Blog

From April 16-18, 2025, the Michigan Poverty Law Program hosted the Committee on Regional Training’s Consumer Law training in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The training brought together 63 legal aid attorneys from four states—Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia—to learn how to protect low-income consumers from predatory and unfair practices.

Welcome to my blog – Still Dreaming, Still Climbing Toward Justice. This title is inspired by the rousing speech of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., given on August 28, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. In this speech, Dr. King outlined the promises made by the United States to free slaves and entitle all “men” to liberty and the pursuit of happiness. He talked about his dreams of how these promises might come to pass, while recognizing that they had not yet been fulfilled for people of color. “Still Dreaming…” is an acknowledgement that even today, in 2024, Black and Brown people are still striving toward these rights. This is my story of the start of my journey to becoming a racial justice attorney in pursuit of a path to liberty and happiness for Black and Brown people. - Read more

Before COVID-19 entered into national prominence, “suitable work” in Michigan was determined by the Michigan Employment Security Act (MESA), an act created to address unemployment benefits in Michigan. The act, amongst many things, defined “unemployment” and “suitable work,” and established the Michigan Employment Security Commission (MESC). - Read more

Criminal justice does not end at the prison gates. Individuals with past convictions for drug possession can go the rest of their lives without access to public benefits that everyone is entitled to. Civil penalties continue to harm individuals even after they have served their sentences. These discriminatory penalties have far reaching effects on individuals and on the wider society. - Read more

The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) forbids courts to publish information pertaining to a personal protection order (PPO) online if that information will likely reveal the identity or location of the party protected by the PPO. The provision was enacted as an additional safety measure for victims of intimate partner violence and was intended to prevent abusers and others from gaining identifying information, including addresses, by scrolling online court records. - Read more