A Year of Success

From the beginning, the Urban Justice Center has been dedicated to trying new approaches to intractable problems, from homelessness to police brutality to domestic violence. We have mentored incredible young advocates like Senator Cory Booker and MacArthur-Genius-awardwinners Becca Heller and Lisa Daugaard, and served as a launchpad for important organizations working to reform the criminal justice system, resettle global refugees, advocate for civil rights for transgender people, and fight for economic and family justice, among other causes.

Last year, we formalized our incubator activities into a new program called the Social Justice Accelerator, through which we brought five exciting new projects into the UJC fold. In the following pages, you will read about their urgent, groundbreaking work – from providing social services to young survivors of gender-based violence, to building a global network of resources for LGBTQ asylum-seekers.

I won’t steal their thunder, but I will say this: each Project is a nimble, forward-thinking response to an overlooked need or a forgotten community, developed by an expert in the field. By providing them with critical early stage support, the SJA enables them to leap over years of hurdles, and get right to addressing the problems they were created to solve. (Con’t below)

Meet the SJA

The Future

You don’t need to be psychic to know that our immediate (and perhaps long-term) future will be plagued with economic instability, sickness, and continued violence against communities of color. The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to disrupt everything from medical services, to immigration, to small business ownership. Racism and white supremacy are part of our country’s very DNA, but the most recent ferment for freedom has opened new avenues for fighting these old enemies. Already we are seeing increased demand for our services from existing clients who are under new and tremendous pressures – but also from people who have never before needed our services in the past. I cannot predict the problems that are coming. But I know there are people out there who will have the answers, and they will need our support.

In the Fall, we plan to bring in another class of five new Social Justice Accelerator projects. Already, we are in discussions to expand this model beyond New York City, and to bring it to places such as Detroit, Seattle, LA, and Cincinnati. I hope I can count on your support as we move forward into these uncertain times.

Vulnerable Americans need our Projects – our Projects need you.

Doug Lasdon,

Executive Director