Join us in congratulating Laurel G. Yancey!
Happy National Volunteer Month! This month is dedicated to honoring all of the volunteers in our communities as well as encouraging volunteerism. To celebrate, we’re announcing our next Amicus Mundi Award winner. Award winners exemplify our shared values of service and dedication to building a more just and equitable society and are nominated by our 450+ nonprofit partners. We hope the profile below inspires you to sign up for one of our 88 active volunteer projects ([link removed]) .
We’re proud to give the next Amicus Mundi Award to a lawyer who honors her ancestors by empowering and mobilizing Black voters.
** Congratulations, Laurel G. Yancey!
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Honoring her ancestors: In January of 2021, Laurel G. Yancey opened an email in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. In the email, We The Action asked Laurel to volunteer with our partners at BlockPower to celebrate the civil rights leader’s life and legacy.
* “BlockPower was highlighted as an organization with a worthy project focused on empowering and mobilizing black voters. I thought ‘This is really innovative!’” says Laurel. She signed up because the project was a perfect combination of her legal expertise and passion for protecting voter rights.
* Laurel follows in the footsteps of her ancestors, including lawyers who have advocated for equal justice and civil rights. “In 1779, my African-born male ancestor petitioned the State legislature in Portsmouth, New Hampshire to abolish slavery. Two of his descendants fought for civil rights as practicing attorneys in Massachusetts. Pursuing equal justice is in my blood, literally.”
The project: According to Karthik Balasubramanian, Co-founder of BlockPower, “no one has figured out how to connect with people that don’t vote on a regular basis. And this status quo leaves out 30% of the population.”
* BlockPower is on a mission to increase voter turnout among Black citizens who don’t vote regularly. They do this by mobilizing Community Ambassador networks to expand voter outreach and increase civic engagement.
* The organization came to We The Action because they needed legal advice related to the collection of data on voters.
“She made an impact on our entire program”: For the past year, Laurel has volunteered well over 50 hours to help lay the groundwork for this new model of voter engagement.
* Karthik was quick to praise Laurel for her curiosity and willingness to jump in. “She believes in the cause and the mission. She made an impact on our entire program.”
* Laurel’s work allowed BlockPower to confidently deploy its Community Ambassador program knowing that it could communicate with ambassadors and store their information in a safe, legal way.
You don't have to take our word for it: Laurel shares We The Action’s passion for volunteerism and offered great advice for lawyers thinking about volunteering for the first time.
* “Voluntary pro bono public service is foremost a professional responsibility. A lawyer can fulfill this professional responsibility by joining We The Action. The platform presents worthy pro bono projects when most needed and identifies important causes seeking a variety of legal expertise.”
* We couldn’t say it any better!
** On behalf of 41,000+ volunteer lawyers: Thank you, Laurel!
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Want to help us celebrate National Volunteer Month? Sign up for one of our 88 active volunteer projects ([link removed]) and invite your friends to join We The Action ([link removed]) . You can even be like Laurel and volunteer with BlockPower ([link removed]) !
Best,
The We The Action Team
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