Kemi Mustapha

The Project

Kemi expanded and improved delivery of direct legal services to African-American domestic violence survivors in San Francisco and Oakland through culturally competent representation, advocacy, community education, and collaboration with other legal and social services providers.

Although domestic violence affects households of all racial backgrounds, African-American women are at particularly high risk to experience domestic violence. Unfortunately, this underserved population is also the least likely to access and benefit from domestic violence services. Kemi’s project addressed the challenges uniquely faced by African-American domestic violence survivors that impede effective delivery of services to this population. Her project identified the need for Bay Area Legal Aid and other domestic violence service providers to provide culturally-competent services for African-Americans by making domestic violence resources more relevant to this population’s specific needs and more easily available.

Fellowship Highlights

During her Fellowship, Kemi:

• Obtained numerous orders in family court for the safety and stability of her clients and their children
• Expanded Bay Area Legal Aid’s outreach in predominately African-American neighborhoods in San Francisco and Oakland
• Conducted focus groups with African-American domestic violence survivors to assess community needs and develop appropriate responses
• Created training materials to educate service providers on working with African-American domestic violence survivors and understanding the context in which their abuse occurs

Where are they now?

Kemi works as a Staff Attorney in the Family Law/Domestic Violence Unit for Bay Area Legal Aid.