feminist and anti-capitalist movement. Made up of a network of nearly 6,000 radical lawyers and legal advocates, we are building a legal network that supports Black organizing and Black movements for liberation through community action.

Whether someone has been deeply involved in a movement for a long time or is just finding their way, there is a need and space for them here! We are committed to transforming the law and building the power of organizing to defend, protect and advance Black Liberation across the globe.

 
 
L4BL Summer School is back and ready to explore key political values, historical movements, and radical legal strategies. Each session features dope lecturers who will will cover important themes like movement lawyering, Black queer feminism, aboliti
L4BL Summer School is back and ready to explore key political values, historical movements, and radical legal strategies. Each session features dope lecturers who will will cover important themes like movement lawyering, Black queer feminism, abolition, and anti-capitalism; giving attendees a chance to delve into complex topics and better comprehend the societal impact of these frameworks. Guest this year include Barbara Ransby, Vince Warren, Mary Hooks and Thomas Mariadason.⁠ ⁠ Todays featured lecturer is Dr. Barbara Ransby, A prolific scholar and activist. Dr. Ransby is a distinguished professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and has made significant contributions to the field of Black Studies and feminism. Among her many achievements, she is the author of two highly acclaimed books: Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement: A Radical Democratic Vision; and Eslanda: The Large and Unconventional Life of Mrs. Paul Robeson.⁠ ⁠ L4BL Summer School is free for participants and requires an application for admission. However, spots are limited and applicants who are not formal members of L4BL will be asked to sign up for membership if their application is accepted. Applications are open until April 28, 2023.⁠ ⁠ You can apply at www.bit.Ly/l4blsummerschool2023. Feel free to also share this with your networks and on your social media accounts (don’t forget to tag us @Law4BlackLives and @Law4BlkLives for twitter). ⁠ ⁠ #L4BL #SummerSchool23 #LawforBlackLives #radicallawyers⁠
"A first-class citizen does not beg for freedom. A first-class citizen does not plead to the white power structure to give him something that the whites have no power to give or take away.⁠ Human rights are human rights, not white rights...&quot
"A first-class citizen does not beg for freedom. A first-class citizen does not plead to the white power structure to give him something that the whites have no power to give or take away.⁠ Human rights are human rights, not white rights..."⁠ Gloria Richardson (1922-2021)⁠ ⁠ #Law4BlackLives #LawforBlackLives #radicallawyers⁠ ⁠ #GloriaRichardson #Blackradicalheroes⁠ ⁠ Image description: image 1: colorized black and white photo of Gloria Richardson speaking at a press conference in Cambridge, Maryland, on January 14, 1964.⁠ ⁠ Image 2: white text centered on black background in green quotation marks above a purple line with "Gloria Richardson" written in script below it.⁠ ⁠ (Photo by Douglas Chevalier /The Washington Post)⁠
Law for Black Lives and over 40+ other groups are calling on the state of Georgia to drop all domestic terrorism charges against activists and festival attendees who were arrested during protest against police oppression and environmental degradation
Law for Black Lives and over 40+ other groups are calling on the state of Georgia to drop all domestic terrorism charges against activists and festival attendees who were arrested during protest against police oppression and environmental degradation in Atlanta. At bond hearings, prosecutors have made specious arguments that criminalize the exercise of fundamental constitutional rights, including the right to legal counsel, support, and education. This included the argument that having a jail-support phone number written on one's body constitutes evidence of criminal intent. ⁠ ⁠ We must condemn these alarming arguments against legal support hotlines, which signify a crisis of the legal system and put activists and allies under direct threat from the government. Join the #StopCopCity movement and stand against the state's escalating efforts to criminalize protest in the United States.⁠ ⁠ Protest isn’t domestic terrorism. We stand in solidarity with everyone fighting to #StopCopCity and #StopRepression www.nlg.org/SCCLetter/⁠ ⁠ #Law4BlackLives #LawforBlackLives #radicallawyers⁠ ⁠ ⁠ Image description: Black and white image of a tree on a white background with a link below it and a black box above it. Box holds bold white text reading "STOP CRIMINALIZING PROTEST" with text above.
