Mayor Katjana Ballantyne was awarded the Diversity Champion Award by the Lawyers for Civil Rights.
Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) bestowed their Diversity Champion Award on Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne at their annual Civil Rights Reception on June 26, 2025. According to the organization, this award is presented to steadfast champions of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Mayor Ballantyne was selected to receive this honor in 2025 based on her visionary leadership and distinguished service in helping to keep her city of Somerville vibrant, thriving, safe, and diverse.
LCR is currently representing the City of Somerville in a lawsuit against President Donald Trump. They filed a federal lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s efforts to coerce them into participating in mass deportation efforts. Most recently they asked a federal court to issue a preliminary injunction to block the Trump Administration’s attempts to strip federal funding.
“Our residents know that our community is safer when police focus on preventing crime rather than raiding the local sandwich shop. We know that stripping cities of their rights erodes everyone’s rights. We know that spreading hate and lies about an entire group of people has historically led to harm and injustice for all. And we know that withholding federal funding for no good reason threatens the health and safety of all residents,” said Ballantyne.
The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law of the Boston Bar Association was formed in 1968. Funded with a grant from the Ford Foundation and contributions from major Boston law firms, they became the first of eight independent affiliates of the national Lawyers’ Committee.
Lawyers For Civil Rights
Phone: (617) 482-1145
[email protected]
