“Law For The People” NLG Convention: Perspective of a First-timer

by Molly Del Howe-Lembcke

The morning of Thursday, October 13, 2011, I awoke in Philadelphia, PA, as an eager law student.  I left Philly on Sunday, October 16th, as so much more – a passionate and inspired comrade in the struggle for justice.

As a first time attendee to the convention and a new guild member, I had no idea what to expect from this convention or its participants.  I spent time carefully choosing the workshops I would attend and printing off needed materials.  After attending a very thought provoking program by the National Police Accountability Project on Thursday I was excited for what lie ahead.  One program worth noting was the Demystifying and Building the Guild workshop.  I walked into the room and was amazed at the turnout of young guilders.  The presenters seemed to share my delight in the attendance of students and young lawyers, especially for a workshop starting at 8:30 am on a Friday. The five participants touched on many topics that I had hoped would be addressed.  Of particular importance to me was a discussion of law school organizing.  Some suggestions were given that seem obvious in retrospect, but that I had not thought of before. In addition, I found it comforting to know that I wasn’t alone in the struggles that come along with trying to organize for change in an oppressive atmosphere such as law school.

The other workshops I attended sparked different areas of interest and with each program I felt a flame ignite within me: a flame to learn, to teach, to listen, to shout, to cry, to laugh, to change.  These flames cannot be attributed solely to the inspirational workshops.  Perhaps most influential was the encouragement I got from the other attendees at the convention.  My identity was not dictated by my level of completed education or by age: what mattered was that I was there.  I met countless sources of inspiration who fueled those flames and aroused a sense of empowerment that I have not felt in a very long time.  I cannot yet put myself in the same category as these revolutionaries but I had the honor of becoming part of a powerful, peaceful, and open community.

The notes that I took and the pamphlets I accumulated will eventually be filed away with other notes and pamphlets.  What will never be filed away though are the conversations I had, the smiles I shared, the tears I shed, the encouragement I received and the inspiration I felt.  During Judith Chomsky’s acceptance of the Karen Detamore Lifetime Achievement Award she said “We are the most optimistic people in the world.”  I am grateful to be a part of this optimistic group of fighters and will never forget my first National Lawyers Guild convention.

3L at Suffolk University Law School