The ACLU of Georgia offices were packed with visitors earlier this month to officially kick off orientation for the Southern Legal Internship Program, aka SLIP, which some of our own staff members helped create and bring to fruition.
The new initiative, officially named the ACLU-Black Law Students Association Southern Legal Internship Program, aims to build a pipeline of Black civil rights lawyers in the South and within ACLU’s national organization. It’s the brainchild of Chris Bruce, ACLU of Georgia Policy & Advocacy Director, and further developed by Nneka Ewulonu, Staff Attorney, and Haeya Yim, Senior Advisor at ACLU national, with support from various stakeholders such as the National Black Law Students Association (NBLSA).
In summer 2023, NBLSA members who attend law school in the South and were accepted into the program will work as paid ACLU legal interns – one intern at each of the ACLU’s 12 Southern Collective affiliates. The interns will contribute to crucial campaigns in areas that most affect minoritized communities in the region, including voting rights, education, gender justice, and criminal legal reform.
“The ACLU wants to live up to its ideals, and it needs to do that externally and internally. We also want to fulfill our goal of centering our policy and advocacy work on impacted communities. There has always been a shortage of Black lawyers nationwide, and the pandemic only widened the gap. Myself and our colleagues have long recognized the need to address this shortage of Black and Brown legal professionals, including within our organization. SLIP is a step in the right direction,” Bruce said.
Drew Richardson, a third year law student at Boston University and Georgia resident, was in attendance for SLIP week, which ran from May 30 to June 2, and helped orient the future civil rights leaders to the program. Drew learned about SLIP through a previous internship at Atlanta Legal Aid. He was immediately drawn to the program because of its “very intense focus on the Southern states and their issues.”
“One of the things that I’ve noticed while attending law school is that not everybody has the same resources that I’m privileged to have. So, it really made me think about where I would be if I was not lucky enough to grow up in a family that was able to provide for me. Being involved in SLIP and continuing to pursue a degree in law have really solidified my own personal urgency to work in a public service profession. There are a lot of lawyers who don't have any real concern for the effects their practices have on marginalized people. We need strong and passionate advocates to counteract that mindset,” Drew said.
Jerzy Shedlock (he/him) is a communications strategist at the ACLU of Georgia.
