Massachusetts Appleseed Center For Law And Justice

TO PROMOTE EQUAL RIGHTS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR MASSACHUSETTS RESIDENTS BY DEVELOPING AND ADVOCATING FOR SYSTEMIC SOLUTIONS TO SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUES.

ACCESS TO JUSTICE (LANGUAGE ACCESS): THROUGHOUT 2022, MASSACHUSETTS APPLESEED STAFF CONTINUED ADVOCATING FOR KEY RECOMMENDATIONS FROM OUR 2021 "FAMILIES TORN APART" REPORT, WHICH DOCUMENTED LANGUAGE BARRIERS IN THE STATE'S CHILD WELFARE SYSTEM (I.E., THE DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES, OR "DCF"). THIS INCLUDED CO-LEADING THE LANGUAGE ACCESS FOR ALL COALITION AND BUILDING SUPPORT FOR POLICY CHANGE TO IMPROVE AND EXPAND LANGUAGE ACCESS AT STATE AGENCIES BY CONDUCTING NUMEROUS EDUCATIONAL PRESENTATIONS, MOBILIZING COMMUNITY SUPPORT, AND DEVELOPING MESSAGING AND GRAPHICS TO RAISE FURTHER AWARENESS OF THIS ISSUE. MA APPLESEED AND PARTNERS ALSO ORGANIZED THE LANGUAGE ACCESS CONFERENCE HELD IN FEBRUARY 2022, BRINGING TOGETHER 150+ ATTENDEES AROUND LANGUAGE JUSTICE. WE ALSO ADVOCATED WITH THE FEDERAL OFFICE OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES ("HHS") IN CONNECTION WITH AN ADMINISTRATIVE COMPLAINT WE FILED WITH HHS' OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS AGAINST DCF ALLEGING THAT THEIR POLICIES AND PRACTICES RELATING TO LANGUAGE ACCESS VIOLATE TITLE VI OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964. ADDITIONALLY, MASSACHUSETTS APPLESEED HAS BEEN WORKING WITH OTHER COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO ORGANIZE AND HOLD LISTENING SESSIONS AND COLLECT STORIES FROM LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENT (LEP) COMMUNITY MEMBERS ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES WITH LANGUAGE BARRIERS IN THE STATE COURTS. THE STORYTELLING PROJECT IS MEANT TO HIGHLIGHT THE COURT'S FAILURES TO PROVIDE TRANSLATION AND INTERPRETATION SERVICES IN A TIMELY MANNER TO LEP COURT USERS AND TO BEGIN A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE COURTS TO HELP THEM DO A BETTER JOB OF SERVING THESE POPULATIONS.

YOUTH HOMELESSNESS: MASSACHUSETTS APPLESEED STAFF CONTINUED CONDUCTING EDUCATIONAL PRESENTATIONS AND TRAININGS ON OUR HOMELESS YOUTH HANDBOOK FOR STAKEHOLDERS. WE BEGAN DEVELOPING AND MAPPING OUT AN EXPANSION OF THIS WORK, THE LEGAL EDUCATION, ADVOCACY, AND PROTECTIONS (LEAP) PROJECT FOR YOUTH EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, AND STARTED CREATING MATERIALS TO TRAIN PRO BONO ATTORNEYS ON WORKING WITH THIS VULNERABLE POPULATION. IN ADDITION TO FINALIZING AND PUBLISHING AN ADDITIONAL HANDBOOK CHAPTER FOCUSED ON REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS, MA APPLESEED STAFF INITIATED THE PROCESS OF AUDITING THE HANDBOOK: REVIEWING CHAPTERS, UPDATING INFORMATION, AND IDENTIFYING COMMUNITY EXPERTS TO PROVIDE ISSUE SPOTTING FOR SPECIFIC CONTENT AREAS. THROUGHOUT ITS COMMUNICATIONS AND ADVOCACY ACTIVITIES, STAFF PROMOTED INFORMATION AND RESOURCES AROUND PROPOSED POLICIES THAT WOULD PROVIDE ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS. WE ALSO CONTINUED TO SERVE AS AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF THE MASSACHUSETTS UNACCOMPANIED HOMELESS YOUTH COMMISSION AND SERVED ON THE MBA/ABA MASSACHUSETTS HOMELESS YOUTH LEGAL NETWORK TASKFORCE, STRATEGIZING WITH GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO BREAK DOWN THE LEGAL BARRIERS FACING YOUTH EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS.

