As part of its Black History Month Celebrations, the MBLA Community Service Committee is proud to collaborate with the Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley, and join attorneys from his office at the Joseph Lee School, 155 Talbot Avenue, Dorchester, for “MBLA Reading Day” on February 24th from 8:30am-9:00am.
The reading program at the Lee School started in September of 2014 as a way to extend the DA’s efforts beyond the courtrooms and reach out to the communities we serve while providing an invaluable service to our children. The program started with volunteers from our office read weekly to (5) 2nd grade classes with the goal of following the same class of children all the way through 5th grade at the Marshall Elementary. With the closing of the Marshall School, we decided to continue our efforts at the Lee Elementary School and it has been very well received by the children and staff members.
Statistical analysis shows that the more children are read to earlier on in their development, the less likely it is that they will enter the criminal justice system later on in life. This program is an example of the emphasis the District Attorney places on preventative prosecution in addition to the day to day work we do in the courtroom.
Our hopes are to have you volunteer for a morning of reading. You would be assigned your own classroom (1st or 2nd grade – approximately 22 kids). It would be great for the kids to learn about what your responsibilities are as an attorney of color in the Commonwealth. You will be joined by one of the DA’s office volunteers who will introduce you to the class. The children very much enjoy meeting new readers and will be very excited to have you in their classroom
Space is limited to the 10 participants. Please register if you are able to commit to the children on this day.
Click here to RSVP
