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To create a diverse, representative and collaborative environment within legal services in order to provide accessible, welcoming and culturally competent services to clients of all backgrounds and their communities.
The Massachusetts Legal Services Diversity Coalition was established by MLAC in 1990 to raise awareness of diversity issues and provide technical assistance on diversity to legal aid programs across the Commonwealth.
In 2007, Joyce Allen-Beckford became director of the Diversity Coalition.
In 2010, Joyce took on coodination of the Retention Task Force, which was created to examine disproportionate impact of the economic downturn on attorneys of color in the civil legal aid system. The Task Force finalized its recommendations in spring 2012. Its final report can be found here.
Joyce also makes annual presentations to MLAC's Board of Directors summarizing the Diversity Coalition's accomplishments. View them below:
The Steering Committee furthers diversity work among legal aid programs and provides direction to the Diversity Coalition. The current members and the organizations they represent are:
Carolina Africano
GBLS |
Chantal St. Fleur
MJP |
Brian Angel Burke
MWLS |
Richard Villavicencio
DLC |
Sandra Mayes
MJP |
Sandy Yeung
GBLS |
Leticia Medina-Richman
CLA |
Hisham Leil
WMLS |
Courtney Mulligan
DLC |
Jerry Battle
NCLC
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Rosa Previdi
LARC |
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For more information on the Diversity Coalition, contact Director Joyce Allen-Beckford at jallen-beckford@mlac.org.
The Diversity Coalition recommends the following web sites for more information on diversity-related issues:
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