Racial Justice Project
Racial Justice Project
The Racial Justice Project explores how we can use the law to challenge racial oppression and inequality to build a more just, free, and equal future.
As originally ratified, the U.S. Constitution created and upheld racial division and oppression. The early Constitution protected the U.S. slave trade, counted enslaved people as three-fifths of a person, and was read to deny citizenship to Black people.
After the Civil War, the Reconstruction amendments promised an end to slavery, equal protection under the law, and equal voting rights. These promises have never been fully realized. The effects of slavery, Jim Crow, redlining, mass incarceration, voter suppression, and other unjust systems continue to harm people of color today.
Through our diverse nationwide network, we support efforts to address the ongoing impacts of unjust laws and practices, and develop new systems grounded in racial equality and justice.
Statements and Publications
Law and the Movement for Reparations