ACCESS TO JUSTICE (COURT REFORM): MASSACHUSETTS APPLESEED COMPLETED OUR RESEARCH INTO THE BARRIERS SELF-REPRESENTED LITIGANTS FACE IN REMOTE CONSUMER DEBT HEARINGS AND PUBLISHED THE FINAL REPORT, YOU'RE STILL MUTED: ACCESS TO JUSTICE BARRIERS IN MASSACHUSETTS' VIRTUAL SMALL CLAIMS COURT, IN JUNE 2022 ALONGSIDE OUR PARTNERS AT THE WESTERN NEW ENGLAND UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW. THE REPORT EXPOSES THE WAYS CERTAIN PRACTICES IN REMOTE COURT HEARINGS KEEP VULNERABLE FAMILIES CONFINED IN CYCLES OF DEBT AND POVERTY AND CONTAINS RECOMMENDATIONS TO IMPROVE COURT PROCESSES THAT WILL HELP ENSURE FAIR OUTCOMES. FOLLOWING THIS, WE LAUNCHED A NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR STATE COURTS TO CREATE AND DISTRIBUTE A SURVEY NATIONWIDE IN ORDER TO GATHER DATA ON STATE COURT-BASED SELF-HELP CENTERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. MASSACHUSETTS APPLESEED STAFF RESEARCHED AND COMPILED CONTACTS IN EACH STATE TO DETERMINE TO WHOM THE SURVEY SHOULD BE DISTRIBUTED AND ALSO PARTICIPATED IN THE ACTUAL DISTRIBUTION OF THE SURVEY. STAFF ENGAGED IN FOLLOW-UP WITH SURVEY PARTICIPANTS THROUGH EMAIL AND PHONE CALLS AND CONDUCTED ADDITIONAL RESEARCH TO EXPAND THE NUMBER OF RESPONSES. MASSACHUSETTS APPLESEED ALSO MADE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS TOWARDS IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM OUR 2019 REPORT, TURNING ON THE LIGHTS: HOW THE MASSACHUSETTS TRIAL COURT COULD DEPLOY A VIRTUAL COURT SERVICE CENTER TO ASSIST SELF-REPRESENTED LITIGANTS, PRIMARILY THROUGH OUR ADVOCACY IN SUPPORT OF A PROPOSAL TO FUND TECHNOLOGICAL IMPROVEMENTS SUBSTANTIALLY SIMILAR TO THOSE OUR REPORT RECOMMENDS. WE RAISED AWARENESS OF THIS PROPOSAL VIA DIGITAL ADVOCACY AND MOBILIZED LEADERS IN THE LEGAL COMMUNITY TO SUPPORT THIS OVERDUE INVESTMENT IN COURT INFRASTRUCTURE.

EDUCATIONAL JUSTICE: THROUGHOUT THE FIRST HALF OF 2022, MASSACHUSETTS APPLESEED CONTINUED TO CONDUCT ITS NARRATIVE-DRIVEN RESEARCH STUDY EXAMINING THE DISPROPORTIONATE SCHOOL DISCIPLINE GIRLS OF COLOR EXPERIENCE. THIS INCLUDED FACILITATING THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD OF YOUNG WOMEN OF COLOR, EDUCATORS, AND ADVOCATES GUIDING THIS PROJECT AND CONDUCTING INTERVIEWS WITH GIRLS OF COLOR WHO HAD EXPERIENCED EXCLUSIONARY DISCIPLINE. IN JULY 2022, MASSACHUSETTS APPLESEED PUBLISHED THE REPORT ENTITLED "I JUST WANT TO LEARN" GIRLS OF COLOR AND THE SCHOOL-TO-PRISON PIPELINE IN MASSACHUSETTS, HOSTING A VIRTUAL LAUNCH EVENT THAT FEATURED MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD AND CURRENT STUDENTS. AFTER ITS RELEASE, STAFF BEGAN WORKING TO IMPLEMENT THIS REPORT'S 20+ COMMUNITY-IDENTIFIED RECOMMENDATIONS BY DELIVERING EDUCATIONAL PRESENTATIONS TO STAKEHOLDERS, RAISING AWARENESS OF THE RACIAL AND GENDER-BASED DISPARITIES DRIVING EDUCATIONAL INEQUITY, AND COORDINATING WITH COALITION PARTNERS AROUND POLICY PROPOSALS TO LIMIT THE USE OF EXCLUSIONARY DISCIPLINE IN MASSACHUSETTS SCHOOLS. WITH PRO BONO PARTNER EDGEWORTH ANALYTICS, WE ALSO PUBLISHED AND PROVIDED WORKSHOPS ON AN INTERACTIVE DATA DASHBOARD THAT BREAKS DOWN SCHOOL DISCIPLINE DISPARITIES ACROSS THE STATE THROUGH AN INTERSECTIONAL LENS.