In 2003, through an empirically-based self-assessment, Legal Services of Northern California (LSNC) found marked racial disparities in the allocation of resources in our service area.  Through further investigation and staff education, LSNC gained program-wide awareness that although the form of race discrimination has changed over past decades from predominantly overt and intentional to the implicit and institutional, discrimination continues to burden grossly LSNC’s clients and communities of color.  This led LSNC to establish the Race Equity Project (REP) in 2004.  The Race Equity Project seeks to address issues of race within our service area by (1) identifying race disparities in the institutions and systems used by LSNC’s clients; (2) educating clients and community agencies and organizations about these disparities and how to address them; and (3) enforcing laws and policies to eliminate or mitigate these disparities.

The REP is not a specialty unit within LSNC, but rather a program-wide broad approach to legal aid advocacy guided by the REP coordinators.  LSNC implements the REP by using the following tools: (1) understanding social cognition and understanding and adopting strategies to counteract  implicit bias and structural/institutional racism; (2) communications framing; (3) mapping and data presentation; and (4) community lawyering.

Take a look at our community member brochure.

Take a look at our legal advocate brochure.