The Social Justice Workers
Donation protected
The longer I have practiced law, the more I have recognized there is a critical gap in the public square preventing society from moving forward. The more injustices I've witnessed, the more I recognized that the system is fundamentally broken, and while the public knows this--they have no idea how or why, yet alone where to start in fixing it.
After taking on two cases--that of Kayla Dillinger, a young woman who was raped when she was 17 and literally no one cared, and then that of Christopher Andre Vialva, a federal death row inmate set for execution September 24, 2020 who sought my assistance with the media messaging--I realized that someone has to get loud about the fatal flaws inherent in every level of our society that systematically fails to protect We the People. The laws are rigged in favor of the rich and white, and are designed to be too complicated for the public to even understand how messed up it is. Someone has to get loud and educate the people on the flaws in our system, and demonstrate its failures with human stories.
Too often the lawyers with the knowledge of the system and its failures are too busy fighting it one case at a time to devote their energy to reforming it. Activists who have the grass roots and passion to carry a movement far often don't understand the complicated laws that needs fixed in order to effect real change. And journalists are unable to tell the stories of real injustice in a transformative way unless the activists or lawyers provide them with the information in a way that is easily digestible to the American public in a newsworthy way.
And that is why together with Christopher Vialva and Kayla Dillinger, we have co-founded The Social Justice Workers. A Social Justice PR firm that works to blend the best parts of law, journalism, and activism into a movement that works together to bring about real change. As a lawyer who has studied death penalty law and constitutional law for the last decade, I know exactly where the breakdowns are in the system. And while I was once scolded for my passion and drive to want to "burn down the system" (which was the goal of my clients, and I was more than happy to oblige) because my focus should be on the individual case, I think that thinking is fundamentally flawed. By working to transform the system, you can help your client now, and your clients in the future. But I don't just want to burn it down--I want to rebuild it from the ashes into a system of truly equal justice for all.
I knew I wanted to create this non-profit months ago when I bought the domain socialjusticeworkers.com. But after witnessing what happened to Kayla, and getting to know the corruption present in every single level of Christopher's trial, as well as truly seeing the power of redemption at work, the social justice PR firm came to life.
Since working on Kayla's and Christopher's cases, I have gotten both of them local and national attention. I have gotten Christopher's case featured even in international media. Because of my work, when you google him, you see his face--you see his light--you see his humanity and transformation. And with Kayla's case, believe you me when I tell you we are just getting started with the change we plan to bring about. But I can tell you one thing when we are done: Indiana will care about the rape of women.
It is all but certain Christopher Vialva will be executed on September 24. And while my heart is shattering, I know that by sharing his light with you all on my blog at www.finallylegallyblonde.com, I am helping others feel the pain of the dark system that is capital punishment. I have also been blessed to be the "sunshine" in the darkness of death row for a man with weeks to live. The least I could do is show another human being love and compassion in his final days. And with the launch of the Social Justice Workers, he can die knowing that his name will not be remembered for the worst thing he ever did--but will be associated with the transformative power of redemption and change.
As our first initiative, the Social Justice Workers will be launching "Countdown to an Execution." Inspired by my interaction with Christopher, Countdown to an Execution will work to connect a designated pen pal to an inmate with an execution date who would like to share their final weeks or months sharing their humanity with another human being who can see them as more than the worst thing they ever did. Just as I have shared my exchanges with Christopher, the volunteer will share their experiences--and if requested, even witness the execution--because everyone deserves to have at least one person in the room not participating in or hoping for your death. And by helping shine a light on the humanity of these individuals and the pain and darkness of these executions--I believe we can help bring about the end of the death penalty.
www.socialjusticeworkers.com is coming soon--and while the Social Justice Workers is officially incorporated in the State of Indiana and has a federal EIN number, there are steps that must still be taken to solidify our 501(3)(C) status. However once we are approved--the approval will apply retroactively to make your donation tax deductible!! So please stay tuned!!
If you are interested in volunteering to write a death row inmate, please email me at [email redacted] with the subject "SOCIALJUSTICEWORKERS".
And please share the light by sharing this!
