After a Covid hiatus, The First Parish in Bedford, Unitarian Universalist, announces the return of the Spirit of Democracy speaker series that is held in honor of the late Reverend Jack Mendelsohn, a lifelong civil rights and human rights activist.
Each year, a distinguished individual who embodies the spirit of democracy in their work and their life is selected to share their inspiration.
This year’s featured speaker is attorney Sophia Hall from Lawyers for Civil Rights, Boston. She will speak during the regular worship service at The First Parish in Bedford on the Common at 10 a.m. on Sunday, April 2. She will also join in for a question-and-answer discussion after refreshments.
Attorney Hall’s cutting-edge legal work is regularly featured in publications such as the New York Times, the Boston Globe, the Boston Business Journal, and NPR. She actively represents people of color and immigrant women to protect their rights in the workplace and the community.
Hall’s litigation, education, and advocacy efforts address a broad range of civil rights matters, such as racial profiling, barriers to diversity in public agencies, police bias training, students with disabilities in trade schools, non-partisan election protection, and the plight of immigrants such as those displaced to Martha’s Vineyard.
Most recently, she filed a landmark sexual harassment lawsuit against a prominent national restaurant chain expanding #MeToo to #YoTambien. In her talk, Attorney Hall will address some of these leading issues.
Among Attorney Hall’s numerous awards are:
- Lawyer of the Year, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly (2020)
- Top Lawyers, Boston Magazine (2021)
- Boston’s Most Impactful Black Women (2021)
- Women’s Bar Association’s Emerging Women Leaders in the Law Award
- Boston’s Top 25 Most Influential Millennials of Color
- Greater Boston’s 50 Most Influential Attorneys of Color
