04/27/2017
National Lawyers Guild-UDC John C. Brittain Chapter Elections for the 2017-2018 Academic Year
Makeda Crane
(Running for President and Vice President)
I grew up in Brooklyn, New York, where I witnessed and experienced the effects of various social, political and economic injustices which only served to embolden me to take action to defend those who had been silenced and marginalized in my community. My parents, who were educators and community activists, instilled in me a strong sense of identity and pride in my roots and a love for the principles of justice and freedom. I’m clear this “education” shielded me from the many messages that I received that threatened to limit my possibilities and view of myself as a young black woman. I began my journey as an advocate starting in high school where I initiated a student petition to challenge the school administration’s decision to ban the wearing of “protest” t-shirts. At my undergraduate institution, I organized one of the largest rallies against police brutality in honor of Amadou Diallo, the African student who had been shot 41 times by New York City police. Upon graduation, I worked in East Baltimore as an Employment Advocate and Youth Rehabilitation Therapist at Patterson High School with traumatized youth to address their education, career development, and mental health needs. I also wrote on social justice issues for the Opinion pages at the Baltimore Sun. While at the Sun I traveled to the Democratic Republic of Congo as an independent investigative journalist to report on the root causes of the resource war that had claimed the lives of over six million Congolese people. Upon returning from the Congo I spoke to a variety of audiences throughout the US and Canada, advocating for political solutions to ending the conflict in Eastern Congo. Additionally, I was the co-founder of a DC-based advocacy and direct-action organization focused on criminal justice reform and was an instrumental organizer in ensuring the passage of the DC’s Simple Possession of Small Quantities of Marijuana Decriminalization Amendment Act of 2013. This school year, I served as a volunteer Student Attorney and provided voluntary legal services for families seeking asylum at Karnes Detention Center in Karnes City, Texas.
As President of the National Lawyers Guild, I intend to continue the legacy of “valuing human rights over property interests, in service of the people.” We find ourselves at another critical juncture in the history of this country where we must stand firm and speak truth to power and take concerted action against the forces of oppression and repression. As one of my heroes, Frantz Fanon stated, “each generation must discover its mission, fulfill it or betray it…” Join me in ensuring that the Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild at this HBCU, we know as the University District of Columbia, David A. Clarke School of Law, stays true to its social justice mission and legacy of unapologetic activism.