The ACLU of Mississippi is committed to fighting against white supremacy and for racial justice.
To meet this challenge, we are pleased to announce the expansion of our legal team to include a critical new role, the Constance Slaughter-Harvey Senior Staff Attorney. Attorney Constance Slaughter-Harvey has long championed the fight against systemic racial injustice in Mississippi, and in honor of that work, this position will bear her name. This position will open January 2024. Interested and qualified candidates are urged to apply.
The ACLU of MS has organized a new donor fund, the Liberty Circle, to build and organize sustainable support. All contributions will support racial justice litigation, including the employment of the Senior Staff Attorney.
Join the Liberty Circle today!
All contributions will support racial justice litigation, including the employment of the Constance Slaughter-Harvey Senior Staff Attorney.
How We Show Up for Racial Justice:
The ACLU of Mississippi is committed to fighting against white supremacy and for racial justice. While we have witnessed great progress in our state and country, we also know that we are in a period of backlash against racial and social tolerance. To confront the issues of racial discrimination and voting rights, we have increased our legal team and capacity to challenge racial discrimination in the courthouse.
The ACLU of Mississippi is currently leading voting rights litigation to ensure Black voting power is not diminished by gerrymandered legislative and Supreme Court Districts. We are also representing residents from the historical Black Gulfport community of Turkey Creek as they appeal a state decision to allow the building of a military installation in their neighborhood.
Additionally, recently filed two lawsuits against the City of Lexington and the town’s police officers for violating the civil rights of Black residents. These cases are part of the ACLU of Mississippi’s new initiative to enlist law firms, private attorneys and community organizations to bring lawsuits to stop police violence and harassment. Mississippi’s ACLU affiliate will continue this effort to bring the legal resources and talents of firms and private attorneys, to represent other victims of unconstitutional police misconduct.
We hope to make this legal effort sustainable while also understanding that we are not going to win with the courts alone. Our goal is to also organize, especially the Black professional community, around these serious social justice issues.
About Constance Slaughter-Harvey
Attorney Constance Iona Slaughter-Harvey, a native of Forest, Mississippi, is a graduate of Hawkins High School and Tougaloo College. While at Tougaloo, she was elected President of the Student Government Association becoming the first female to serve in that capacity. On January 27, 1970, she became the first African American female to receive a law degree from the University of Mississippi.
After graduation, Attorney Slaughter-Harvey joined the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law as a staff attorney and worked there until 1972 when she returned to Forest and established her private law practice. She served as Executive Director of Southern Legal Rights and later became Director of East Mississippi Legal Services. In 1976, she became the first Black female judge in Mississippi's history.
She has received numerous awards and honors for her work, including the W. E. B. Dubois Award, the Margaret Brent Women Lawyer's Achievement Award, and multiple NAACP Legal Awards for dedication and commitment to the continuing struggle for legal justice.
Join the fight for racial justice in Mississippi.
Join the Liberty Circle today! All contributions will support racial justice litigation, including the employment of the Constance Slaughter-Harvey Senior Staff Attorney.