Thank you everyone for your support! It has meant the world to me.
Yours in the struggle,
Ashley, Christopher, and Kayla
After taking on two cases--that of Kayla Dillinger, a young woman who was raped when she was 17 and literally no one cared, and then that of Christopher Andre Vialva, a federal death row inmate set for execution September 24, 2020 who sought my assistance with the media messaging--I realized that someone has to get loud about the fatal flaws inherent in every level of our society that systematically fails to protect We the People. The laws are rigged in favor of the rich and white, and are designed to be too complicated for the public to even understand how messed up it is. Someone has to get loud and educate the people on the flaws in our system, and demonstrate its failures with human stories.
Too often the lawyers with the knowledge of the system and its failures are too busy fighting it one case at a time to devote their energy to reforming it. Activists who have the grass roots and passion to carry a movement far often don't understand the complicated laws that needs fixed in order to effect real change. And journalists are unable to tell the stories of real injustice in a transformative way unless the activists or lawyers provide them with the information in a way that is easily digestible to the American public in a newsworthy way.
And that is why together with Christopher Vialva and Kayla Dillinger, we have co-founded The Social Justice Workers. A Social Justice PR firm that works to blend the best parts of law, journalism, and activism into a movement that works together to bring about real change. As a lawyer who has studied death penalty law and constitutional law for the last decade, I know exactly where the breakdowns are in the system. And while I was once scolded for my passion and drive to want to "burn down the system" (which was the goal of my clients, and I was more than happy to oblige) because my focus should be on the individual case, I think that thinking is fundamentally flawed. By working to transform the system, you can help your client now, and your clients in the future. But I don't just want to burn it down--I want to rebuild it from the ashes into a system of truly equal justice for all.
I knew I wanted to create this non-profit months ago when I bought the domain socialjusticeworkers.com. But after witnessing what happened to Kayla, and getting to know the corruption present in every single level of Christopher's trial, as well as truly seeing the power of redemption at work, the social justice PR firm came to life.
Since working on Kayla's and Christopher's cases, I have gotten both of them local and national attention. I have gotten Christopher's case featured even in international media. Because of my work, when you google him, you see his face--you see his light--you see his humanity and transformation. And with Kayla's case, believe you me when I tell you we are just getting started with the change we plan to bring about. But I can tell you one thing when we are done: Indiana will care about the rape of women.
It is all but certain Christopher Vialva will be executed on September 24. And while my heart is shattering, I know that by sharing his light with you all on my blog at www.finallylegallyblonde.com, I am helping others feel the pain of the dark system that is capital punishment. I have also been blessed to be the "sunshine" in the darkness of death row for a man with weeks to live. The least I could do is show another human being love and compassion in his final days. And with the launch of the Social Justice Workers, he can die knowing that his name will not be remembered for the worst thing he ever did--but will be associated with the transformative power of redemption and change.
As our first initiative, the Social Justice Workers will be launching "Countdown to an Execution." Inspired by my interaction with Christopher, Countdown to an Execution will work to connect a designated pen pal to an inmate with an execution date who would like to share their final weeks or months sharing their humanity with another human being who can see them as more than the worst thing they ever did. Just as I have shared my exchanges with Christopher, the volunteer will share their experiences--and if requested, even witness the execution--because everyone deserves to have at least one person in the room not participating in or hoping for your death. And by helping shine a light on the humanity of these individuals and the pain and darkness of these executions--I believe we can help bring about the end of the death penalty.
www.socialjusticeworkers.com is coming soon--and while the Social Justice Workers is officially incorporated in the State of Indiana and has a federal EIN number, there are steps that must still be taken to solidify our 501(3)(C) status. However once we are approved--the approval will apply retroactively to make your donation tax deductible!! So please stay tuned!!
If you are interested in volunteering to write a death row inmate, please email me at [email redacted] with the subject "SOCIALJUSTICEWORKERS".
And please share the light by sharing this!
Thank you everyone for your support! It has meant the world to me.
Yours in the struggle,
Ashley, Christopher, and Kayla
Organizer
Ashley Eve
Organizer
Indianapolis, IN
