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Focus on
The AYCGL and Gideon’s Promise
The Andrew Young Center has developed partnerships with organizations that advance social justice, equality, and the transformation of marginalized communities. Gideon’s Promise is one such organization. Founded by Jonathan Rapping and Ilham Askia, Gideon’s Promise provides training and support to public defenders, extending access to justice to indigent defendants in the criminal legal system. As Rapping describes it in his book, the work of public defenders is critical to disrupting the system of mass incarceration, which disproportionately effects black and brown people. By offering their clients a vigorous, constitutionally guaranteed legal defense, the public defenders trained by Gideon’s Promise give a voice and human face to their clients in a system that has historically been dehumanizing. In support of their work in 2021, the Andrew Young Center recruited, placed, and supported twelve students for short-term, summer, and semester internships, which allowed them to gain insight into the criminal legal system and the work of non-profit organizations.
The testimonials and experiences of the interns indicate the impact of their service. Derrick Graham, a senior political science major from New Orleans, Louisiana, reflected that “this internship opportunity by Gideon’s Promise has been one of the most positive experiences that I have had while at Morehouse. It has changed my outlook on law and has altered my career trajectory.” Raymond Vincent, ’21, a philosophy major and leadership studies minor from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, worked with the organization’s communications team and created content that helped spread the word about Gideon’s Promise. And Emmanuel Eziakor, a senior Biology major and Psychology minor from Austell, Georgia, learned that “public defenders play an important role in providing defense to those who do not have enough resources to afford adequate defense.”
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