GRITS 2018

getting radical in the south

a conference for social justice

lawyers and activists in the south

S E P T E M B E R 2 8 - 2 9 , 2 0 1 8

U N I V E R S I T Y O F T E X A S

S C H O O L O F L A W

7 2 7 E A S T D E A N K E E T O N

A U S T I N , T X

ABOUT THECONFERENCEGRITS is a student-run public interest lawconference held at the University of TexasLaw School that focuses on the difficultiesand constraints inherent to social justicework in the South, and the uniquestrategies that legal practitioners andother public interest workers havedeveloped to meet those needs.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 28

GRITS 2018

12:30PM

1:30PM

2:35PM

Check-in and Refreshments

Susman Godfrey Atrium

Framing GRITS: A Participatory Conversation

Francis Auditorium (TNH 2.114)

This session includes a brief talk by Professor Stephen

Vladeck, entitled: “This Week was Quite a Month: The

Future of the Kavanaugh Nomination, the Russia

Investigation, and the Rule of Law.”

The Legal Observer program is part of a comprehensive

system of legal support designed to enable people to

express their political views as fully as possible without

unconstitutional disruption or interference by the police

and with the fewest possible consequences from the

criminal justice system.

Brian McGiverin, Austin Community Law Center

Choose Your Own Workshop:

Legal Observer Training

TNH 2.124

Open Records Request Workshop

TNH 2.123

Participants will learn the ins and outs of the FOIA

process and how it can be used to advance social

justice advocacy.

Peter Steffenson, Texas Civil Rights Project

6:00PM Happy Hour

Spider House, 2908 Fruth St., Austin, TX 78705

5:00PM

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 283:45PM Reimagining a Legal Education: Choose Your Session

Participants, along with a lead law student and

professor, will collaborate with the goal of

encouraging students to work with professors to

develop more effective and impactful pedagogy at

Texas Law, serving as a model for other law schools

and for other disciplines and their educational

programs.

Constitutional Law - Professor Shavonne Henderson

TNH 2.138

Criminal Law - Professor Katy Dyer

TNH 2.124

Torts - Professor Tom McGarity

TNH 2.137

Property - Professor Susan Morse

TNH 2.123

Keynote Address: Roderick Keith Johnson

Francis Auditorium (TNH 2.114)

Roderick Johnson is a trained speaker who travels the

country sharing his personal stories of experience with

the criminal justice system, living with mental health

challenges due to past trauma, and achieving recovery

from addiction. He is on the advisory board of the

ACLU of Texas’s Smart Justice campaign, a member of

NAMI’s Peer Leadership Council, a consultant with the

Texas Association Against Sexual Assault, a member of

the National Survivor Network, and a PREA consultant

with Witness to Mass Incarceration.

GRITS 2018

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29

7:45AM Yoga and Conversation

Sheffield Massey Room

This morning session will focus on self-care and trauma-

informed practices for those engaged in social justice

work. It will be led by Alec Brownridge and Richie Flores

of Sanctuary Yoga. Richie spent time in prison and now

has his own moving company. He loves spending time in

the outdoors and continuing to teach the yoga that he

once practiced while held in solitary confinement.

Labor and Unrest

Francis Auditorium (TNH 2.114)

Panelists will speak on issues surrounding immigration,

education, and organizing, with a specific emphasis on

community-based organizing strategies. 

9:50AM

9:00AM Breakfast & Registration

Susman Godfrey Atrium

Montserrat Garibay, Texas AFL-CIO

Amanda Cavazos Weems, Young Active Labor Leaders

Karen Reyes, Education Austin

Brad Crowder, Labor Activist

Remarks by Scott Henson, Grits for Breakfast

12:00PM

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29

Strength, Vulnerability, Sisterhood: Women’s Experiences

Behind Bars

Sheffield Massey Room

Lisa Davis-Bell, Truth Be Told

Kimberley Davis-Bell, Truth Be Told

Prison Leaders, and Why America Can’t Embrace Them

TNH 3.114/2.137

Bruce Reilly, Voice of the Experienced

Art as Activist Practice

TNH 2.123

Leslie Moody Castro

Gavel Gap Lunch, sponsored by ACS

Susman Godfrey Atrium

Hon. Karen Sage, presiding judge of the

299th District Court 

Reproductive Rights in the South

TNH 3.115/2.138

Aimee Arrambide, NARAL Pro-Choice Texas

Jennifer Scarborough, ProBAR

Kate Pritchard, ProBAR

11:00AM Choose Your Conversation

These sessions are designed for conference attendees and

speakers to engage in an interactive dialogue on these

issues.

