In this episode, Rachel Still and Isabella Lund sit down with Aisha Davis, Senior Policy Counsel at the ACLU of Illinois. Aisha shares her journey as a first-generation lawyer, detailing how her lived experiences and time in law school shaped her path to public interest law. We explore her critical insights on addressing systemic injustices affecting Black and LGBTQ+ communities, the interplay of policy and law, and the challenges of advocating for intersectional issues like police brutality and trans erasure. Aisha also discusses her dissertation on the connections between U.S. segregation and Romanian policies, highlighting how global systems learn from each other. Finally, she offers advice for aspiring changemakers and a thought-provoking vision of what true liberation could mean.

Research & Sources:

https://www.policeforum.org/buildingpublictrust

https://eji.org/issues/policing-in-america/

https://www.hrc.org/resources/understanding-the-transgender-community

https://www.chicagopolice.org/policy-review/interaction-with-transgender-intersex-and-gender-nonconforming-tign-individuals-policy-draft/

Resources:

https://www.hrc.org/resources/understanding-the-transgender-community

https://www.aclu.org/issues/lgbtq-rights/transgender-rights

https://www.aclu.org/police-practices