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When I sat down to write this, I tried to think of what I could say about legal services that would inspire you to support the Campaign for Equal Justice. I have philosophical and moral reasons for legal services' work. I could tell a story about a client who recovered from a desperate situation after we helped them. But what inspires me daily, and I hope will move you, is the courage and sacrifice of our clients who proceed with their cases in the hope of helping others like themselves.
When we talk to our clients about what they hope to achieve, they almost always say that they don't want anyone else to suffer the injustice they suffered. I have seen clients miss days of work, and travel at their own expense to appear in court to ask for justice. This might not seem like a huge sacrifice, but in a low-wage job, there isn't any vacation pay - time lost is money lost - money that buys food, and pays rent, and utilities. Taking time off is risking losing a job that may not be easily replaced. I remember one client who took several days off work to support a permit to build migrant farm worker housing. When she came to the area to work, she and her family lived in a tent in the woods without even running water. This client would be eligible to apply for a unit in the new building, but had no guarantee she would receive it – she did it because she believed that she could make a change for the better.
Our clients’ dedication to achieving justice permanently changes and empowers them. Shortly after I started working at CLS, a client told me, "I knew I had rights, but I was afraid of what would happen if I asked for them. Now I know it's not easy to ask for my rights, but I won't be afraid any more, and I will tell everyone I work with." Ten years later, this client still regularly brings co-workers with legal problems to the office.
Our clients’ commitment makes me proud to serve them at Columbia Legal Services, and to be a member of Washington's equal justice community. My work at CLS helps bring opportunity to people, but it’s the people themselves who make the changes.
Right now legal services everywhere are facing serious funding shortfalls at a time when the numbers of people needing our services are rapidly rising. If we can't fill this gap, our capacity to serve these clients will be severely compromised. I've committed myself to raise $3,000 to try to close this gap. I urge my friends and family to support legal services by making a donation to the Campaign for Equal Justice in Washington.
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