Advocacy on Immigration and the Borderlands

TNH 2.124

2:25PM

3:25PM

GRITS 2018

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29

The Padilla Requirement and Mitigating Collateral

Consequences

Sheffield Massey Room

Adela D. Meráz, Capital Area Private Defender Service

Julie Wimmer, Crimmigration Attorney

Grassroots Activism and the Law

TNH 2.123

Christian Sanchez, RAICES

Choose Your Own Skills Workshop

Cookie and Coffee break! 

Susman Godfrey Atrium

Secrets of a Successful Organizer

TNH 2.124

Amanda Cavazos Weems, Young Active Labor Leaders 

1:15PM Decarceration: Sunlight and Solidarity

Francis Auditorium (TNH 2.114)

Journalists, formerly incarcerated people, and activists will

share their experiences with reentry, programs behind

bars, immigration detention, and the First Amendment

concerns implicated by incarceration.

Gus Bova, Texas Observer

Rev. Jeannie Alexander, No Exceptions Prison Collective

Laurie Pherigo 

Bruce Reilly, Voice of the Experienced

Moderated by Professor Ranjana Natarajan, director of

Texas Law's Civil Rights Clinic 

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 293:35PM Choose Your Session

Building Community Solidarity

Francis Auditorium (TNH 2.114)

Panelists will share their experiences with grassroots

activism, with a focus on how to best create and share

local activism practices between lawyers and non-lawyers.

What are the best strategies to support movements that

have already begun and may benefit from legal

assistance?

Tristan Call, Organizer

Chas Moore, Austin Justice Coalition

Mark McKim, Organizer

Natalie San Luis, Community Housing Expansion of Austin

Processing Sexual Assault in the Wake of the Kavanaugh

Hearings

Sheffield-Massey Room

Do you need a space to process? We do, so we created

one. For many, Thursday’s hearings on Brett Kavanaugh’s

history as a sexual abuser was a primer on why so many of

us who are survivors of sexual assault feel pressured not to

report. Such treatment of Dr. Ford, and Kavanaugh’s other

accusers in the media, can make it feel like silence is

better than the shaming, blaming, and disbelief that so

often accompanies the decision to tell our stories. This

conversation will be an opportunity to process the events

of Thursday, as well as the larger issue of what it is like to

live in a climate where sexual assault is openly accepted

and excused. Come ready to share how you've been

feeling, or just to listen, whatever feels right to you. All

gender identities welcome. 

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29

Happy Hour

Hole in the Wall, 2538 Guadalupe St., Austin, TX 78705

4:40PM

6:00PM

Closing Conversation

Francis Auditorium (TNH 2.114)

In small groups, attendees and speakers will identify the

practical takeaways from the conference. Discussion will

include next steps to take in response to challenges in

the legal environment, and how to maintain balance as a

practitioner.

SPEAKER INFORMATION

Peter Steffenson is a Justice Catalyst

Fellow at the Texas Civil Rights Project. He

focuses on the use of algorithmic risk

assessment tools within the state’s criminal

justice system. He received his B.A. from

Rice University and his J.D. from NYU

School of Law.

Brian McGiverin is the Executive Director of

the Austin Community Law Center. He is a

long-time civil rights attorney with both

nonprofit and private sector firms. His past

experience includes years being a partner

with the Dietz, Lawrence & McGiverin Law

Center; a staff attorney with the Texas Civil

Rights Project; and as a policy aide for

Austin City Council Member Delia Garza.

Roderick Johnson is a trained speaker who

travels the country sharing his personal

stories of experience with the criminal

justice system, living with mental health

challenges due to past trauma, and

achieving recovery from addiction. He is

on the advisory board of the ACLU of

Texas’s Smart Justice campaign, a

member of NAMI’s Peer Leadership

Council, a consultant with the Texas

Association Against Sexual Assault, a

member of the National Survivor Network,

and a PREA consultant with Witness to

Mass Incarceration.

GRITS 2018

SPEAKER INFORMATION

Tom McGarity holds the Joe R. and

Teresa Lozano Long Endowed Chair in

Administrative Law at the University of

Texas School of Law. He has taught

Environmental Law, Administrative Law

and Torts at UT since 1980. He has

written widely in the areas of

Environmental Law and Administrative

Law. Professor McGarity is a past

president and a member of the Board

of Directors of the Center for

Progressive Reform.

