Rev. Rahsaan Hall, Esq.
Rahsaan Hall is the Director of the Racial Justice Program for the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts. In this role Rahsaan helps develop the ACLU of Massachusetts’ integrated advocacy approach to address racial justice issues. Through legislative advocacy, litigation and community engagement, the program works on issues that deeply impact communities of color and historically disenfranchised communities. Rahsaan also manages the ACLU of Massachusetts' What a Difference a DA Makes <https://dadifference.org/> campaign to educate state residents about the power and influence of district attorneys.
Prior to joining the ACLU of Massachusetts, Rahsaan was the Deputy Director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice where his work included policy and legislative advocacy, community outreach, and maintaining a litigation caseload of voting rights, police misconduct and public accommodations cases. Rahsaan headed up the Voting Rights Project that included the coordination of the statewide Election Protection initiatives, voting rights litigation and his prior involvement in community coalitions on redistricting after the last decennial census.
He also served as an Assistant District Attorney for the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. A significant portion of his work in the DA’s Office included his time in the Safe Neighborhood Initiative and Senior Trial Units where he prosecuted drug, gang, and homicide cases.
In addition to leading the ACLU of Massachusetts’ Racial Justice Program. He also serves on the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation’s board of directors, the Hyams Foundation’s board of trustees, and is a member of the Massachusetts IOLTA Committee.
Rahsaan is admitted to practice in Massachusetts and the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. He is a graduate of The Ohio State University (B.A.), Northeastern University School of Law (J.D.) and Andover Newton Theological School (M.Div.). He is an ordained reverend in the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
Rahsaan Hall is the Director of the Racial Justice Program for the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts. In this role Rahsaan helps develop the ACLU of Massachusetts’ integrated advocacy approach to address racial justice issues. Through legislative advocacy, litigation and community engagement, the program works on issues that deeply impact communities of color and historically disenfranchised communities. Rahsaan also manages the ACLU of Massachusetts' What a Difference a DA Makes <https://dadifference.org/> campaign to educate state residents about the power and influence of district attorneys.
Prior to joining the ACLU of Massachusetts, Rahsaan was the Deputy Director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice where his work included policy and legislative advocacy, community outreach, and maintaining a litigation caseload of voting rights, police misconduct and public accommodations cases. Rahsaan headed up the Voting Rights Project that included the coordination of the statewide Election Protection initiatives, voting rights litigation and his prior involvement in community coalitions on redistricting after the last decennial census.
He also served as an Assistant District Attorney for the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. A significant portion of his work in the DA’s Office included his time in the Safe Neighborhood Initiative and Senior Trial Units where he prosecuted drug, gang, and homicide cases.
In addition to leading the ACLU of Massachusetts’ Racial Justice Program. He also serves on the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation’s board of directors, the Hyams Foundation’s board of trustees, and is a member of the Massachusetts IOLTA Committee.
Rahsaan is admitted to practice in Massachusetts and the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. He is a graduate of The Ohio State University (B.A.), Northeastern University School of Law (J.D.) and Andover Newton Theological School (M.Div.). He is an ordained reverend in the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
Wesley Caines
As a former Reentry and Community Outreach Coordinator, Wesley worked within the Civil Action Practice to provide comprehensive reentry and reintegration services to clients and community members. Wesley Caines, a Bronx native, joins The Bronx Defenders from Brooklyn Defender Services where he was Reentry Specialist/Coordinator/Advocate. A graduate of Bard College and New York Theological Seminary, Wesley has a passion for helping people help themselves. He is well suited to the dual task of educating people on issues concerning the criminal justice system as they connect with the positive impact of personal agency within a framework of structural inequality for those who have criminal justice involvement. Wesley is an active member of the American Bar Association, Criminal Justice Section, consulting on criminal justice issues. As a Board member for the Brooklyn Community Bail Fund he lends his expertise in the furtherance of helping those who are economically disadvantaged, to improve their criminal justice outcomes through bail. Wesley’s life goal is the empowerment of underserved communities as they become creative self-advocates who challenge policy-makers’ notion of the social contract.
As a former Reentry and Community Outreach Coordinator, Wesley worked within the Civil Action Practice to provide comprehensive reentry and reintegration services to clients and community members. Wesley Caines, a Bronx native, joins The Bronx Defenders from Brooklyn Defender Services where he was Reentry Specialist/Coordinator/Advocate. A graduate of Bard College and New York Theological Seminary, Wesley has a passion for helping people help themselves. He is well suited to the dual task of educating people on issues concerning the criminal justice system as they connect with the positive impact of personal agency within a framework of structural inequality for those who have criminal justice involvement. Wesley is an active member of the American Bar Association, Criminal Justice Section, consulting on criminal justice issues. As a Board member for the Brooklyn Community Bail Fund he lends his expertise in the furtherance of helping those who are economically disadvantaged, to improve their criminal justice outcomes through bail. Wesley’s life goal is the empowerment of underserved communities as they become creative self-advocates who challenge policy-makers’ notion of the social contract.
