News: MLRI

Our advocates know that meaningful change takes time – a win today only leads to change tomorrow if advocacy is ongoing.

Whether it is the restoration of state-funded food benefits for immigrants or the creation of access to counsel in eviction cases, when we take on issues, we are making a long-term commitment. 

The successes we’ve had in the past few months are the result of that committed advocacy – and will be the catalyst for more wins down the road. Thank you for joining us on this journey towards justice. 

Written by MLRI Board Member, John Carroll, for Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly

In the heady days of the mid-1960s, President Lyndon Johnson initiated the “War on Poverty.” Unfortunately, he was also waging a war in Vietnam. The country could not effectively or affordably engage in both wars at the same time. As a result, both wars suffered.

The War on Poverty enjoyed more success, even though spotty. One of its crowning successes, and one of its most durable, was the creation of the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute in the late 1960s.

For Immediate Release 

Media Contact:
Allie Girouard
agirouard@mlri.org | (617) 357-0700 x 305 

BOSTON, July 27, 2023 – Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI) will be honoring Dr. Michael Curry, Esq. with the 2023 Catalyst for Change award at a reception on October 10, 2023 at the UMass Club in Boston. 

The Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI) is deeply disappointed in yesterday’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College. Although the ruling was not unexpected, the upending of decades of precedent is once again shocking. This decision is a setback in the progress that has been made to increase educational and economic opportunity for communities of color who have been historically and presently excluded from so many opportunities, most notably opportunities of educational and economic advancement.

For more than 50 years, the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute has advocated to advance policies and practices that secure economic, racial, and social justice for low-income communities. Over the past seven years, MLRI’s Catalyst for Change award and event have celebrated exceptional leaders in the community who strive for these same goals and who have achieved incredible success in making a positive impact on the people of Massachusetts.

We are excited to announce that the 2023 Catalyst for Change honoree is Michael Curry, Esq.

MLRI is pleased to present our priorities for the current legislative session.

We are leading, co-leading, or supporting several broad-based coalitions and working directly with community partners and fellow advocates from across the state to advance important priorities that address poverty and create a more just, fair and equitable Commonwealth for all.

From advocating for bills that promote housing justice, to increasing cash assistance for extremely low-income children and families, to ensuring that state agencies comply with language access laws, our policy agenda is focused on removing barriers to opportunity, promoting racial equity, and ensuring that every individual in our state lives in dignity and has every chance to thrive.

As we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day today, we are taking inspiration from Dr. King’s lifelong commitment to economic justice. Dr. King’s anti-poverty advocacy is often glossed over in the pursuit of a simple, sanitized story of King and his legacy – but there is no doubt his dream of justice included the eradication of poverty.

The Massachusetts Law Reform Institute has been fighting to build a just and equitable Commonwealth for over 50 years. This year was no different — along with our partners, we’ve continued advocating for those who are most often overlooked when navigating shifting realities.