We recently connected with Michael Stallworth and have shared our conversation below.

Michael, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

At an early age, I discovered my passion for helping others. I grew up in a faith-based, Christian family. My mother always stressed the importance of being selfless, helping others, and that giving back to your community was the right thing to do. These principles and values instilled in me have always been foundational to my character. Being passionate about helping others led me to apply to various organizations, pursue a social justice education in college, and give back to build underrepresented communities through service and advocacy. My goal was to receive a higher education and use my life experiences to uplift communities of color. My degrees in Sociology and Black Studies created a social justice education that empowers me to conduct change in society through policy and social justice work. This has guided me to pursue a legal education that will allow me to advocate on behalf of marginalized communities. My hunger for social justice is as intrinsic as my desire to learn. My decision to pursue an education in Sociology and Black Studies stemmed from the experience of growing up in a city that placed labels on my life before I even learned what being Black in America meant. People always stereotyped and discriminated against me based on what they saw in the media. I went to college with little knowledge about my culture or who I was as a Black, gay man in society. This led me to always feel like I have to work harder than most people in order to be seen, have my voice heard, or prove that I will be successful because of the preconceived notions behind the pigmentation of my skin.

Michael, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I received degrees in Sociology and Black Studies from UC Santa Barbara in three years and graduated summa cum laude. While at UCSB, I co-founded a pre-law organization for Black students called Obsidian Pre-Law Association, completed the UCLA Law Fellows Program in 2019, worked as a resident assistant, tour guide, and orientation advisor, was a member of the UCSB Cheerleading Team, completed the College of Letters and Science Honors Program, and wrote an honors thesis for the Black Studies Department. I also won the “Michael D. Young Engaged Scholar Award” for his principled leadership and scholarly knowledge through my time at UCSB.

Upon graduating from UCSB, I worked as an Application Reader for UC Santa Barbara, a law clerk at Boucher LLP, where he assisted on sexual abuse cases against California Catholic Clergy members and employment law matters, and completed the SEO Law Fellowship, where I interned at Hogan Lovells US LLP. This past summer, I worked as a 1L LCLD Scholar at Hogan Lovells US LLP. Currently, I am a 2L at UCLA School of Law, specializing in Media & Entertainment Law, Technology Law, and Critical Race Studies. During my time at UCLA, I have served as 1L President, 1L Rep for BLSA, on the Dean’s Student Advisory Committee for the Technology Student Advisory Group, Staff Member for UCLA Law Review, Co-Chair for the BLSA, SBA Diversity, Chair, and a Student Ambassador for UCLA Law. I am also a Glazer Scholar through the Critical Race Students Program, Chief Managing Editor for the UCLA National Black Law Journal, and am a tour guide. My goal is to become a legal academic and attorney, where I will focus on the areas of litigation, civil rights, employment, and entertainment.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

As a young child, I was sexually assaulted on two different occasions: once by my uncle at my family’s charter school and the other by my seventh grade Honors English teacher. After the first incident, when I confided in my mother, she immediately withdrew me from the school and enrolled me in the nearest public school. In seventh grade, after the abuse, my principal quickly swept it under the rug by making my teacher apologize to me. However, these two instances of abuse have left scars on my life. They have caused me to experience low self-esteem, mental health struggles, trust issues, and problems in intimate relationships. These experiences have led me to work directly with survivors of sexual abuse and assault as a law clerk at Boucher LLP. I am able to personally relate to similar experiences as our clients and connect with them on a deeper level. As a survivor, the work I accomplish makes me feel like I am finally gaining my power back by being able to help prosecute individuals that have wronged someone.

Growing up in a family with generations of bishops and pastors has been extremely challenging. My entire life has revolved around church and being certain I am doing things that would please God. Since my family owns churches throughout my hometown, Stockton, CA, I have always felt obligated to subscribe to a certain image and adhere to the strict standards and beliefs they uphold. Additionally, the pressure of being gay in a Christian family and enduring sexual abuse has made me feel trapped and suffocated. I feel like I have no control over my life. My family consistently uses the Bible to back their homophobic thoughts, which has made me become ashamed of my sexuality. Two days after my eighteenth birthday, I attempted to commit suicide. I was tired of the labels placed on my life, broken-hearted from not being accepted by society, and I felt worthless. I was ready to end my life in hope of suppressing the feelings that overpowered me. Thankfully, my attempt was unsuccessful. Following my attempt, I received professional counseling from a therapist, which really provided me with a different outlook on life. I was finally able to see the pot of gold on the other side of the rainbow.

These life-changing experiences have taught me how to be an advocate for myself and others by standing up for what’s right. The adversity I overcame to get to where I am now is my driving force for providing legal access and resources to people who come from similar backgrounds as me.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I think the most effective thing that has helped build my reputation is my transparency. I’ve very open and honest about the struggles and adversity I’ve overcome, and the current mental health battles I am defeating. In this profession, it tends to feel like you have to subscribe to a certain textbook description of a legal professional, but I strive to be as unapologetic as I can be because that’s just not reality. I do not want to enter any room where I have to change anything about myself because I know that’s not the space I should occupy.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @itsstallworthit
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelgstallworth/
• Youtube: Michael Stallworth