Growing the Movement, Sharing the Tools

At Sur Legal, we seek to democratize legal knowledge and provide legal support and practical tools to grassroots movements fighting for economic, racial, and social justice in the South. So far this year, our staff and leadership have been building new connections across the state, the Deep South, and nationally, sharing knowledge and expertise, and breaking down complex issues residing at the intersection of labor rights, immigration rights, and mass decarceration. 

New Partnerships in Athens, Georgia

Developing partnerships to further our reach and impact is a key strategy for the Sur Legal team. Our Legal Director, Elizabeth Zambrana, and Legal Advocate, Stephanie Lopez-Burgos, delivered a training in February to two new partners in Athens, Georgia—the Economic Justice Coalition (EJC), a worker center, and immigrant rights organization, Dignidad Inmigrante en Athens (DIA)—so that they can support Black and brown workers in North Georgia to file labor complaints and obtain protections from deportation. 

“In order for workers to use their rights, they have to know what violations look like and how to respond by filing complaints with the proper agencies. Through a survey we found out what topics workers were most interested in learning about,” shared Broderick Flanigan, Executive Director of EJC. “We are happy to collaborate with Sur Legal to educate workers about their rights. At our most recent workshop we discussed how to respond to and recognize certain labor violations and workers asked great follow up questions for clarity.”

Teter Gaona, Director of DIA, shared, “In this workshop, which was very productive and covered very interesting topics, we addressed that many of us immigrants are unaware of our rights as workers, and Sur Legal provided us with a fuller picture of what our rights are. The team's explanations were very understandable, they were open to questions, and they were absolutely trustworthy. We know that an informed community is a safer community.”

With our next joint workshop already in the works for later in April, we look forward to building this partnership as the year goes on!

Sharing Knowledge Nationwide 

This year, our Co-Founder and Executive Director, Shelly Anand was awarded a fellowship with Workshop, an organization that “convenes former appointees to learn from past policy-making moments and support more effective executive action.” Shelly was awarded this fellowship based on her experience as a career trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and her expertise litigating Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cases. As a part of the fellowship, Shelly and the Sur Legal team are participating in a project known as the U.S. Department of Labor Strategic Partnership (DSEP), which supports worker centers across the country in their advocacy work with DOL agencies. On February 16, in partnership with WeCount!, Shelly provided a training entitled “How to OSHA,” providing advocates from worker centers across the country with tools and tips on how to effectively utilize the OSHA complaint process. The second training for this fellowship will be later in April and will focus on how to support workers on OSHA complaints and other labor complaints related to heat stress.

Later in March, Shelly was invited to speak on a panel hosted by the Aspen Institute’s Food & Society Program and Economic Opportunities Program on the rights of poultry workers. Entitled “Workers on the Line: Improving Jobs in Meat and Poultry Processing”, the panel was well-attended, and we are incredibly grateful to co-panelist, Debbie Berkowitz—Fellow at the Georgetown University Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor—for inviting Shelly to participate. Panelists discussed the challenges workers face, ideas for improving their jobs and well-being, and the policies and practices to reshape this industry and build a sustainable system where workers, consumers, and businesses thrive together.

WATCH: Workers on the Line - Improving Jobs in Meat and Poultry Processing

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Sharing knowledge and putting legal tools in the hands of the people is at the core of everything we do here at Sur Legal Collaborative. If you’re interested in learning more about our work, our availability for training and speaking opportunities, and our Know Your Rights initiatives, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at info@surlegal.org.