NLADA is honored to announce the formation of the Black Public Defender Association (“BPDA”). BPDA is a new NLADA section and dedicated to the recruitment, support and development of Black advocates working in defender offices on behalf of public defense populations in the legal system.
In recognition of the extreme over-representation of Black people involved in the justice system and the under-representation of Black advocates fighting for their freedom, a group of Black public defenders and social justice advocates from around the country along with NLADA convened to create this new community to strengthen the fight for social justice in the criminal system.
NLADA working with BPDA will work to improve the quality of advocacy provided to low-income communities across the United States by creating and maintaining a national network of skilled Black public defenders and advocates that identify with and are committed to the populations that they serve.
The group’s first formal event, a panel discussion, will be held at the NLADA Annual Conference on Nov. 1-2, 2018 in Houston, Texas. The conversation will focus on the lived experiences of black public defenders. NLADA and the founders will also formally introduce the BPDA, its objectives and goals.
NLADA's sections focus on specialized skills and subjects; enhance information sharing among those with similar interests; and issue statements, take public positions and create materials on relevant topics.
Other NLADA sections include American Council of Chief Defenders, Appellate, Death Penalty Litigation, Latino Advocates, National Alliance of Sentencing Advocates and Mitigation Specialists, National Alliance of Indigent Defense Educators, Native American Law and Technology.