By Holly Sanchez Perry and Abby Means
The DePaul NLG law student chapter continues to organize around progressive issues on campus. With a core group of nine active members, we hope to grow our wider membership this year by heavily promoting disOrientation as well as the national convention later this month in Oakland.
DePaul members are heavily involved in making the law school a more welcoming and inclusive place for trans and gender-nonconforming people. Recently, we circulated a letter explaining the importance of using preferred gender pronouns in the classroom to all of the DePaul Law faculty. We also included a little “Trans 101” to help spread awareness of a community often overlooked, especially within the field of law. In November, we will be putting on a trans-issues panel during lunch for students. We will also being holding a similar event during a faculty meeting.
Additionally, 5-8 DePaul Students will be attending Chicago’s NLG disOrientation this October. We were also approved for funding to send two students to the national convention in October.
Later this semester we are hoping to partner with We Charge Genocide to present a Know Your Rights presentation to a group of high school students in Evanston who specifically requested us. We also plan to host a film screening and lunch for students to learn about the case of Bomani Shakur, currently fighting for his life on death row, and the other four prisoners facing punitive retaliation for their role in fighting unjust prison conditions during the Lucasville Uprising in 1993. We are also in the early stages of organizing a panel with Burge torture survivors as well as attorneys who helped the survivors and convict Burge speak to students about real life stories and experiences of police violence. Lastly, As in previous years, we will host a conversation with Chicago activists working to end police brutality against youth of color.
To contact DePaul NLG, email: nlg.depaul@gmail.com
