Dear Supporters,
Due to the ongoing threat of Covid-19, the Neighborhood Defender Service 30th Anniversary Gala originally scheduled for November 19, 2020 has been postponed until November 17, 2021.
The Gala celebrates the work we have accomplished over the past 30 years, with the people who have helped us make it possible. When we opened our office in Harlem 30 years ago, we sparked a national movement for fundamental fairness to ensure those who could not afford counsel had access to high-quality comprehensive representation. Since then, our holistic model has helped our clients and their families overcome the challenges regularly and systematically encountered by communities of color: mass incarceration, over prosecution, education disparity, unemployment, eviction, deportation, and family separation. When we come together in 2021, it will be against the backdrop of a year that has illuminated more than ever the power of public defense to overcome injustice in the most difficult of circumstances.
The 2021 Gala promises to be an exciting evening. We will be joined by Cardi B, who will receive the Special Recognition Award for her leadership on the 2020 Census, and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP’s Andrew A. Lance and Peter Wardle, who will receive our Corporate Social Responsibility Award. Stay tuned for more announcements.
We look forward to celebrating with you next year. In the meantime, please consider supporting our essential work now.
Sincerely,
Rick Jones
Executive Director
NDS, Inc.