Charlotte Ray was the first African American woman to become a licensed lawyer in the United States, passing the bar in 1872. During her career, cut short by discrimination, she accomplished the seemingly impossible task of securing a divorce for Martha Gadley, a poor black woman, by vividly chronicling the abuse Ms. Gadley suffered. 

The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls carries on Charlotte Ray’s legacy by seeking compassionate release for women incarcerated in the Bureau of Prisons.  To beat the odds as Ms. Ray did, the project matches incarcerated clients with a team of law students, a formerly incarcerated mentor, and a lawyer to petition the courts for freedom. 

  Project teams work under the principles of movement lawyering, which centers the story of the client and speaks truth to power. Compassionate Release motions strive to explain why a woman landed on a prison bunk and then offer a compelling legal argument to allow the judge to grant her freedom. The motions also educate judges about the dismal medical care in prison and the disinformation the Bureau of Prisons is spreading about COVID-19 and its efforts to stop the spread of the disease.

The CRP benefits its participants as well as its clients. It introduces law students to movement lawyering principles and allows them to benefit from the expertise of their formerly incarcerated mentors. Mentors are able to help those still behind the walls, get access to legal resources, and expand their skills to help them enter law school should they so choose.