What 1Ls Are Saying

As a 1L, the Justice Initiative was without a doubt the most formative part of my law school experience. It taught me not only what law school itself didn’t, but how to take that knowledge and mobilize it for others. The Justice Initiative is a place of loving solidarity, unafraid of honestly exploring difficult topics thanks to everyone’s mutual compassion and insight. ~1L

It’s an understatement to say that the Justice Initiative is the main reason that I’m still in law school. Being a justice-focused law student is hard enough on its own, but by adding on being a marginalized student (Black, low income, and first-gen) it can feel almost impossible. The Justice Initiative has provided me with living breathing examples of how my career goals are attainable and served as a constant reminder that change is possible. Because of the Justice Initiative I have a community of like-minded folks, new friends and mentors across the country, a summer job doing work that I love (while also being able to contribute financially to my family), and so much more that I didn’t think was possible. I’m very grateful for all of the times I’ve been reassured by the Justice Initiative sessions, but also for the ways that I’ve been challenged. I’ve learned legal theories and had conversations that I could never have in my law school classrooms. This is truly a one-of-a-kind experience and one-of-a-kind group of folks that I couldn’t be any prouder to be a part of. I hope that this space can continue to be available to more students like us in the future because it’s truly invaluable. I could go on about this forever. In short, I’m very thankful to be involved with the Justice Initiative; joining JI was the smartest decision I’ve made in law school. ~1L

Having people who are doing things that are actually addressing a lot of the problems you heard about . . . . it gives you permission to step outside of the usual law school square that we feel so pushed into. ~1L

The Justice Initiative has been such an empowering, inspiring, energizing, and humbling experience. To have heard from the greats Cornel West, Saru Matambanadzo, Purvi Shah, Kimberle Crenshaw, Khiara M. Bridges — my legal education has expanded and sharpened because of these amazing panels. Additionally, the community built within the JI has been such a solace because it never made me defend my or others humanity. Instead, it has reminded me that although the floor is in hell there is no ceiling for our vision. I am grateful to have been part of JI, and I look forward to building with this community. ~1L

The conversations we weren’t having in class, I was able to have in JI. ~1L

JI has been vital to me. I am not sure I would still be in law school without this community. Being a non-traditional student, raising African-American teens during such a challenging time, coupled with oppressive learning, was too much. Being burdened by injustice, I found it hard to focus and even contemplated dropping. I wasn’t sure I could navigate in a system that allowed and encouraged such corruptive behavior. But JI. This community has provided knowledge, comfort, and inspiration. It is priceless to learn that others feel what you feel and are running the same race to impact change. Times when I felt defeated and out of place, Justice Initiative uplifted me and provided me with a community of like-minded individuals. I am forever grateful for this community. ~1L

A truly safe space to build a community that encourages and supports each other, challenges one another to try harder and dig deeper, and has inspiration just pouring out of it. You’ll meet the most impressive and passionate people that want to do the same work you do, while also opening your eyes to so many more opportunities in the same space. You’ll leave each session recharged, excited, humble, and confident there is a role for you in this work. ~1L

What 2Ls Are Saying

The Justice Initiative has been an invaluable tether in an otherwise tumultuous time in law school, and has provided me the opportunity to seriously engage with questions of law, justice, and power. I initially believed that the Justice Initiative would be a helpful space to interact with critical legal perspectives and expand my understanding of law. In the past year, however, the Justice Initiative has become so much more. It has created a space for brilliantly diverse and critical legal minds to not only confront the most pressing injustices we see today, but to strategize with one another and work towards meaningful solutions. I am fortunate to be among a community of individuals dedicated to promoting justice through the law in whatever capacity we can, and I am grateful to the Justice Initiative for pulling us all together.  ~2L

The Justice Initiative has helped me find meaning, focus, and purpose in my law school experience. At a time where circumstances beyond my control have conspired to make me feel as isolated as possible from the type of work I want to be doing and the type of people I want to be around, the Justice Initiative has provided me with a community of like-minded students and practitioners who constantly inspire and motivate me. I am eager to see how a generation of Justice Inititative-trained students will come to reshape the legal landscape for good. ~2L

