Announcing: Jill Dupont Memorial Fellowship of the Collaboration for Justice
Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts, an affiliate of Appleseed, and the Chicago Council of Lawyers, Chicago’s public interest bar association, are incredibly honored to announce the creation of the Jill Dupont Memorial Fellowship of the Collaboration for Justice.
Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts improves lives by improving the courts by advocating for a legal system that is equitable, accessible, and fair to all people; efficient so justice is not delayed; and effective in seeking solutions to social injustices. The Chicago Council of Lawyers is the lawyer organization which focuses on advocating for a fair and efficient administration of justice.
Together, our two organizations work as the Collaboration for Justice to investigate the causes of systemic injustice in our courts, proposing effective solutions and working for their implementation.
Since 1997, our Collaboration’s expert research provides an objective basis for constructive and realistic recommendations for change in inefficient and unjust social and legal systems. These recommendations are made with the goal of making the best possible changes to positively impact the largest number of people. Based on our recommendations, we advocate for fair systemic change to benefit all Cook County residents. We take public positions on critical issues, comment on legislation, work to create and pass bills at the local and state levels, speak out through the media, and collaborate with organizations nationwide to improve the administration of justice.
Today, we are excited to announce a renewal of that shared legacy with the creation of the Jill Dupont Memorial Fellowship of the Collaboration for Justice.
For nearly three decades, Jill Dupont taught, researched and wrote about American and African American History at the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, the University of North Texas in Denton, and the University of Chicago, where she earned her Ph.D. Dr. Dupont authored numerous articles for academic publications, held important positions on college and community boards and committees, and won prestigious awards from schools and students, including St. Scholastica’s 2017 Inclusive Excellence Award, given to the faculty or staff who best advanced that principle. Despite her many accomplishments, what mattered most to Jill was her classroom instruction and interaction. Her students at St. Scholastica rewarded that effort in 2013 by selecting her for the Tassie McNamara Award, the highest honor given by the school’s student body.
Jill passed away recently after a long battle with breast cancer. Her devotion to research into social justice issues and her love of teaching makes her a particularly meaningful namesake of a Fellowship for the Collaboration for Justice which prides itself on research-oriented approaches to systemic change and our commitment to student interns as the future of systemic reform.
Our Collaboration would like to thank the Dupont Family for their donation of a substantial contribution to fund the Jill Dupont Memorial Fellowship for up to 5 years. This Fellowship will provide an opportunity to fund a highly-qualified, diverse group of social justice advocates who are committed to improving our court system.
We are thrilled to announce that our first Jill Dupont Memorial Fellow will be Jennifer Won Young Lee. Jennifer has been in the criminal defense field since 2013. She graduated with a B.A. in political science from Indiana University Bloomington, where she was a member of the Pi Sigma Alpha National Political Science Honors Society and wrote her thesis on complex social welfare issues in South Korea. Her passion for criminal justice began when she interned at a public defender’s office, and this same passion has led her to roles with the Center on Wrongful Convictions, Center on Capital Punishment, Center on International Human Rights, and the Appellate Advocacy Clinic at the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law’s Bluhm Legal Clinic.
Jennifer will be coordinating the Collaboration for Justice’s Judicial Excellence Program. She has a certificate in paralegal studies from Duke University and is an active member of the Chicago Paralegal Association. Jennifer will assist in our court-watching efforts and around programs that focus on the quality and independence of state, immigration and administrative law judges.