FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 19, 2021
ORLEANS PUBLIC DEFENDERS’ VICTOR OLOFIN AND MARKUS RENEAU CHOSEN AS INAUGURAL LEGAL DEFENSE FUND MARSHALL-MOTLEY SCHOLARS
Groundbreaking Program Provides Full Scholarship and Support for the Next Generation of Civil Rights Lawyers; Olofin and Reneau are 2 of the 10 Cohort Across the South
This week, the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund (LDF) announced its inaugural Marshall- Motley Scholars Program recipients. Among the 10-person cohort are OPD Reentry Paralegal Victor Olofin and Staff Investigator Markus Reneau. The groundbreaking program seeks to shape and support the next generation of civil rights lawyers working in service of Black communities in the South. Scholars will receive a full law school scholarship, internships with national and regional civil rights organizations, and a postgraduate fellowship focused on addressing racial justice.
Launched in January 2021, the program is named in honor of Supreme Court justice, legendary civil rights attorney, and LDF founder Thurgood Marshall, and iconic civil rights litigator and the first Black woman to serve as a federal judge, Constance Baker Motley.
Victor and Markus joined OPD at the height of the COVID pandemic and the unprecedented uncertainties and injustices brought by the ongoing crisis, and have been vital to OPD's efforts to protect the rights, health, and safety of our clients and community.
“We are thrilled for Markus and Victor on this extraordinary honor. Without reservation or hesitation, they both dove headfirst into the uncharted crises of COVID19. OPD is better because of their perseverance and commitment to our community. I can think of no one better to carry the torch and further the work toward equity and justice in New Orleans and across the South. It is an honor to call two of the ten part of the OPD family,” said Chief Defender Derwyn Bunton.
A native New Orleanian, Markus joined OPD last year as a 2020 Ben Levick-Sullivan Investigator Fellow. In his time at OPD, he has brought a profound passion and deeply personal connection to New Orleans, and utilized his “unique ability to navigate the cultural divide that often derails the progress of justice.” His dedication has strengthened OPD’s level of representation for people facing an unjust and unforgiving criminal legal system. Markus said of being selected, “I am truly honored and humbled to receive this scholarship. It is assurance that committing to the struggle for racial equity and justice in this country is not a lost cause. I will use this award to fully understand the inner-workings of the Constitution for the United States and strive to ensure that every citizen can enjoy their rights.” Markus will attend Howard University School of Law.
Victor is an integral part of our Reentry Unit. As a DOC Justice Reinvestment Initiative grantee, OPD’s Reentry team works to advocate for incarceration alternatives, more fully support people as they reenter the community, and mitigate the myriad civil legal barriers to reentry and collateral consequences for formerly incarcerated people in Louisiana. Victor has navigated an often complex labyrinth of services and legal issues to ensure the best possible outcome for dozens of Louisianans coming home. Victor said, "It is an honor to belong to the inaugural cohort of Marshall-Motley Scholars. Now I can pursue my passion for racial justice without the crushing burden of law school debt. As a Reentry Paralegal at OPD, I work with clients, attorneys, and staff on justice reform. At Harvard Law School, I will further these efforts. Ultimately, I will wield my J.D. for racial justice on behalf of black communities in the South."
From the LDF Announcement:
Over the next five years, LDF’s MMSP will invest in the education and training of a total of 50 aspiring civil rights attorneys to advocate on behalf of Black communities in the South seeking racial justice and equity. Scholars will be afforded a full law school scholarship for tuition, room and board, and incidentals to alleviate the debt burden that can prevent future lawyers from pursuing a career as a civil rights attorney; summer internships with national and regional civil rights organizations with offices in the South focused on racial justice to jumpstart training in civil rights law; a two-year postgraduate fellowship at civil rights law organizations in the South fighting to achieve racial justice; and access to special trainings sponsored by LDF and the National Academy of Sciences.
For more information on the program and recipients, visit NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, Marshall-Motley Scholars Program.
Left, Victor Olofin; Right, Markus Reneau
