Message From Our Executive Director
Recently, at the end of a comprehensive legal needs assessment and a strategic planning exercise, Maryland Legal Aid adopted a human rights framework within which the interests of low-income clients will be pursued.
This has fueled excitement and a feeling of rejuvenation in our law firm—and it’s not difficult to understand why.
The opinions of many social scientists and others suggest that the progress and development of a society can be measured by the conditions in which the most vulnerable members find themselves—and that society’s response. Most developed countries commit to the principle that every human is endowed with certain unalienable rights and expectations from the larger community.
In the U.S., that widely accepted norm is expressed very eloquently in the Declaration of Independence: “that all men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Surely, this tenant applies not only to the strong and powerful, but also to the most vulnerable among us, such as children, the infirm, the disabled and the poor.
After all, the Bill of Rights of the Constitution clearly enumerates a number of rights such as freedom of speech, religion and assembly that align with the principle of liberty. Other ideals, which are not enumerated, but are no less important—such as the right to adequate housing, health, education, work and safety—are not only consistent with “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” but are intertwined with them.
Among our policy makers and significant leaders there is a widespread consensus that the principles of human rights apply to everyone, including the poor and less capable among us. At the same time, however, there are significant differences about the most appropriate and meaningful ways to achieve them.
Legal services advocates face the same dilemma. We are continually exploring issues related to the need to provide the most effective outcomes for our clients, while armed with very scarce and unstable resources—and often in an environment that is unfriendly to our clients and fraught with barriers.
The adoption of the human rights framework contributes at least three positive influences to our work. First, it enables us to be conversant and articulate in a language that resonates among a wide range of communities, organizations and entities engaged in efforts to address the plight of the poor and other marginalized populations.
Second, it facilitates easy entry into and participation in a broad network of human rights partners. And third, the human rights framework makes available to legal services advocates additional tools such as human rights conventions, treaties, commissions and monitoring.
Without a doubt, the journey forward will encounter bumps and challenges. But with a renewed commitment and a conviction regarding the feasibility and appropriateness of a human rights framework, Legal Aid will zealously and competently provide our clients the highest quality services.
Wilhelm H. Joseph Jr.
Executive Director
