Published:
Thursday, January 23, 2014
The ACLU of Washington has a team of all-star volunteers who man the front desk for us. We would like you to meet some of them.
A few years after graduating from the University of Texas Law School in 1991, Dena Fredrickson took and passed the bar in Washington state. Her husband grew up here, and she hoped to live in this area. She recently realized this dream, packing up her bags and moving her legal practice from Texas to Washington. It has been a surprisingly easy transfer, she says, as family law is pretty much the same everywhere. Though there are some differences, like the fact that there are no family cases tried by jury in Washington. And, of course, there’s all the rain.
Part of her move has included taking some time to step back from her practice; she would like to get involved in more criminal and immigration cases to do something about “the injustice of the criminal justice system.” This interest led her to get involved at the ACLU of Washington as soon as she got moved in. She finds that being in the ACLU office helps keep her informed and involved.
Dena has long been active on social and criminal justice issues. She led several groups back in Texas that helped minority and low-income communities, including work through her church. She also served as a county Democratic chair in Conroe, just north of the Houston. Reporting several voting intimidation cases led Dena to the ACLU of Texas, where she found that the organization works on all of the issues she cares about. And, importantly, some that she doesn’t – as she appreciates that the ACLU protects freedom and rights for everyone.
Her passion for social justice was fostered partly by the Catholic Church. Though most people try to avoid them, Dena loves to chat about religion and politics, to share her own views and to listen to others. She even thinks of going back to school to get her masters in Divinity. She jokes that she could attend her alma mater, Notre Dame, and be in the same classes as her son who is there now. In the future, she would like to administer or be involved in non-profit work on social justice issues, combining her religious passion and her legal experience to help others.
For now, Dena is getting familiar with her new community and is settling in. She is glad to be volunteering at the ACLU, being a part of working for change. Naturally, she misses family and friends, but she is meeting lots of new people and is quickly getting to know and love her new home.
