The Antiracism Training (ART) Institute
Building antiracist advocacy and transforming public defense through education, reflection, and action.
The Antiracism Training (ART) Institute is a leading space for antiracism education, dialogue, and research within the national public defender community. Rooted in the lived experiences of Black defenders, the Institute provides a unique platform to examine how racism operates in the criminal legal system and how defenders can actively disrupt it.
The ART Institute offers three distinct ways to engage:
Customized workshops designed for individual public defender offices. These sessions support leaders and staff in building antiracist structures, cultures, and practices tailored to their office’s needs.
Open to defenders everywhere, these programs bring the broader defender community together for shared learning, collaboration, and collective growth. Our most recent training brought together defenders nationwide for a three-day in-person skills workshop on cross-examination and racial bias.
The ART Institute highlights independent scholarship and dialogue that examine race and the criminal legal system. Through publications, panels, and conversations, we connect research to practice and spark reflection across the defender community.
All pathways provide space for learning, application, discussion, and reflection—moving defenders from awareness to action. Through this work, the ART Institute is committed to:
- Equipping defenders with the skills to center antiracism in client advocacy.
- Supporting leaders in creating and sustaining antiracist defender offices.
- Advancing the field through research, scholarship, and dialogue that challenge racial inequities in the criminal legal system.
Whether you join us in a community-wide program or bring us into your office for a tailored training, the ART Institute provides the tools to strengthen antiracist advocacy and transform defender practice.
Meet Our Trainers
Our programs are led by experienced public defenders, scholars, and advocates who bring both practice expertise and a deep commitment to antiracist practice. This diverse group includes defenders with extensive experience advocating, teaching, and shaping defender practice.
Ieshaah Murphy
Assistant Professor of Law, Howard University School of Law; Training Director, Black Public Defender Association (BPDA)
Request a Training
Ready to bring antiracism-focused training to your team? Complete our short training request form to share your goals, preferred topics, and timing. A member of our team will follow up to discuss details and next steps.