Rev. Dominique Gilliard
Dominique Dubois Gilliard is the Director of Racial Righteousness and Reconciliation for the Love Mercy Do Justice(LMDJ) initiative of the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC). He is the author of Rethinking Incarceration: Advocating for Justice that Restores, which won the 2018 Book of the Year Award for InterVarsity Press. Gilliard also serves on the board of directors for the Christian Community Development Association and Evangelicals for Justice. In 2015, he was selected as one of the ECC’s “40 Under 40” leaders to watch, and the Huffington Post named him one of the “Black Christian Leaders Changing the World.”
An ordained minister, Gilliard has served in pastoral ministry in Atlanta, Chicago, and Oakland. He was executive pastor of New Hope Covenant Church in Oakland, California and also served in Oakland as the associate pastor of Convergence Covenant Church. He was also a campus minister at North Park University and the racial righteousness director for ECC’s ministry initiatives in the Pacific Southwest Conference.
Gilliard earned a bachelor’s degree in African American Studies from Georgia State University and a master’s degree in history from East Tennessee State University, with an emphasis on race, gender, and class in the United States. He also earned an MDiv from North Park Seminary, where he served as an adjunct professor teaching Christian ethics, theology, and reconciliation.
Dominique Dubois Gilliard is the Director of Racial Righteousness and Reconciliation for the Love Mercy Do Justice(LMDJ) initiative of the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC). He is the author of Rethinking Incarceration: Advocating for Justice that Restores, which won the 2018 Book of the Year Award for InterVarsity Press. Gilliard also serves on the board of directors for the Christian Community Development Association and Evangelicals for Justice. In 2015, he was selected as one of the ECC’s “40 Under 40” leaders to watch, and the Huffington Post named him one of the “Black Christian Leaders Changing the World.”
An ordained minister, Gilliard has served in pastoral ministry in Atlanta, Chicago, and Oakland. He was executive pastor of New Hope Covenant Church in Oakland, California and also served in Oakland as the associate pastor of Convergence Covenant Church. He was also a campus minister at North Park University and the racial righteousness director for ECC’s ministry initiatives in the Pacific Southwest Conference.
Gilliard earned a bachelor’s degree in African American Studies from Georgia State University and a master’s degree in history from East Tennessee State University, with an emphasis on race, gender, and class in the United States. He also earned an MDiv from North Park Seminary, where he served as an adjunct professor teaching Christian ethics, theology, and reconciliation.
Ian Manuel
Ian Manuel was released from prison after being sentenced to die in prison for shooting a woman during a robbery in Tampa, Florida, when he was just 13 years old.
Ian's lawyer told the 13-year-old to plead guilty and the judge would be lenient, but the judge instead imposed a sentence of life imprisonment without parole. Ian became one of the youngest children condemned to die in prison in the United States.
Because he was a very small boy, state prison officials decided to place Ian in solitary confinement, where he remained for the next 20 years. The extended isolation was extremely challenging, abusive, and destructive.
With few contacts on the outside, Ian reached out to the shooting victim, Debbie Berkovits, to ask for her forgiveness, which she gave. A remarkable relationship emerged in which Ms. Berkovits became a supporter for a reduced sentence for Ian.
Ian Manuel was released from prison after being sentenced to die in prison for shooting a woman during a robbery in Tampa, Florida, when he was just 13 years old.
Ian's lawyer told the 13-year-old to plead guilty and the judge would be lenient, but the judge instead imposed a sentence of life imprisonment without parole. Ian became one of the youngest children condemned to die in prison in the United States.
Because he was a very small boy, state prison officials decided to place Ian in solitary confinement, where he remained for the next 20 years. The extended isolation was extremely challenging, abusive, and destructive.
With few contacts on the outside, Ian reached out to the shooting victim, Debbie Berkovits, to ask for her forgiveness, which she gave. A remarkable relationship emerged in which Ms. Berkovits became a supporter for a reduced sentence for Ian.
José Santos Woss
José is the Legislative Manager for Criminal Justice and Election Integrity. He leads FCNL’s work on criminal justice reform, election integrity, and policing. He helps to lead the Interfaith Criminal Justice Coalition, an alliance of more than 40 national faith groups advocating to end mass incarceration.
Prior to joining FCNL, José was the Policy Fellow for the American Friends Service Committee bringing Quaker values to a busy policy portfolio consisting of criminal justice reform, human rights, and peacebuilding research. His passion for racial justice led him to help lead a coalition advocating for the human rights of Dominicans of Haitian descent facing statelessness. Before joining the Quaker community he lobbied on public health and appropriations for a large, international law firm. José started his career in public policy working in the United States Senate. While working for Senator Robert Menendez Jose built a robust understanding of public policy, legislative process, and effectively communicating policy/politics to constituents.
Before his time in the Senate, Jose was a social worker for HIV-positive clients in New York City. While attending Montclair State University and right after graduating he served as an AmeriCorps member in a community-based, immigrant-serving nonprofit helping recently-arrived African refugees in New Jersey. He also provided French interpretation and translation services for Survivors of Torture counseling and USCIS asylum interviews. José’s national service and time as a social worker illustrated the ways society and institutions are built to leave so many people behind.
Jose is a proud son of immigrants who’s passionate about political process, public service, and social justice. Jose is fluent in three languages. He attained the degree of Master of Public Administration from American University and is a graduate of Montclair State University. He tweets a little too much, reads about race and history, and tries to overcome his reputation as a bad cook.
José is the Legislative Manager for Criminal Justice and Election Integrity. He leads FCNL’s work on criminal justice reform, election integrity, and policing. He helps to lead the Interfaith Criminal Justice Coalition, an alliance of more than 40 national faith groups advocating to end mass incarceration.
Prior to joining FCNL, José was the Policy Fellow for the American Friends Service Committee bringing Quaker values to a busy policy portfolio consisting of criminal justice reform, human rights, and peacebuilding research. His passion for racial justice led him to help lead a coalition advocating for the human rights of Dominicans of Haitian descent facing statelessness. Before joining the Quaker community he lobbied on public health and appropriations for a large, international law firm. José started his career in public policy working in the United States Senate. While working for Senator Robert Menendez Jose built a robust understanding of public policy, legislative process, and effectively communicating policy/politics to constituents.
Before his time in the Senate, Jose was a social worker for HIV-positive clients in New York City. While attending Montclair State University and right after graduating he served as an AmeriCorps member in a community-based, immigrant-serving nonprofit helping recently-arrived African refugees in New Jersey. He also provided French interpretation and translation services for Survivors of Torture counseling and USCIS asylum interviews. José’s national service and time as a social worker illustrated the ways society and institutions are built to leave so many people behind.
Jose is a proud son of immigrants who’s passionate about political process, public service, and social justice. Jose is fluent in three languages. He attained the degree of Master of Public Administration from American University and is a graduate of Montclair State University. He tweets a little too much, reads about race and history, and tries to overcome his reputation as a bad cook.
Michelle Clifton-Soderstrom
Ordained to word and sacrament in the Evangelical Covenant Church, Dr. Clifton-Soderstrom serves as advisor to the denomination’s Christian Action Committee and sits on the editorial board for the Journal of the Society of Christian Ethics. She attends North Park Covenant Church and is an active volunteer at Peterson Elementary School.
Dr. Clifton-Soderstrom is passionate about North Park’s mission and urban location and enjoys being involved in her students’ lives. “Our students receive a rich academic experience with a faculty who cares about them personally,” says Dr. Clifton-Soderstrom.
Ordained to word and sacrament in the Evangelical Covenant Church, Dr. Clifton-Soderstrom serves as advisor to the denomination’s Christian Action Committee and sits on the editorial board for the Journal of the Society of Christian Ethics. She attends North Park Covenant Church and is an active volunteer at Peterson Elementary School.
Dr. Clifton-Soderstrom is passionate about North Park’s mission and urban location and enjoys being involved in her students’ lives. “Our students receive a rich academic experience with a faculty who cares about them personally,” says Dr. Clifton-Soderstrom.
Judge Juanita Bing Newton
Honorable Juanita Bing Newton is the Dean of the New York State Judicial Institute. Prior to her appointment as Dean in April 2009, Judge Newton served as Deputy Chief Administrative Judge for Justice Initiatives. She also served as the Administrative Judge of the Criminal Court of the City of New York. Judge Newton previously was the Administrative Judge of the New York County Supreme Court, Criminal Term and a felony trial judge. In addition to her trial and administrative experience, Judge Newton has been extensively involved in judicial education. She has actively participated in the Institute for Faculty Excellence in Judicial Education at the University of Memphis as a student, faculty member and advisory board member. During her judicial career, Judge Newton has served on numerous judicial, governmental and bar committees, including the Commission on Judicial Conduct, Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics, Commission on Sentencing Reform, American Bar Association Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defendants, New York County Lawyers’ Association Task Force to Increase Diversity in the Legal Profession, Commission on Drugs and the Courts, Commission on Domestic Violence Fatalities, Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission on Minorities in the Courts and New York State Judicial Committee on Women in the Courts. Judge Newton received her B.A. from Northwestern University and her J.D. from The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law.