Protecting and preserving civil rights
There are two ways, Shatorah Roberson ’12 points out, in which lawyers can make the world better.
One is case by case—solving problems for individuals. And then there’s the high-level work that can make a difference on a broad scale. “If I can do it, I prefer to work on a more macro basis—to effectuate change on a policy level, and to be creative in doing that,” she says.
Roberson found space to exercise that philosophy as chief diversity officer for the City of Buffalo, overseeing and implementing the city’s poverty-fighting Opportunity Agenda and doing a lot of community outreach. She took it into private industry as well, helping to move the needle on clean energy solutions as managing policy adviser for Tesla, working out of the company’s Gigafactory New York in South Buffalo.
Now, as senior policy counsel at Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, she is bringing her expertise to the federal level. Based in Washington, D.C., the organization—nonprofit and nonpartisan—uses the tools of law to further the goal of racial justice through litigation, public policy and advocacy. It was founded in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy as a catalyst for the emerging civil rights movement.
As part of the organization’s Public Policy Project, Roberson works on policy issues at the federal government level. It’s a broad agenda, using a racial justice lens to address issues including employment, fair housing, education, voting rights, health care and the criminal justice system. Within that wide range, she is joining the Digital Justice Initiative, looking to ensure or develop civil rights in such rapidly evolving areas as consumer privacy protection, biometric scanning, and artificial intelligence.
She’s new in the position but sees it as the right fit at the right time. “The interesting thing about my background is that it’s uniquely situated for a role like this,” Roberson says. “It felt like it was serendipitous for me, because it hits on so many levels. I have a background working on federal issues like immigration, I’ve worked in government, I have a background in social work, I’ve worked on tech policy for one of biggest companies on the planet.”
The timing, too, Roberson says, feels right. “I see it as being on the front lines, holding the line and being as optimistic as possible that people in power care about civil rights and upholding our constitutional rights. This is an important time to make sure that we’re making good laws, keeping the protections that we have and looking out for our American values.”
Her professional portfolio is varied: working within the organization and with coalition partners; producing educational materials for the public, the media and Congress; composing model legislation and best-practices recommendations; and drafting specific pieces of legislation and working to get them enacted. “We may advocate for or against a particular bill, or a provision within it,” she says. “We want to do our best to provide information about what’s good for civil rights.”
Not that legislation cures all ills. Roberson points out that federal regulations on implementation are where—and here she uses an automotive metaphor—the rubber meets the road.
“You can think of the law as the frame of the car,” she says, “but then you have to ask, how fast does the car go, what kind of seats go into it, what kind of tires, what kind of paint should be used on the body? All of that is determined through a regulatory framework. Regulations don’t get as much attention as flashy legislation, but as they say, the government is in the details.”