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Defying Legal Gravity

@defyinglegalgravity

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We give youth access keys to the law. On a mission to democratize the law, legally empower communities, and build a national mvmt for legal literacy.

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Join us for Youth Justice Action Month on Thursday, October 22, from 3–7 PM at Marcus Garvey Park! 🎉

Come connect with valuable resources, enjoy giveaways and have a great time ✨

📍 Marcus Garvey Park (Madison Ave between E. 120th & E. 124th St)
🗓️ Thursday, October 22
⏰ 3:00–7:00 PM

Scan the QR code or link in bio to RSVP and pull up! 💙🧡

#youthjustice #youthjusticeactionmonth #newyorkcity #communityengagement #NYCevents This image is a poster for Youth Justice Action Month. It invites people to join an event on Thursday, October 22nd, from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Marcus Garvey Park, located on Madison Ave between E. 120 St & E. 124 St. The poster highlights opportunities to build resumes, connect with resources, win giveaways, and participate in a talent show. It includes a QR code to RSVP and features a hashtag mentioning "Right to Remain Silent." Below the poster, there is a photo of people gathered outdoors in a park, with trees and a sunny sky in the background.

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📣 Your NYC voice = real change. 💥

If you’re 18–26, we want to hear from YOU! 💬 Take our quick survey and help us shine a light on the legal challenges young adults face every day. Your input will help shape better resources, stronger advocacy, and a more just future.

✨ It only takes a few minutes, but your impact can last much longer.

🔗 Hit the link in our bio or comment SURVEY ! To get the link.

#PeerJusticeAdvocates #AccessToJustice #YouthVoice #YoungAdults #communitymatters

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We are a coalition of young adults helping communities receive legal literacy. Follow along on our summer mission.⚖️ #justice #legal #advocates

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We are a coalition of young adults helping communities receive legal literacy. Follow along on our summer mission.⚖️ #justice #legal #advocates

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Youth incarceration is a public health crisis - let's talk about solutions. Join the Youth Justice & Opportunities Coalition on June 16th from 2PM - 5PM for "From Harm to Healing: Rethinking Youth Incarceration through Public Health", a symposium hosted at @cunylaw

The event will feature a fireside chat between Reggie Chatman, MPH, Director of Policy at The Fortune Society (@fortunesociety) and pediatrician Dr. David Bell, followed by a panel of directly impacted young people and service providers.

We look forward to having you there. RSVP at the link in bio! 🔗

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Link to this opportunity:
https://www.defyinglegalgravity.org/apply

Clickable links are saved in the Highlights section. Most posts are categorized under multiple Highlight sections

If you cannot find Link or you are searching for a particular Link, please dm or comment and we will endeavor to help

Follow @student.opportunities.nyc for more free (or subsidized) competition, volunteering and internship opportunities

Follow @scholar.readiness for quick, powerful lessons that set you up for success in school

Please make sure to visit the organization's site for additional details and updates

We share opportunities to inform and empower our community. Please note that inclusion does not imply endorsement or partnership

#studentopportunities #studentopportunitiesnyc
#highschoolopportunities
#nycstudents #youthempowerment

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🎤 MIC CHECK: DEMOCRACY. TEEN POETRY SLAM.

The New York primary elections (June 23rd, 2026) are quickly approaching. And it’s often a confusing and stressful time for young people, their stakeholders who are oftentimes working people, and those who don’t feel included in the election process.

We linked up with our partners at NYC Votes, New York Public Library (SNFL branch), and Defying Legal Gravity to get young people in a room and prepare. Our voices matter, and civic engagement goes beyond voting.

It was an honor and privilege to host a poetry slam with student led presentations throughout the event to help educate us on our city’s priorities, while the poems entertained and uplifted us with our city’s stories.

At the Mic Check: Democracy Teen Poetry Slam, we all learned something new and felt more encouraged to continue being the change we want to see!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all the poets and participants involved! You are the future and the present.

🗣️ LET’S GO!!!

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🎤🗳️ MIC CHECK: DEMOCRACY. Teen Poetry Slam.

Calling all teen poets! Pull up for an afternoon of youth power, creativity, and straight up vibes with Urban Word, NYC Votes, Defying Legal Gravity, and The New York Public Library.

Whether you’re new to poetry or true to it, whether you can vote or are still finding your voice, this space is for YOU. All are welcome.

📅 May 9th, 2026
📍 Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library, 7th Floor
⏱️ 2:00pm - 4:00pm

💥 SLAM DETAILS 💥
Round 1: 3-minute poem, any topic
Round 2: 1-minute poem response to prompt…
🗽 “If young people built New York’s $260 billion budget, what would it look like? Why?”

🏆 Cash prizes: $300, $200, $100

This is more than a poetry slam. It is a representation of youth voice, civic energy, and community ahead of the primary elections.

Come spit a poem, snap your fingers, cheer from the crowd, and speak your truth.

🍕 Pizza
🎁 Giveaways (FREE BOOKS)
📚 Library cards
🗳️ Optional voter registration

Come for the poems.
Stay for the energy.
Leave empowered.

🔗 Registration Link in Bio
(SLAM POETS MUST SIGN UP).

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New Yorkers who shared their city with us 🫶

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Last month we were honored to be in Chicago for the NYU Bernstein Institute Legal Empowerment Convening — a gathering of revolutionary freedom fighters from across the country and around the world. 🌍 ✊

When communities have the tools to know, use, shape and transform the laws and systems that impact their lives — that’s power. Sessions were led by former jailhouse lawyers and other people who used the law as a tool for survival and liberation.

We are so grateful for every connection made, every strategy shared, and every new partnership formed. The energy in that room reminded us why we do this work — and we left with fresh ideas, deeper relationships, and renewed fire to empower communities together. The movement is alive. Let’s build. 🔥

#legalempowerment #participatorydefense #grassrootsjustice #freedomfighters #communitypower

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Free Legal Workshops for Teens!

@nypl & @defyinglegalgravity are offering a FREE 12-week legal literacy series for grades 9-12.

📍 Where: @riversidenypl at 127 Amsterdam Avenue
📆 When: March 2–May 21, 2026
🕑 Time: Every Mon & Thurs, 4–6 PM
❓ What: Learn basic legal concepts and tools to transform your community

Drop-ins welcome, plus a certificate and special gift for attending a certain number of sessions! Snacks provided 🍿

#LegalLiteracy #NYPL #LawForTeens #FreeWorkshop

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Earlier this month, we joined a conversation with authors Bianca Tylek (The Prison Industry) and Nell Bernstein (In Our Future We Are Free), in dialogue with our Executive Director Julia Davis, hosted by our board member Maggie Lear.

We explored how prisons persist, the human cost of incarceration, and what it takes to dismantle these systems while centering care, justice, and community.

📚 The Prison Industry: Reveals the financial and political forces that keep prisons and jails in place.

📚 In Our Future We Are Free: Shows how communities came together to dismantle a youth prison system rooted in racial harm.

#youthjustice #justicereform #nycyouth #nonprofitsofinstagram #nonprofitsofnewyork #bookstagram #booktok #reading #mustread A group of panelists talking and audience listening in the background.

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