Racial Justice for Youth

Talking about the reality of race and the impact of racial injustice at every stage of a client’s case is a critical component of providing holistic, effective, client-centered legal advocacy to youth of color. Youth defenders contribute to systemic reform when they challenge racial injustice in their legal advocacy on behalf of individual clients. The resources offered in this section provide defenders with strategies that insist upon racial justice at every stage of their clients’ cases and that serve their clients’ stated interests, advance the legal strategy of a case, and raise awareness about racial disproportionality and implicit bias within the system as a whole. By utilizing the sample pleadings, motions, and compilation of case law related to race in this section, defenders will be more empowered to fight racially-biased decision-making at each phase of their client’s case and can view raising race as an essential component of competent representation for young people.