The Justice Initiative has provided a critical space to talk and work with a diverse set of law students, professors, and legal practitioners about the critical issues that justice-centered law students like myself encounter on a daily basis but that are rarely spoken about in conventional law school classes. Discussing these issues is critically important, and it is incredibly refreshing to work with such a diverse array of similarly minded students from HLS and a large number of other law schools across the country. ~2L

The Justice Initiative frees students from the myopia of legal education and offers liberation via critical perspectives of law. A lawyer liberated from orthodoxy is a threat to the establishment. I cannot thank you enough Enumale, Profs Hansford & Hanson, and community! ~2L

In law school, I began to feel disconnected from reality and the injustices that intersect with all aspects of the law, especially in most of my 1L classes; this was even true with professors who clearly cared about such issues but perhaps felt insufficiently-equipped to translate that awareness into their own teaching. The Justice Initiative has been more restorative than I could have imagined.  The program has challenged me to revisit my 1L curriculum and fill several glaring gaps; it has also challenged me to adjust my current approach to coursework and my vision for my future career as a lawyer in the private and public sectors.  Participating in the Initiative alongside students from other schools has also helped me understand some of what HLS does well and where we can improve.  I feel no less fortunate to attend HLS, but I am a better member of my school community because of my Justice Initiative experience. We are all dedicated to our Justice Initiative community, and we have encouraged each other to persist and improve during this otherwise disheartening and isolating time for many of us.  This community has taken tremendous effort to build and sustain, but every second of that effort has had an enormous influence on our individual and collective growth. ~2L

The more that learning has moved online the more difficult it has become to build meaningful community with like-minded students at my school. Fortunately, the Justice Initiative was born out of this unexpected time to take advantage of exactly this situation. The opportunity to be in solidarity and build shared spaces with other students from around the country who are also interested in delving deeper than what law school traditionally offers is one that I could only have dreamed of before the Justice Initiative. What’s more, hearing from practitioners who have forged unlikely careers devoted to transforming justice in the legal field can be difficult to come across otherwise, and our Saturday Sessions renew my spirit and give me hope that there is more to lawyering than may first meet the eye. ~2L

“It’s easy to feel alone as a justice-centered law student and even more so during the pandemic. The Justice Initiative has helped realize that I am never alone fighting for change. Through this program, I’ve been able to connect with professors, lawyers, and other students who care about the same things that I do.” ~2L

It wasn’t until the Justice Initiative that I was able to find a real community of justice-oriented law students and legal professionals that shared my vision for the world and with whom I could form community. The Justice Initiative is one of the most effective community-building projects I have seen. ~2L

Joining the Justice Initiative as a law student was a pivotal point in my legal education. Here is a community of students and professionals that does not have to debate the humanity of anyone and where there is no question that the “justice” system is often unjust. Instead, this community endeavors to do the work to understand how we got here, how lawyers can actually serve our clients, and how we can assist in building different, and more equitable systems that truly center justice for all. ~2L

Joining the Justice Initiative as a law student was a pivotal point in my legal education. Here is a community of students and professionals that does not have to debate the humanity of anyone, that does not hide behind elitism or prestige or tradition, where there is no question that the “justice” system is not, in fact, just. Instead, this community endeavors to do the work to understand how we got here, how lawyers can actually serve our clients, and how we can assist in building different, and more equitable systems that truly center justice for all. ~2L

The Justice Initiative exposed me to a completely different way of thinking about the law. It taught me that I shouldn’t take my law school professors’ words for fact when they quickly discount progressive ideals, or structural changes to the legal system. This community of justice-seekers has given me a great deal hope and confidence as I move forward to 3L and beyond! ~2L

What 3Ls Are Saying

If we hope to have a legal profession that reflects values we care about as a society and works carefully to be intentional with our influence and privilege in this profession, the Justice Initiative is the way to create and foster that. I’ve been at HLS for 3 years but the Justice Initiative is the first time I’ve been able to talk about what justice looks like with over hundreds of students, scholars, and practitioners who care deeply and are doing important work. I feel less isolated in my experience in law school, and more hopeful about the potential for real justice. I encouraged my 1L mentee in Lambda (LGBTQ) to apply and join, and it has truly sustained her in a very difficult, isolating, virtual 1L semester. I hope students after us get to have the same experience with the Justice Initiative. ~3L

This was such an energizing space. It was a great break from cite checking and case briefing to be reminded of why I am here, what is possible, and why the law is so important. ~3L