Black Maternal Health Week takes place annually from April 11-17, and is organized by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance (BMMA). This years theme is “Our Bodies Belong to Us: Restoring Black Autonomy and Joy!”⁠ ⁠ "In light of the steadi
Black Maternal Health Week takes place annually from April 11-17, and is organized by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance (BMMA). This years theme is “Our Bodies Belong to Us: Restoring Black Autonomy and Joy!”⁠ ⁠ "In light of the steadily alarming rise of maternal mortality in the U.S., which recent data shows has been exacerbated by the pandemic; and amidst growing cases of clear neglect in care in hospital systems immediately after labor and delivery, BMMA continues to highlight and center culturally-congruent practices with a focus on Black Midwifery care and full-spectrum Black-led Doula care as sound, evidence-based solutions. Most importantly, these are practices and solutions that incorporate the true needs, wants and desires of Black women and birthing people."- BMMA⁠ ⁠ Support their mission, and find out more here:⁠ blackmamasmatter.org/bmhw⁠ ⁠ #BMHW23 #BMMA
L4BL Summer School has returned to provide a space to recharge, reactivate, and engage politically, and we're keeping the application window open until APRIL 28th! The six-week program will provides a deep dive into our political values; Black queer
L4BL Summer School has returned to provide a space to recharge, reactivate, and engage politically, and we're keeping the application window open until APRIL 28th! The six-week program will provides a deep dive into our political values; Black queer feminism, anti-capitalism, abolition, and movement lawyering. Each session will include prominent speakers such as Barbara Ransby, Vince Warren, Mary Hooks, and Thomas Mariadason to facilitate conversations and discussion. There is no fee to participate in the Summer School, but there are limited spots available. Applicants who are not formal members of L4BL will be asked to sign up for membership if their application is accepted. ⁠ ⁠ With the opportunity to learn from experts and engage in group discussions and work, Summer School aims to strengthen political grounding and connection to our community. If you are interested in participating, apply today at: www.bit.Ly/l4blsummerschool2023. ⁠ ⁠ Don't forget to share this opportunity with your networks on social media and tag @Law4BlackLives and @Law4BlkLives on Twitter. The deadline for applications is Friday, April 29th at 11:59PM PST. Please Join L4BL in creating a respectful and loving space to recharge and reactivate this summer!⁠ ⁠ #L4BL #SummerSchool23 #LawforBlackLives #radicallawyers⁠ ⁠ Image description: flyer with black background, 3 red, white, and yellow circles rising from the lower left corner to the top right. QR code and link in the top left corner with does and event logo in white text in the lower right. "Summer School '23" logo centered in white circle, with program info in white text on the red circle, and black text and L4BL logo in the yellow.
Another radical voice on our reading list is that of Audre Lorde, a Black lesbian scholar, feminist, mother, and poet. "Born in 1934, Lorde not only challenged her contemporaries to think about identity and politics intersectionally, but also ch
Another radical voice on our reading list is that of Audre Lorde, a Black lesbian scholar, feminist, mother, and poet. "Born in 1934, Lorde not only challenged her contemporaries to think about identity and politics intersectionally, but also challenged them to value the inner emotional landscape as a core resource in the work of liberation." - Kaitlin Smith⁠ ⁠ Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde is a collection of powerful essays and speeches that challenges us to think about the intersections of race, gender, and sexuality. Lorde's words are just as relevant today as they were when she first wrote them in 1984, urging us to use our voices and stand up for what is right. ⁠ ⁠ "Your silence will not protect you." -Audre Lorde⁠ ⁠ If you'd like more reading recommendations be sure to sign up for our monthly newsletter here:⁠ http://www.law4blacklives.org/sign-up⁠ ⁠ #Law4BlackLives #LawforBlackLives #radicallawyers⁠ #AudreLorde #sisteroutsider⁠ ⁠ Image description: ⁠ IMage 1: partially colorized black and white photo of Lorde in a red top on a white background, purple circle behind her broken by a yellow triangle above the head.⁠ ⁠ Image 2:purple header on white background with white and yellow text that reads "Resources: Read" above image of "Sister Outsider" book cover with a red book icon to the left of it; L4BL logo centered below that.
