Housing Rights
Fair housing laws, tenant protections, eviction defense, and fighting housing discrimination.
Learn More →121212 Empire — Legal Education
Knowledge is Your
First Defense.
Legal education, policy updates, and know-your-rights resources built by and for the Black community. Because understanding the law is how you protect yourself, your family, and your future.
Your Rights
Know Your Rights.
From housing to the courtroom — understand the laws that govern your daily life. Broken down clearly, without the legalese.
Criminal Justice
Your rights during stops, searches, arrests, and at every stage of the criminal legal system.
Learn More →Voting Rights
Voter ID laws, registration rights, polling access, and how to fight voter suppression.
Learn More →Employment Law
Workplace discrimination, wrongful termination, wage theft, and EEOC complaint processes.
Learn More →Business Formation
LLCs, contracts, IP protection, and the legal foundation for building generational wealth.
Learn More →Family Law
Custody, child support, CPS interactions, domestic violence protections, and parental rights.
Learn More →
Featured Guide
Essential Reading.
Must Read
What to Do When You're Stopped by Police
A police encounter can escalate in seconds. Knowing your rights before it happens is the difference between protecting yourself and unknowingly forfeiting your rights. This guide covers exactly what to do — and what not to do — in the moment.
- Stay calm. You have the right to remain silent — invoke it clearly: "I am invoking my right to remain silent."
- You can refuse a search. Say: "I do not consent to a search." This matters even if they search anyway.
- Ask if you are free to go. If not detained, you may leave. If detained, ask why.
- Do not physically resist, even if the stop is unlawful. Fight it in court, not on the street.
- Request an attorney immediately if arrested: "I want a lawyer." Then stop talking.
- Document everything you can remember as soon as it's safe — witnesses, badge numbers, time, location.
Policy Watch
Bills & Policies Affecting Black America.
Laws are made while most people aren't watching. We watch so you can act.
John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act
ActiveWould restore and strengthen the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by requiring federal preclearance for voting law changes in jurisdictions with a history of discrimination.
🏛 FederalGeorge Floyd Justice in Policing Act
At RiskTargets police misconduct by banning chokeholds, limiting qualified immunity, and creating a national police misconduct registry. Stalled in the Senate.
🏛 FederalFair Chance Housing Ordinances
PassedCity-level laws limiting landlords from using criminal history to deny housing. Now active in Seattle, Denver, and several other major cities.
🗺 State/LocalCROWN Act (Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair)
PendingProhibits discrimination based on hair texture and protective hairstyles. Passed in 24 states; pending federal passage.
🏛 Federal + 24 States
Free & Low-Cost Help
Legal Resources You Can Access Today.
You don't have to afford a private attorney to get legal help. These organizations exist to serve communities like yours.
NAACP Legal Defense Fund
The nation's premier civil rights legal organization, fighting for racial justice in courts, communities, and schools since 1940.
Visit Resource →Legal Aid Society
Provides free civil legal services for low-income individuals, including housing, family, and immigration matters.
Visit Resource →Know Your Rights Camp
Founded by Colin Kaepernick — free legal clinics and know-your-rights education sessions in cities across the U.S.
Visit Resource →ACLU
American Civil Liberties Union — defends civil rights and liberties in courts, legislatures, and communities nationwide.
Visit Resource →Innocence Project
Works to exonerate the wrongfully convicted through DNA testing and reforms the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice.
Visit Resource →Black Legal Action Centre
Canada-based legal clinic addressing anti-Black racism through public interest litigation, community legal education, and advocacy.
Visit Resource →
Get Connected
Need legal help?
Need legal help?
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Tell us about your situation. We'll connect you with free or low-cost legal resources in your area — or point you toward the right organization for your specific issue.
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No income requirements to submit
We respond within 1–3 business days
Available in all 50 states
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Community Knowledge
The community teaches the community.
You don't need a law degree to share what you know. Local ordinances, landlord experiences, police encounter stories, policy breakdowns — your first-hand knowledge can protect someone else.
We review all submissions for accuracy and publish the strongest ones as community-verified guides.
Submit Your KnowledgeKnow-Your-Rights Stories
Share what happened and how you handled it. Real encounters help others prepare for the same.
Local Ordinance Breakdowns
Every city and county has its own rules. Help your neighbors by breaking down what applies in your area.
Policy Analyses
Understand a bill or policy change? Write it up plainly. Community-vetted policy breakdowns are more trusted than media summaries.
Resource Submissions
Know a local legal aid clinic, pro-bono attorney, or advocacy group that should be on this site? Tell us.