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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1140-E1141]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
IN HONOR OF THE 15TH ANNIVERSARY OF LEGAL SERVICES ALABAMA
______
HON. TERRI A. SEWELL
of alabama
in the house of representatives
Thursday, September 12, 2019
Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Legal
Services Alabama on their 15th Anniversary Award Dinner. Legal Services
Alabama provides quality legal services to low-income residents of
Alabama, filling a gaping need in a state that does not offer a
statewide public defense program.
So often our legal system, whose creation and purpose is to maintain
equal justice under the law, regardless of economic factors,
connections or other indicators, fails to do so. The reality is that
under-resourced individuals are provided decreased access to quality
legal counsel, while those who can afford it are granted superior
services. This fundamentally contradicts the intent of our court system
and undermines the very framework of our country. The work of Legal
Services Alabama is to
[[Page E1141]]
right that imbalance, restoring justice not only to the economically
disenfranchised, but to every Alabamian and American.
Founded on February 1, 2004, Legal Services Alabama began as three
separate Legal Services programs, Legal Services Corporation of Alabama
(founded 1977), Legal Services of Metro Birmingham (founded 1977) and
Legal Services of North-Central Alabama (founded 1969). The three
regional offices merged resources to become the statewide entity Legal
Services Alabama which provides free legal services to low-income
Alabamians across all of the state's 67 counties. The merger reflected
a nationwide imperative, initiated by the Legal Services Corporation,
which encouraged consolidation in order to provide improved and more
efficient services to those in need.
Alabama has long been a bastion of grassroots activism in pursuit of
civil rights and economic justice. Alabama is the birthplace of the
civil rights movement of the 1960s and played a prominent role in Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr.'s Poor People's Campaign. Economic inequalities
are inextricably tied to racial inequalities and Alabama has, since our
nation's birth, been ground zero for some of the worst racial and
economic injustices and the greatest moments of uprising and activism.
Along these lines, it is impossible to consider the work of the Legal
Services Alabama on behalf of low-income Alabamians without pointing
out the systems of racial hierarchy that our current justice system
tacitly endorses through its passivity.
The reality is that the vast majority of those unable to afford
adequate legal representation in Alabama are African American. It is
essential that organizations like the Legal Services Alabama do the
important work of uplifting those who have been historically
marginalized and disenfranchised, despite the fact that our current
system is not set up to do so. Just as we, as a nation, must reflect
openly and honestly on the ills of a criminal justice system that
disproportionately jails people of color, we must commend those
organizations like LSA that have stepped in and addressed an urgent
need.
Legal Services Alabama has eight offices across the state as well as
a centralized call center in order to provide the best possible service
and access to Alabamians in need. LSA's offices are located in
Anniston/Gadsden, Birmingham, Dothan, Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery,
Selma and Tuscaloosa. Each of those offices is staffed and equipped to
serve low income people with legal matters and to promote collaboration
in support of providing solutions to the myriad issues associated with
living in poverty. Currently, Legal Services Alabama is the only non-
profit law firm in the state of Alabama that provides free civil legal
assistance to economically disenfranchised Alabamians.
In addition to providing free, quality legal representation to those
in need, Legal Services Alabama also provides mediation services to
clients, in the hope that they might avoid the court system entirely.
Mediation can often be prohibitively expensive and many people may not
even know that it is an option available to them prior to engaging the
courts. By offering mediation, LSA encourages Alabamians, when
possible, to seek an alternative that may ultimately be more
beneficial.
Further, Legal Services Alabama practices ``preventative law,''
working within the community to educate members on their rights and
responsibilities in the hope of avoiding potentially devastating legal
issues. Legal Services Alabama develops and distributes informative
literature, legal self-help materials and forms throughout the
community to help educate and engage those in need. This holistic
approach to providing legal services shows an intrinsic understanding
of the ways in which not only the criminal justice system but also
community and social situations contribute to cycles of crime and
prosecution and thoughtfully applies that understanding to a better and
more comprehensive solution.
I am pleased to be granted this opportunity to recognize Legal
Services Alabama for the important work they do for those Alabamians
most in need. We as legislators must continue to work toward correcting
our criminal justice system, but as that work is done, I am grateful to
LSA for doing the important and necessary work of filling in the
missing gaps.
____________________