Attention comrades! Law for Black Lives Summer School is back for 2023! This exciting program -- designed to offer a deep dive into L4BL politics, Movement Lawyering, Black Queer Feminism, Abolition, and Anti-Capitalism -- will take place from June 6
Attention comrades! Law for Black Lives Summer School is back for 2023! This exciting program -- designed to offer a deep dive into L4BL politics, Movement Lawyering, Black Queer Feminism, Abolition, and Anti-Capitalism -- will take place from June 6 to July 18 on Tuesdays from 6-9PM EST/5-8PM CST/3-6PM PST. There are only limited spots available, so apply today! Be in conversation with your comrades doing the work and take part in an enriching learning experience. The deadline to apply is Wednesday, April 19th - don't miss out! #L4BL #SummerSchool23 #LawforBlackLives #radicallawyers⁠ ⁠ Image description: flyer with black background, 3 red, white, and yellow circles rising from the lower left corner to the top right. QR code and link in the top left corner with does and event logo in white text in the lower right. "Summer School '23" logo centered in white circle, with program info in white text on the red circle, and black text and L4BL logo in the yellow.
As her biographer Nell Irvin Painter wrote, "At a time when most Americans thought of slaves as male and women as white, Truth embodied a fact that still bears repeating: Among the blacks are women; among the women, there are blacks."⁠ ⁠ So
As her biographer Nell Irvin Painter wrote, "At a time when most Americans thought of slaves as male and women as white, Truth embodied a fact that still bears repeating: Among the blacks are women; among the women, there are blacks."⁠ ⁠ Sojourner Truth, born Isabella Baumfree (1797 –1883) was an abolitionist, women's rights activist, and early thought leader in radical legal strategy. Just two years after escaping slavery with her infant daughter in 1826, she became the first Black woman to successfully sue an enslaver for the release of a family member, her son. With gratitude, L4BL stands firm in that legacy today, working to use the law to transfer power to the people, and advocating for our communities and loved ones against oppressive structures everywhere.⁠ ⁠ #Law4BlackLives #LawforBlackLives #radicallawyers⁠ ⁠ #SojournerTruth #Blackradicalheroes⁠ ⁠ Image description: Colorized photo of Sojourner Truth cantered on a purple background overlayed with lighter purple geometric patterns; yellow halo behind her head, with a yellow L4BL logo on the bottom lower left.⁠
Join Law for Black Lives and Black Love Resists in the Rust TODAY(4.6.23) at 6pm est for "From the Ground Up", an interactive webinar on base-building, campaign development, and organizing strategies to win reparations fights at the local l
Join Law for Black Lives and Black Love Resists in the Rust TODAY(4.6.23) at 6pm est for "From the Ground Up", an interactive webinar on base-building, campaign development, and organizing strategies to win reparations fights at the local level. ⁠ ⁠ Attendees will hear from organizers on the frontline of reparations work happening in Buffalo, New York, Chicago, Illinois, and in Louisiana’s River Parishes.They can also expect to learn reparations movement history and legal frameworks from Black Queer Feminist, anti-capitalist, and abolitionist perspectives. ⁠ ⁠ Roundtable participants include: Phylicia Brown (Black Love Resists in the Rust), Aislinn Pulley (Chicago Torture Justice Center), and Joy Banner (The Descendants Project). Roundtable participation is limited to 20 attendees, all others will be EMAILED A LIVESTREAM LINK directly.⁠ ⁠ Register here:⁠ http://bit.ly/reparationsorganizing⁠ or click the link in the bio! ⁠ ⁠ #Law4BlackLives #LawforBlackLives #radicallawyers⁠ ⁠ ⁠ Image Description:⁠ Grass and black soil from an underground perspective against a white background. Red text in center reads "From the Ground Up" flanked by black text with date and livestream icon on the left and right side. white and black text below give event details on white and yellow text boxes, with organizational logos in the lower right corner ⁠
This month we continue to shine light on our favorite radical content! Up first is "Organize, Fight, Win" by Charisse Burden-Stelly and Jodi Dean.⁠ ⁠ "The women whose voices are collected in Organize, Fight, Win are some of the princip
