Allendra Letsome, J.D.

I have been with the Young Feminist Task Force ever since it’s first meeting in January of 2003 and have seen it grow from a group of idealistic young women into an actual committee-type group with an internal structure and organization and a tangible presence within the feminist community. During my tenure on the task force, I have progressed from a first year law student at the University of Baltimore in Maryland to a lawyer who has recently been admitted to the Maryland Bar. Knowing that we still have a ways to go, I am grateful to have one more year with the task force.

Prior to my time on the Young Feminist Task Force, I spent my childhood years in Northern California (Oakland, to be precise) and Georgia before settling in Maryland. Coming from an educated and liberal household, democratic ideals and feminist philosophies were an ever-present part of my childhood. I count myself as a feminist by birth, given that I was born six years after the Supreme Court decision of Roe v. Wade. From my perspective, personal choice and personal bodily autonomy are rights granted to me by virtue of simply being born a United States citizen, similar to the pursuit of happiness and freedom of speech. They are not constitutional handouts that can be revoked at the will of the administration.

Being over-educated (also known as “too smart for your own good”) and outspoken were the crosses that I had to bear during my adolescent years. It is torturous to understand the problem and know the solution but not be able to effectively communicate and motivate. Luckily for me, I found my feminist voice during my senior year at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. Joining with the feminist group on campus, I was finally able to start making the necessary changes that were always so obvious to me.

After surviving my first year of law school, I joined up with Maryland NOW as their legislative intern. At present, I have advocated on behalf of Maryland NOW for two legislative sessions, supplying written findings and giving oral testimony in front of the Maryland House of Representatives. In addition, I am currently serving my second term as the Maryland NOW Executive Vice-President and have started the Maryland NOW Young Feminist Task Force, which was able to send two young feminists to the 2005 National Conference in Nashville.

Ending with my re-appointment to the task force, 2005 has been an exciting year for me. In addition to graduating law school in the spring, taking the Maryland Bar Exam in the summer (finding out that I passed in the fall), I also spoke at the Baltimore NOW Roe v. Wade Vigil and Rally and the 2005 NOW Rally in response to O’Connor’s resignation. And finally, I recently accepted a position with the DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence as their Policy Manager, thus beginning my professional life as a feminist lawyer.

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