An Introduction to Rise Justice Labs

​Amanda Nguyen is the CEO and founder of Rise, a national civil rights non-profit that focuses on justice for victims of sexual violence. Amanda penned her own civil rights into existence and unanimously passed through the U.S. Congress the Sexual Assault Survivors' Bill of Rights of 2016, after having to navigate the broken criminal justice system after her own rape. The federal law was the 21st bill in modern US history to pass unanimously on the record and served as a model for 21 other laws protecting sexual violence survivors throughout the nation. Amanda and the Rise team have now taken the fight for justice for victims internationally by working to pass a United Nations Resolution that would enshrine that survivors' rights are fundamental human rights. Additionally, Amanda launched Rise Justice Labs, an effort to help social justice movements reach their full potential. 

Amanda's start in public service began at NASA in their Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs office. During the Obama Administration, Amanda was appointed by President Obama to the US Department of State as his Deputy White House liaison. In 2018, Amanda was nominated for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize.

Rise’s mission is to help everyday people write their first law. Like a “Y Combinator for Civil Rights” Rise provides seed funding and training to organizers to accelerate their social movement.

Rise holds America’s record for being the most efficient social movement in modern US history by training over 200 organizers to unanimously pass 23 laws in 22 months impacting 40 million people, including a federal law that was the 21st bill in modern US history to pass unanimously on the record.

Rise is led by Amanda Nguyen, a 2019 Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Harvard graduate, Forbes Under 30, Marie Claire’s Woman of the Year and former NASA exoplanet hunter who penned her own civil rights into existence at age 24. The first users of the Rise Justice Lab are survivors, alumni and friends from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

*DISCLAIMER*

The views and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Vice President Biden, the Biden Institute or the University of Delaware.