“Be willing to radically re-imagine what America could be.” Judith Browne Dianis Reflects on What It Takes to Be a Successful Civil Rights Advocate in the Movement for Racial Justice

In conversation with Thomson Reuters Practical Law, Judith Browne Dianis (92), Executive Director of Advancement Project, discussed her life and career, reflecting on her mother instilling the value of education, the experience that led to stepping in to her purpose, advice on legal advocacy and movement lawyering, and steps to eradicate racism in the legal industry (“Careers in Law: Q&A with Judith Browne Dianis, Executive Director of Advancement Project’s National Office,” Jan. 5). “[T]o do this work well, you must be humble, recognizing that you do not know everything, that you are not a savior, and that the work is not about you. You must put those who are impacted at the center of your efforts by listening to them and being responsive to their needs. You must recognize that your mission is to support and strengthen movements, and to support the transference and building of power by providing the tools that impacted people need. . . . We must think boldly, by changing both the law and the power dynamics.”
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