Ariel B. Levinson-Waldman, '01: Founding President and Director-Counsel of Tzedek DC, an Organization that Works to Increase Access to Justice for Residents in the Washington, DC Area
Tzedek DC Works To Close The Justice Gap
When Tzedek DC, an organization providing legal help for people in debt, first met Shirley Adams,* she was living on her aunt’s couch, being sued for her bills, and receiving physical threats by the father of her child.
The one time highly-educated school teacher, who has a master’s degree, was now a defendant in a case brought against her for a loan default.
Although Adams had gotten pregnant while employed, her pregnancy-related medical complications ultimately forced her to leave her job as an educator.
Tzedek DC was not only able to get the debt case against Adams dismissed, but by working with one of their sister legal service organizations, was also able to help Adams get a restraining order to protect her and her child.
Shirley Adams’ story in many ways embodies what Tzedek DC does: safeguards the legal rights of of vulnerable families facing debt-related legal crises in the Washington, DC area.
The organization, which is an independent public interest center at the University of the District of Columbia’s (UDC) David A. Clarke School of Law, works to increase access to justice for residents in the Washington, DC area where the wealth gap is among the widest in the country and tracks along racial lines.
“Community resources can and should help people of all backgrounds get meaningful access to the justice system,” Ariel Levinson-Waldman, Founding President and Director-Counsel of Tzedek DC, tells me.
Read more at HuffPost