Brooklyn College President Michelle J. Anderson will receive the Champion of Justice Award from Brooklyn Legal Services, an organization dedicated to fighting poverty and seeking racial, social, and economic justice for low-income New Yorkers. Anderson will be recognized for her steadfast support of access to justice and civil legal services at the October 23 awards ceremony held at the Brooklyn Historical Society. “We are delighted to honor Michelle for her commitment to empowering women and girls, and fighting for access to justice for all people,” said Brooklyn Legal Services Project Director Meghan Faux. “Michelle’s leadership and commitment to justice and equity are incredible assets to Brooklyn communities.” Funds raised at the event will support the organization’s efforts to fight social and racial injustice and eradicate poverty. The Champion of Justice award is presented to individuals or organizations that are doing exceptional work in and for the community. Other 2017 Champion of Justice honorees include Girls for Gender Equity, Inc. and Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP. “It is a great honor to receive the Champion of Justice Award from an organization that has played such a vital role in advocating for the rights of New Yorkers who would not otherwise have access to legal representation,” said Anderson. Anderson is the 10th president of Brooklyn College and is a leading scholar in the law of rape and sexual assault. Anderson was a member of the New York City Bar Association’s Task Force on New Lawyers in a Changing Profession and has written about the importance of matching underemployed attorneys with low- and moderate-income communities that have great need for affordable legal services. She is an adviser to the American Law Institute’s project to reform the Model Penal Code on sexual offenses and a consultant to its campus sexual misconduct project. Her research has been published in the Yale Law Journal, Boston University Law Review, George Washington Law Review, Hastings Law Journal, Rutgers Law Review, Southern California Law Review, and the University of Illinois Law Review, among others. Prior to coming to Brooklyn College, Anderson was Dean of the CUNY School of Law, overseeing a period of great renewal and transformation in development, facilities, programs, and recognition. Anderson is the recipient of numerous honors, including the New York City Bar Association’s Diversity and Inclusion Champion Award (2014) for her critical role in initiating and sustaining change within the CUNY School of Law and the New York legal community. She has also been honored by the Feminist Press with the Susan Rosenberg Zalk Award and by the Center for Women in Government and Civil Society at the University of Albany, with a Public Service Leadership Award. Brooklyn Legal Services is a part of Legal Services NYC, the largest civil legal services provider in the country, which has challenged systemic injustice and helped clients meet basic needs for housing, access to high-quality education, health care, family stability, and income and economic security for nearly 50 years.