Katy Dyer is a clinical professor in the

University of Texas Law’s Criminal

Defense Clinic, where she teaches a

classroom seminar and supervises

students representing clients in

misdemeanor criminal cases. Previously,

she was a public defender at The Bronx

Defenders and the Public Defender

Service for the District of Columbia.

Prior to joining UT, Ms. Dyer served the

Director of Holistic Defense at the

Capital Area Private Defender Service in

Travis County. She is a graduate of

Georgetown University Law.

Shavonne Henderson is a lecturer at

Texas Law and the Assistant Director of

Policy Research for the University’s

Institute for Urban Policy Research and

Analysis.  She conducts research, speaks,

and lectures on the intersection of policy

and race and the law. Professor

Henderson received her Juris Doctor from

The University of Texas School of Law.  

SPEAKER INFORMATION

Amanda Cavazos Weems is an activist

and labor organizer born and raised

in Austin, Texas. She joined her first

union, the American Federation of

State, County, and Municipal

Employees (AFSCME) local 1624 while

she was working as a lifeguard at

Barton Springs Pool in 2016. She is a

co-chair of the Young Active Labor

Leaders (YALL). She now works as an

organizer for the Texas State

Employees Union in Austin and El

Paso.

Montserrat Garibay is the Secretary-

Treasurer of the Texas AFL-CIO. She is a

National Board Certified Teacher.

Previously, she served as Vice President

for Certified Employees with Education

Austin. An activist on education and

immigration issues, Garibay came to the

U.S. from Mexico City as an

undocumented immigrant and became a

citizen 20 years later. Garibay is a UT-

Austin graduate.

Susan Morse joined the University of

Texas law faculty in 2013. She teaches

Property, Federal Income Tax and

Financial Methods for Lawyers. Texas Law

students in the Women's Law Caucus

named her Teacher of the Year in 2016.

Professor Morse studies and writes about

regulatory design and international tax

reform.

GRITS 2018

SPEAKER INFORMATION

Leslie Moody Castro is an

independent curator and writer whose

practice is based on itinerancy and

collaboration. She studied Museum

Education and Museum Studies at the

University of Texas at Austin (MA,

2010), and graduated from DePaul

University (BA, 2004). She has been

awarded two National Endowment of

the Arts Grants and is currently the

inaugural curator in residence at the

Galveston Artist Residency.

Jennifer Scarborough is a staff attorney

with ProBAR's adult office in Harlingen,

Texas where she represents adults

detained along the South Texas border.

She assists both new arrivals seeking

asylum as well as long-time residents of

the Rio Grande Valley. Jennifer

graduated from DePaul University

College of Law. During her four years in

law school, she worked full time as a

partially accredited DOJ representative

with the National Immigrant Justice

Center in Chicago.

Karen Reyes is a teacher for the deaf and

hard of hearing in Austin. She immigrated

from Mexico as a young child and grew

up in San Antonio. Karen is a union leader

in Education Austin, where she currently

serves on the Executive Board and the

Immigration Committee. She is an active

YALL member, the Chair of the AFT's

Under-35 Caucus, a delegate on the

Austin CLC, and a member of United We

Dream.

SPEAKER INFORMATION

Aimee Arrambide is the Executive

Director of NARAL Pro-Choice Texas.

Since 2013 she has advocated at the

state legislature for comprehensive

sexual health education. She is a

board member of Fund Texas Choice,

and also serves on the advisory

council of ReproAction and direct

action organization. She is also a

National Network of Abortion Funds

We Testify Storyteller.

Kimberly Davis is an Administrative

Assistant at Integral Care. She

participated in Truth Be Told while

incarcerated. Today, she is completing

training in order to be able to return to

prisons as a volunteer with the program. 

  

Lisa Davis-Bell graduated from San

Angelo State University with a major in

Business Administration. She was

incarcerated for nearly four years. Today

she is an Elite Corporate Care Associate

for a large hotel chain and a facilitator-

in-training with Truth Be Told.

GRITS 2018

SPEAKER INFORMATION

Gus Bova is a reporter for the Texas

Observer, an Austin-based magazine

first founded in 1954 to cover civil

rights and labor. Gus writes mostly

about immigration and conditions at

ICE detention centers. Before the

Observer, he worked at Casa

Marianella, a shelter in Austin for

recently arrived asylum seekers.

Judge Karen Sage has served as the

presiding judge of the 299th District

Court since January 2011. She also

presides over the Substance Abuse

Felony Punishment Facility (SAFPF) Re-

entry Court, which is a specialized

Drug Court. Judge Sage earned her

J.D. from the University of Minnesota.

Bruce Reilly is the Deputy Director of

Voice of the Experienced in New Orleans.

