November 7, 2018: What is Equality
Guest Speaker: Christine Crow
Christine Crow is a radical feminist lawyer and activist based in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Christine holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies from the American University in Washington, D.C., and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Michigan Law School. Her research work has most prominently included a study of the feminist theory of terrorism with the oversight of Professor Catharine A. MacKinnon, a leading feminist and one of the most widely cited legal scholars in the English language whose work has included the creation of the legal claim for sexual harassment in US law and the creation of an international legal claim for rape as an act of genocide. Christine’s research on sexual terrorism led to her participation as a third-year law student in the Michigan Law School’s Research Scholars/SJD Colloquium, where she acted as Commenter—a role previously reserved for law professor faculty—on Dr. Max Waltman’s presentation of his article titled “The Politics of Legal Challenges to Pornography.”
While a law student, Christine served as Selections Editor for the Michigan Journal of Gender & Law, during which time she wrote and saw adopted a novel publishing philosophy to center the Journal on critical issues of intersectional feminism and innovative approaches to legal problems. She also worked on a weekly basis with legal aid attorneys to provide free legal services, including divorce and protective order representation, to survivors of intimate partner violence. Additionally, Christine participated as a student attorney in the Michigan Law Chapter of the International Refugee Assistance Project, the Michigan Law Unemployment Insurance Clinic, and the Michigan Law Human Trafficking Clinic.
As an activist for women’s liberation, Christine founded the Gender Violence Project at Michigan Law, a women-centered anti-hierarchical law student activist organization focused on advocacy, education, consciousness raising, and career building to end gender-based violence. On January 20, 2016, she participated in feminist protest at the US Capitol against Donald Trump’s rise to the United States presidency, which aimed to raise alarm at a continuing move towards fascistic politics in the United States, as well as at a sexual assaulter’s rise to executive power. Images of Christine at the “Future is Feminist” inauguration day blockade and at the Washington, D.C. Women’s March on January 21, 2016 have been aired on US national television, exhibited in an art gallery, and shared as a meme on social media.
Today, Christine works with the Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation, also known as “CAASE,” as Michigan Legal Practitioner Fellow. Since joining CAASE in August of this year, Christine has worked on the organization’s response to proposed anti-victim regulations under and against US federal laws meant to guarantee sex equality in education. Christine is also currently engaged in building a Chicago chapter of the transnational feminist organization Aff3rm, and is in the early stages of founding a new grassroots feminist think tank to contribute to the revival of the United States movement for women’s liberation.
Informed Citizens. Accountable Power. 