Letter from the Executive Director

Immediately upon assuming the presidency, President Trump signed an onslaught of executive orders that threaten our fundamental values. Among these actions was the disbanding of the White House Gender Policy Council, an executive order purporting to “Defend Women Against Extremist Gender Ideology and Restore Truth to the Federal Government”, and the repeal of Title IX regulations released in 2024. The growing list of anti-equity actions poses grave threats to our communities. 

This is a time to stand united in the face of powerful opposition. In the words of Hillary Clinton, “When we stand together, we’re stronger together.” The Center remains steadfast in its commitment to achieving gender and racial equity for girls and women in collaboration with our partners and supporters. The work can, and will, get done. 

Here are some ways that we’re remaining nimble in how we pursue our mission in this rapidly changing political and legal landscape:

• Expand gender and racial equity training, resources, and outreach. To address the new gaps in advancing gender and racial justice at the federal level, we are cultivating partnerships with state and local judges and attorneys to end adultification bias against Black girls and the criminalization of women and girls who are survivors of gender-based violence. We will increase the scope of our legal training and education from the 250 attorneys, judges, and advocates we trained in 2024, and we will expand the work to new sectors, including school systems. As part of our work with the Justice for Youth Survivor’s Initiative (JYSI), we’ll develop legal resources for attorneys, judges, and victim advocates, including releasing the nation’s first judicial bench card on adultification bias. 

• Educate and inform policymakers and advocates at the state and local levels. The Center is researching and analyzing state laws that recognize the complex dynamics of gender-based violence and serve as models for other states in protecting survivors who act in self-defense or are coerced into committing criminal acts. And we are collaborating with prosecutors, defense attorneys, and policy advocates to uplift case studies of women and girls who have benefitted from these laws. 

• Support Georgetown Law students. In late January, the U.S. Department of Justice rescinded job offers to graduating law students who had been accepted into the agency’s prestigious Honors Program. As a result, we have received requests from third-year Georgetown Law students looking to secure job or mentorship opportunities upon graduation. The Center will work to connect these students with mentorship and job opportunities and offer motivation to stay the course during this transition. If you are based in the DC area and are interested in providing job opportunities or mentorship to Georgetown Law graduating students, please get in touch with us at genderjusticecenter@georgetown.edu. 

There has never been a more urgent time to champion, protect, and defend gender justice.  The challenges ahead strengthen our resolve to continue to forge a path toward justice alongside our partners and supporters. We hope you’ll join us. 

To stay up-to-date on our evolving work and impact, we invite you to sign up for our mailing list. As an independently-funded organziation, we also invite you to donate to our work to fuel our fight in 2025 and beyond. 

In solidarity,

Rebecca Epstein

Executive Director