Legal Council for Health Justice Advocates Selected as 2024 Racial Justice Institute Fellows
Chicago, IL — The Shriver Center on Poverty Law has announced the selection of 25 Fellows, including Kenya Garrett-Burnett, Liesl Pereira, and Nooreen Reza, for the 2024 Racial Justice Institute (RJI), a national leadership program that brings together anti-poverty advocates from around the country to develop new tools to advance racial equity. This year’s diverse group of RJI Fellows includes a health justice advocate, an elder law attorney, an equity officer, and a marketing director, to name just a few. They come from nine organizations advancing justice in five states, as well as Washington, D.C., and — for the first time ever — the island of Puerto Rico.
“Legal Council for Health Justice partners with diverse communities throughout Illinois. We are honored that Kenya, Liesl, and Nooreen have been selected for this incredible opportunity that will bolster our advocacy with the core principles of racial equity,” said Julie Justicz, Executive Director. “The training that the Shriver Center’s Racial Justice Institute provides will be invaluable in our work for health justice and racial equity.”
RJI grounds advocates in a commitment to race equity as an integral and essential part of anti-poverty advocacy and prepares them to tackle these issues on behalf of the communities they serve. Following seven months of intensive training, Racial Justice Institute Fellows join a growing national network of more than 430 alumni advancing racial justice issues across the country.
“RJI builds capacity for leaders to advance racial justice in communities across the country, and we’re thrilled to add Puerto Rico to the national Network,” said Janerick Holmes, director of the Racial Justice Institute and Network. “Our program will give the 2024 Fellows the strategies and tools needed to work alongside those most impacted by structural racism. Together, they can push for systemic solutions and lasting change.”
The 2024 Fellows come to RJI with experience in a wide range of advocacy areas, including immigration and labor law, child welfare, and homelessness.
Fellows emerge from the program ready to shape policies that support a more racially just society and work in concert as part of the Shriver Center’s Racial Justice Institute Network.
The full list of 2024 RJI Fellows:
Fundación Fondo de Acceso a la Justicia
- Amaris Torres-Rivera
- Vionet N. Lugo Rosas
New Hampshire cohort
- Jo Porter – New Hampshire Center for Justice & Equity
- Ed Taylor – ACLU of New Hampshire
Legal Action Center
- Lionel Oglesby
- Deborah Reid
Legal Council for Health Justice
- Kenya Garrett-Burnett
- Liesl Pereira
- Nooreen Reza
Legal Services Alabama
- Tracy Kennie-Gibbs
- Johnna Jackson
- Chiriga Vinson
Legal Services NYC
- Arthur Burkle – Staten Island Legal Services
- TaNay Morris
Massachusetts Law Reform Institute
- Nikaya Asbury
- Jeanne Funk
- Betsy Gwin
- Isabel Wanner
Shriver Center on Poverty Law
- Ramina Davidson
- Tené Morgan
- Courtney Rutledge
- Tori Tulloch
- Hana Urban
- Becky Vlamis
- Monica Yvonne
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Legal Council for Health Justice, a nonprofit legal organization, advocates to secure dignity, opportunity, and well-being for people of all ages living with chronic illness or disability. We provide legal services using a Medical-Legal Partnership model. We partner with safety net medical providers and social services agencies across Chicago to serve clients in the communities where they live and receive medical care and other essential assistance. Learn more about Legal Council at www.legalcouncil.org.
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The Shriver Center on Poverty Law fights for economic and racial justice. Over our 50-year history, we have secured hundreds of victories with and for people living in poverty in Illinois and across the country. Today, we litigate, shape policy, and train and convene multi-state networks of lawyers, community leaders, and activists nationwide. Together, we are building a future where all people have equal dignity, respect, and power under the law. Join the fight at povertylaw.org.