A social economic justice initiative of the New England Legal Foundation
The New England Legal Foundation (NELF), a nonprofit public interest legal organization, is launching a new social economic justice initiative, the Equalizer Institute, to support under-represented entrepreneurs who need free corporate legal assistance to help them develop their new companies. Much like civil legal aid does for individuals, the Equalizer Institute would provide free legal assistance for underrepresented entrepreneurs, new and first generation Americans, women, people from the BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities, veterans, students, returning citizens, and those from diverse backgrounds who face barriers to starting up their companies due to lack of resources.
In addition to raising funds from foundations and corporate sponsors, NELF is launching a new event, the Beantown Beanfest™, that will symbolically and literally catalyze the community involving beans, a culinary staple in most, if not all, cuisines across the world and in the Boston area.
Boston is known nationally and internationally as “Beantown.” But that established brand has never been leveraged to promote the city’s historic embrace of everything bean. NELF recognized this glaring oversight and saw an opportunity to create a signature annual event intended to support the Equalizer Institute as well as provide the city with a fun celebration about everything about “bean” in Boston.
After the long pandemic quarantine period, and in light of the City of Boston’s recent calls for organizations to draw more people to Boston by encouraging more public events using the city’s parks and public resources, the time is right for a festive, fun event bringing folks from all walks of life together.
In many ways, beans themselves are an equalizer, with their influence and import spanning across the majority of culture and providing a common thread. Plus, beans are affordable, accessible, healthy, come in various forms, and have longevity—in short, they’re accessible to all, just as our plans for the Equalizer Institute will make entrepreneurship accessible, affordable and lasting for all.