The Justice Initiative provides me with a necessary addition to my conventional law school experience. Through the Justice Initiative, I am exposed to inspiring movement lawyers who are committed to studying and applying the law to undo deep social inequalities. The collective learning is a breath of fresh air and an experience that is defining my perspective of what is possible in the legal field. ~3L

The importance of the work of the Justice Initiative cannot be overstated. Dating back to the time of WEB DuBois and Charles Hamilton Houston, the historic relationship between Howard University and Harvard University quietly, informally, and powerfully prepared students to stand for justice. We, the people of the United States, continue to struggle to be recognized as fully human. The Justice Initiative continues that work in ways that other organizations are not. The Justice Initiative provided a much-needed safe space for processing the turmoil of our country. Words are insufficient to describe the significance of the beautiful space that Enumale, Jon, Justin and all those who work to make it happen. The Justice Initiative is actually (rather than hypothetically) making a change in the hearts and minds of so many who will go on to continue to make lasting change. I am exploding with good things to say about the Justice Initiative. ~3L

The Justice Initiative has allowed me an opportunity to properly contextualize my legal education and to fill in gaps regarding  the role our legal system can play in addressing systemic injustice. Additionally, through its career forum and mentorship program, JI provides applicable examples of, and resources for, possible career paths for students who chose law school as a means of addressing systemic inequities but have come up empty-handed within our own institutions. This past year with the Justice Initiative has unequivocally altered the course of my legal career for the better and has reminded me of why I gave up a decade-long career to attend law school. ~3L

The Justice Initiative has been the missing link in my law school education. The JI community is definitely the best part of 3L, and I hope someday soon this curriculum will be required for every aspiring lawyer. ~3L

This programming is truly helpful and inspiring. I can’t think of another place where a likeminded law student could be exposed to such an amazing cohort of professionals in these types of fields, nor where one could expand their minds or find community with others. ~3L

Being a part of this experience has reaffirmed my commitment to doing social justice work, sharing with community and moving towards intentional, mindful and meaningful ways of creating space for those the system or institution were not built to serve. It has brought growth in ways indescribable as a student but also as an advocate/activist, becoming comfortable to have those uncomfortable conversations that are a part of the law school experience or curriculum. As a first generation student and Chicana scholar activist, it has brought a more critical understanding of the work I am passionate about regarding the law and the stories that need to be heard and shared, through experience, exchange and an engagement of thought-partnering discussions, challenging the status quo of our the law, law school experience and society overall. ~3L

The Justice Initiative made an incredible impact on my legal education. The curriculum provided a path to pursue a justice-oriented career. I will always cherish this amazing community! ~3L

What Lawyers Are Saying

The Justice Initiative is an incredibly valuable tool for students throughout the U.S. It provides a unique opportunity for students from various institutions to work together, learn together, and bolster each other while exploring ways to make our communities better. By exposing students to attorneys, professors, leaders, and activists engaging in social justice work, they are coming together as a community, growing their knowledge and networks, and seeing possibilities never before imagined. Every student who requested it had been matched with a mentor who has a similar background and/or interest further bolstering the likelihood that these students will find ways to successfully create change toward a more just future. The feedback from both students and mentors has been overwhelmingly positive. ~Attorney

As an attorney, I am thankful and honored for this opportunity to connect with other like-minded individuals who see the inequality in the foundations of our systems and are finding ways to work within, around, and against those for the betterment of society. I get as much, if not more, out of it, as the students do!~Attorney

Systemic lawyering is necessary for justice to progress. In order to develop social justice lawyers, law students need to learn about systemic perspectives of the legal system. That learning is happening is the Justice Initiative. I’ve benefited from joining the Justice Initiative because it has provided a safe space for me to engage in discourse that validates my experiences and encourages me to pursue or supplement my career with a practice that has a justice-centered focus. ~Attorney

The Justice Initiative is an amazing opportunity to connect with like-minded professionals across the world who aim to change social structures. This community gives you the tools, information, and support, to enact the change that you want to see. ~Attorney

It was a transformative experience for me that helped really crystalize abolition and intersectional justice in a way that felt otherwise like I was grasping at in the dark. I don’t think I fully understand the emotional impact of being able to share this special space with such a wonderful community during what was a very traumatic time nationally (but I can work that out with my future therapist). ~Attorney