This month we continue to shine light on our favorite radical content! Up first is "Organize, Fight, Win" by Charisse Burden-Stelly and Jodi Dean.⁠ ⁠ "The women whose voices are collected in Organize, Fight, Win are some of the principal radical thinkers and activists of the 20th century making this collection a must-read for researchers, teachers, and students of freedom struggles. Burden-Stelly and Dean have brought together some of the most significant women in the struggles for equality and their essential contribution to theorizing emancipation, including anticipating how we understand intersectionality and its relevance to political organization. These sources are an important corrective to the history of the Black Freedom Struggle and the women's rights movement putting radical Black women at the forefront of those histories." - Denise M Lynn⁠ ⁠ Organize, Fight, Win includes writings from card-carrying Communists like Dorothy Burnham, Williana Burroughs, Grace P. Campbell, Alice Childress, Marvel Cooke, Esther Cooper Jackson, Thelma Dale Perkins, Vicki Garvin, Yvonne Gregory, Claudia Jones, Maude White Katz, and Louise Thompson Patterson, and writings by those who organized alongside the Communist Party, like Ella Baker, Charlotta Bass, Thyra Edwards, Lorraine Hansberry, and Dorothy Hunton.⁠ ⁠ ⁠ If you'd like more reading recommendations be sure to sign up for our monthly newsletter here:⁠ http://www.law4blacklives.org/sign-up⁠ ⁠ #Law4BlackLives #LawforBlackLives #radicallawyers⁠ ⁠ Image description: purple header on white background with white and yellow text that reads "Resources: Read" above image of "Organize, Fight, Win" book cover with a red book icon to the left of it; L4BL logo centered below that.
L4BL Summer School is back and ready to explore key political values, historical movements, and radical legal strategies. Each session features dope lecturers who will will cover important themes like movement lawyering, Black queer feminism, aboliti "A first-class citizen does not beg for freedom. A first-class citizen does not plead to the white power structure to give him something that the whites have no power to give or take away.⁠ Human rights are human rights, not white rights...&quot Law for Black Lives and over 40+ other groups are calling on the state of Georgia to drop all domestic terrorism charges against activists and festival attendees who were arrested during protest against police oppression and environmental degradation Black Maternal Health Week takes place annually from April 11-17, and is organized by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance (BMMA). This years theme is “Our Bodies Belong to Us: Restoring Black Autonomy and Joy!”⁠ ⁠ "In light of the steadi L4BL Summer School has returned to provide a space to recharge, reactivate, and engage politically, and we're keeping the application window open until APRIL 28th! The six-week program will provides a deep dive into our political values; Black queer Another radical voice on our reading list is that of Audre Lorde, a Black lesbian scholar, feminist, mother, and poet. "Born in 1934, Lorde not only challenged her contemporaries to think about identity and politics intersectionally, but also ch Attention comrades! Law for Black Lives Summer School is back for 2023! This exciting program -- designed to offer a deep dive into L4BL politics, Movement Lawyering, Black Queer Feminism, Abolition, and Anti-Capitalism -- will take place from June 6 As her biographer Nell Irvin Painter wrote, "At a time when most Americans thought of slaves as male and women as white, Truth embodied a fact that still bears repeating: Among the blacks are women; among the women, there are blacks."⁠ ⁠ So Join Law for Black Lives and Black Love Resists in the Rust TODAY(4.6.23) at 6pm est for "From the Ground Up", an interactive webinar on base-building, campaign development, and organizing strategies to win reparations fights at the local l This month we continue to shine light on our favorite radical content! Up first is "Organize, Fight, Win" by Charisse Burden-Stelly and Jodi Dean.⁠ ⁠ "The women whose voices are collected in Organize, Fight, Win are some of the princip
 
 
 

Lawyering for Liberation: Defending Black Lives, Building Black Power built on the 2015 Law for Black Lives conference held in NYC. The conference was an opportunity for us to collectively strategize about how lawyers can support radical movement in this critical moment. Were you unable to join us in person or virtually? Check out the recordings from the conference below!