Essential Advocacy: For Economic & Social Justice

Join us for Essential Advocacy: For Economic & Social Justice, an annual fundraiser for the Sugar Law Center. This year's event will take place at the historic Harmonie Club in Downtown Detroit on Thursday, December 4th from 5:30-8:00pm.

Ticket includes event admission and strolling dinner. Cash bar will be available.

Please note parking around the venue will be limited due to the Lions game at nearby Ford Field. Guests are STRONGLY encouraged to purchase a parking spot when placing ticket order. This guarantees a spot at the Z Garage, located one block from the venue, at a reduced rate. Without a purchasing a parking pass, prices at the Z Garage will be higher on event day and spaces cannot be guaranteed. Those who purchase a parking spot with their ticket will be sent detailed instructions in advance of the event.

Honoree Gwynne Wilcox was renominated by President Joseph R. Biden and reconfirmed by the Senate on September 6, 2023 to serve a second term as a Board Member of the National Labor Relations Board ending August 27, 2028. Ms. Wilcox previously served as a Member of the Board from August 4, 2021 until August 27, 2023, and she served as Chair of the Board from December 17, 2024 to January 20, 2025. Ms. Wilcox is the first Black woman to serve on the Board since its inception in 1935, and is also the first Black woman to serve as Chair of the NLRB.

On January 27, 2025, President Donald J. Trump removed Ms. Wilcox from the Board prior to her term’s expiration in 2028. Ms. Wilcox was the first Board Member to have been removed in 90 years of the Board's inception in 1935. Ms. Wilcox filed a lawsuit in Federal Court in Washington, DC, against President Trump challenging her unprecedented and unlawful termination based upon current statutory law and well-established Supreme Court precedent. The case is still pending.

Ms. Wilcox holds a J.D. from Rutgers University School of Law-Newark and a B.A. from Syracuse University.

Sugar Law Center is honored to recognize Ms. Wilcox's committment to justice as our 2025 Essential Advocacy Honoree.

Harmonie Club is located at 311 E. Grand River Ave, Detroit MI, 48226. Nestled in the heart of Detroit’s historic Paradise Valley, The Harmonie Club sits within one of the city’s most culturally rich and creatively vibrant districts. Established in 1849 by a group of German immigrants, the Harmonie Club played host to some of Detroit’s most prestigious events. Today the building's original features have been meticulously restored. Learn more at www.harmonieclubdet.com.

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Host or Publisher Sugar Law Center for Economic & Social Justice