NYSBA Task Force on Racism, Social Equity and the Law To Hold Public Forum on the Effect of Racism on Health Care, Economic Opportunities, and Environmental Justice
12.13.2021
The New York State Bar Association’s Task Force on Racism, Social Equity and the Law, which has been charged with examining how structural racism permeates and influences all aspects of daily life, leading to injustice and inequality among New Yorkers, will hold its second public forum tonight.
The live public forum, “The Impact of Structural Racism: Overcoming Barriers to Housing, Economic, and Environmental Justice,” will run from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., at no cost.
Journalists, NYSBA members and members of the public are all welcome to attend the webinar. Pre-registration is required. Click here for more information.
Panelists will address the interplay between structural racism and housing, economic opportunities, and environmental justice:
- Professor Henry-Louis Taylor, Jr., director of the University at Buffalo Center for Urban Studies, will provide historical and contemporary analysis of factors affecting distressed urban neighborhoods, including social isolation and race and class issues among people of color.
- Lourdes Zapata, president and CEO of the South Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation, will discuss barriers blocking access to economic opportunities.
- Kartik Amarnath, policy specialist for PUSH Buffalo, a grassroots environmental justice organization in Buffalo, will speak about the intersection of systemic racism and environmental justice.
The task force includes six committees – Criminal Justice, Economic Opportunity, Education, Environmental Justice, Health, and Housing. The breadth of this effort will enable this multidisciplinary body to explore changes in the law and public policy and deliver a report with actionable measures that can be taken to address structural racism and effectuate meaningful societal transformation.
The new task force builds off the momentum of NYSBA’s Task Force on Racial Injustice and Police Reform, which released a groundbreaking 114-page report earlier this year.
Click here for more information about the new Task Force on Racism, Social Equity and the Law.
About the New York State Bar Association
The New York State Bar Association is the largest voluntary state bar association in the nation. Since 1876, NYSBA has helped shape the development of law, educated and informed the legal profession and the public, and championed the rights of New Yorkers through advocacy and guidance in our communities.
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