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The SCWLF Network: The Journey to Becoming a Prosecutor (and beyond)

Black female prosecutors bring intersectional experience to the courtroom. As women of color they bring varied backgrounds, in-depth knowledge and often close connections to the communities they work in. They also face challenges unlikely to be understood by those around them. Black women prosecutors must face the stigma in their own communities that comes from working in the prosecutor's office. This can be isolating.  Six years after the founding of the Sarita and Claire Wright Lucas Foundation, more than fourteen awardees later and a fellowship now in place, it’s time to create a formal...

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Diversity and inclusion in prosecutors’ offices are imperative

the Philadelphia Tribune By Adam Geer - Feb 21, 2021.  As a Black man, homicide prosecutor, and the director of diversity, equity & inclusion at the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office (DAO), I have an unusual vantage point on this city’s public safety challenges. Public safety for all is only possible when we demand and seek both justice and racial equity. A lack of trust in the fairness and legitimacy of our criminal justice system inhibits arrests, jeopardizes prosecutions and deepens divides in communities. To truly earn the trust of Philadelphians, many of whom have been...

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Honoring the Memory of a Rising Star in Criminal Justice

SUFFOLK LAW ALUMNI MAGAZINE WINTER 2021 Edition By Kara Baskin & Janet Parkinson. The Sarita and Claire Wright Lucas Foundation strives for diversity in the law.  By Kara Baskin and Janet Parkinson. Elected prosecutors in the United States are overwhelmingly white and male, according to the 2019 Reflective Democracy Campaign. Only 3% are men of color; and while 24% are female, just 2% are women of color. As a Black assistant district attorney Sarita Wright Lucas JD’08 didn’t let those demographics constrain her. At Suffolk Law, Lucas interned at a corporate law firm but found her calling...

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