About the Fellowship
“Now I can relax,” said Judge Motley, after hearing about the Equal Justice Society
The Equal Justice Society Constance Baker Motley Civil Rights Fellowship is aimed at nurturing the talents of a new generation of progressive lawyers to transform anti-discrimination law and policy.
The new fellowship, named in honor of the first African American woman on the federal bench, will be awarded annually to a recent law school graduate committed to advancing racial justice through innovative legal strategies and progressive public policy. The first Motley fellow will begin this September and work with the organization for one year.
“Judge Motley played a major role in the ongoing effort to end racial injustice in this country,” said Eva Paterson, EJS president. “Her incredible life is not only marked by how many barriers she broke on behalf of women and Black Americans, but also the considerable legal skills and talents she brought to winning Brown v. Board and to the numerous cases she heard on the bench.” Judge Motley passed away last year.
The Equal Justice Society is a national advocacy organization that promotes social justice and racial equality through the strategic use of law and public policy, communication and the arts, and alliance building. As heirs of the innovative legal and political strategists of Brown v. Board of Education, the organization works to reshape jurisprudence to ensure that the rights of all are expanded, rather than diminished, by courts and policy makers.
The Inaugural Constance Baker Motley Fellowship Luncheon was held on June 1, 2006, in San Francisco. The event featured a unique dialogue between two legal giants, Harvard Law Professor Charles J. Ogletree, Jr., and Morrison & Foerster senior partner James J. Brosnahan, moderated by Santa Clara University constitutional law professor Margaret Russell. Brosnahan and Russell serve on the EJS board of directors, which Ogletree chairs.
The event included a performance by the engaging and clever satirist Aundre the Wonderwoman. Aundre, who has performed with comedians Steve Harvey, Paula Poundstone and Brian Copeland, is also known in Bay Area legal circles as death penalty defense attorney Aundre Herron.
EJS president Eva Paterson announced the launch of the fellowship at the organization’s second annual fundraiser on December 2, 2005, at San Francisco’s City Club. The event featured a video tribute to Judge Motley from her memorial service at Riverside Church in New York, as well as video greetings from U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer.