Citigroup
Mara Byrne
My first exposure to the Mississippi Center for Justice was a walking tour of Biloxi, Mississippi with my Citigroup colleagues six months after Hurricane Katrina hit. The importance of the advocacy work of MCJ on behalf of their clients became startlingly clear to me as we walked around. It was as if the hurricane had hit six days previously, not six months previously. The streets literally had no names. Entire homes were gone or completely destroyed. The community had been devastated, and there was no infrastructure in place that would allow the poor, let alone those who had access to resources, to rebuild their lives.
I returned to Mississippi several months later to staff legal clinics that were led by Crystal Utley at MCJ. I was struck by Crystal's deep investment in the lives of every client she came into contact with. As just one example, one of our attorneys assisted a client who had been assaulted at her FEMA trailer park. The attorney agreed to continue to work with the client upon our return from Mississippi. Due to her concern for the client's safety, Crystal followed up with us several times without being asked, to ensure that we knew which avenues to pursue.
MCJ has met the people of Mississippi at their most vulnerable, and it continues to advocate for their best interests in the face of frustrating bureaucratic hurdles. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to contribute in a small way to MCJ's extensive and vital efforts on the coast.