Shauna Curphey
I’m a lawyer, researcher and strategist with 15 years of experience collaborating on human and civil rights advocacy projects with grassroots activists, community-based organizations and international NGOs. Before Just Ground, I served as associate general counsel for the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, worked as a human rights analyst for the Institute for Multi-Stakeholder Initiative Integrity, and before that, I ran my own law firm.
My previous projects include research supporting worker-driven social responsibility programs, an in-depth structural analysis of multi-stakeholder initiatives from a human rights perspective, reports on human rights issues tied to natural resource extraction in Myanmar, curriculum development and teaching for civil society advocates from the Mekong region and federal civil rights litigation at both the trial and appellate level. More information on my legal experience is available here.
I hold a B.A. from the Evergreen State College, an M.A. in Communications from the University of Washington, and a J.D., summa cum laude, from Loyola Law School Los Angeles, which I attended as a Public Interest Scholar. I currently collaborate as a partner at Rights CoLab.
Approach
Building Power
Just Ground is committed to work that supports people gaining control over the forces that affect their lives, that addresses power and information asymmetries, and avoids dependency on actors that are not accountable to communities. This approach embraces and owes a debt to those who have articulated what solidarity with directly impacted communities looks like, including policies on community engagement, ethical advocacy, definitions of movement lawyering, principles for democratic organizing, and research on community-led development.
Respectful and Careful Collaboration
Just Ground’s work values the diversity of knowledge and expertise that frontline communities possess and endeavors to remain critically aware of how bias affects perceptions, interactions and judgment. This is an ongoing learning process to approach with humility, and a commitment to being reflective, accountable, and open to change.
Just Ground also acknowledges the stressors frontline communities face and is patient and flexible with collaborators and community partners. Projects proceed carefully, and take the lead from partners on appropriate risk mitigation and timelines to keep everyone safe.