Legal Momentum News Brief—January 29, 2018

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January 29, 2018

Actress Patricia Arquette Applauds Legal Momentum

On Saturday, January 20, Legal Momentum marched with the ERA Coalition, together with actress and feminist Patricia Arquette, and 200,000 activists, in the second annual New York City Women’s March, taking to the streets to demand equal rights for all women and girls. Ms. Arquette marched alongside Legal Momentum President and CEO Carol Robles-Román, and one of Ms. Arquette’s team members waved the Legal Momentum banner. 

ERA Coalition and Legal Momentum marchers

Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) thanked Legal Momentum through Twitter, where she has more than 264,000 followers, for our integral work on the Violence Against Women Act and for the pivotal legal case that Legal Momentum filed against Backpage.com. The Twitter conversation garnered Legal Momentum dozens of new followers and great visibility.

Legal Momentum Partners with “Vote, Run, Lead” to Help More Women Run for Office

At the conclusion of the New York City Women’s March on January 20, the nonpartisan group “Vote, Run, Lead” hosted a powerful gathering at the Helen Mills Event Space that kicked off with a panel on “Sex, Politics, and Power.” The event attracted more than 200 women, many of whom want to run for office. 

Speakers at the event included former NYC Council speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Rebecca Traister of New York Magazine, and actress and activist Amber Tamblyn. Legal Momentum served as a co-sponsor and Senior Staff Attorney Jennifer Becker was on site to talk up our Helpline services and the Rights Now! workshops we will be teaching throughout the city this spring. Local activists and experts from “Vote, Run, Lead” offered consultation and coaching for women who want to run for office and win and those who want to support them.

Did You Know? LM’s Helpline is Now Bilingual

In order to provide a broader range of services and referrals to those who contact us looking for help, Legal Momentum’s Helpline is now available in Spanish. Our outreach to community organizations, whose clients may need legal assistance, is also focusing on those for whom English is a second language. By reaching out to community organizations that serve clients from diverse backgrounds, Legal Momentum hopes to encourage women and girls, who have lacked access to services, to request help when they need it. Legal Momentum will advertise and promote the Helpline in English and Spanish on its website and in public relations outreach. Here’s the Helpline number again: call 212-925-6635 ext. 650, or email help@legalmomentum.org

LM Joins Coalition to Urge Congress to Reform Its Sexual Harassment Policies

Legal Momentum has joined a coalition of 95 organizations that are committed to advancing and protecting civil and human rights, equality, access to justice, and transparency. The coalition is designed to encourage Congress to address the problem of workplace harassment and discrimination on Capitol Hill. 

The coalition wrote a letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, and the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Committee on House Administration, explicitly outlining recommendations on how Congress can address workplace harassment most effectively.

The next step for the coalition is to write to the U.S. Senate. These letters lay out important strategies to help prevent and combat workplace harassment and discrimination throughout the legislative workforce. The coalition’s recommendations include the following:

  • Improving the reporting and dispute resolution process;
  • Expanding coverage and protections;
  • Ensuring greater accountability and increasing transparency; and
  • Implementing comprehensive prevention practices.