He is a graduate of Tulane Law School, a

writer, artist, and a founding member of

the Formerly Incarcerated, Convicted

People and Families Movement (FICPFM).

He serves on the steering committee for

Louisiana’s Unanimous Jury Coalition. He

is a co-founder of Transcending Through

Education Foundation (TTEF).

SPEAKER INFORMATION

Adela D. Meráz is the Immigration

Attorney for Capital Area Private

Defender service in Austin, Texas.  In

this role, she clarifies criminal case

immigration consequences to

maintain relief options for foreign-

born persons facing criminal charges

and their defense attorneys.  She

graduated from the University of Saint

Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis,

Minnesota in 2007.

Laurie Pherigo became interested in

prison reform when she went to prison

and saw the deplorable and inhumane

conditions that existed.  Her passion

for reform comes from lived

experience, not just as a formerly

incarcerated person but also as a

human being who knows how to treat

people with respect and dignity.

Rev. Jeannie Alexander is the director of

No Exceptions Prison Collective, a prison

abolition activist organization that works

through a combination of litigation,

legislation, grassroots movement building,

and aggressive direct action. She holds a

JD from Cornell Law and a Masters in

Religious Studies with a focus on

Christian Ethics and Mysticism.

GRITS 2018

SPEAKER INFORMATION

Tristan Call is a volunteer organizer

with working-class movements. His

areas of particular emphasis are

internationalist migrant organizations,

current and former plantation workers

organizing to “take back the land,”

independent unions, and people’s

history and popular education. He is a

proud member of the graduate worker

and adjunct instructor union at

Vanderbilt University.

Cristian Sanchez is born and raised in

the Rio Grande Valley. He is a recent

graduate of University of Texas School

of Law. Cristian now works at RAICES

in San Antonio as an Equal Justice

Works Fellow sponsored by the Texas

Access to Justice Foundation. At

RAICES he is involved in various roles

and projects. He leads a project on

access to medical care for

immigrants, especially for families

that need to cross internal border

patrol checkpoints to access

adequate medical care.

Julie Wimmer works on crimmigration

issues in Texas. Previously she worked as

an immigration attorney at Texas

RioGrande Legal Aid in Austin, first as a

Skadden Fellow and later as a staff

attorney. Before joining TRLA, Julie

clerked for the Honorable Judge George

P. Kazen, Senior District Judge for the

Southern District of Texas, in Laredo,

Texas. She holds a J.D. from Harvard Law

School and a B.A. from the University of

Texas-Austin.

SPEAKER INFORMATION

Mark McKim is an educator, activist

and organizer who graduated from UT

Austin with a degree in Geography in

2011 and lives and works in Austin.

Outside of his professional life he has

been an active member of Austin

Democratic Socialists of America,

Young Active Labor Leaders,

Education Austin, Undoing White

Supremacy Austin, Jewish Voice for

Peace and the Sierra Club

Environmental Justice Committee.

Mark is now pursuing his Master of

Science in Social Work at UT Austin

concentrating on Administration and

Policy Practice.

Chas Moore is the founder of Austin

Justice Coalition, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit

and grassroots, activist-led organization

aimed at demanding criminal justice

reform and building community at both

the local, state, and national level. Before

devoting his work fulltime to the creation

and growth Austin Justice Coalition, Chas

served as a student activist fighting many

social issues at The University of Texas at

Austin and the rest of the Austin

community.

GRITS 2018

SPEAKER INFORMATION

Kate Pritchard's career with ProBAR

began in 2015 as an Unaccompanied

Child Legal Services Specialist,

providing Know Your Rights

presentations and legal screenings to

Unaccompanied Children detained in

the custody of the Office of Refugee

Resettlement. Kate then worked for a

time as a paralegal, before herself

becoming fully accredited by the

Department of Justice Office of Legal

Access Programs. In her role as a Fully

Accredited Representative, Kate

represents unaccompanied children

before USCIS and the Immigration

Court as they seek relief from

deportation and lawful immigration

status.

Brad Crowder has been involved with the

labor movement both as a rank and file

worker activist and a staff organizer for

the Fight for $15. He has helped file

several successful Unfair Labor Practice

claims with the NLRB, including one that

helped expand the right of fast food

workers to wear a union button on the

job. He is currently working in food

service and finishing up his Economics

degree at Texas State University.

Other speakers include:

Stephen Vladeck, Texas Law

Scott Henson, Grits for Breakfast

Natalie San Luis, Community Housing Expansion of Austin GRITS 2018