ERA Annual Gala 2026

One of the Bay Area’s most anticipated annual social justice events, Equal Rights Advocates’ 2026 Gala Luncheon will take place June 2 in San Francisco.

Honorees & Speakers

Honoring the work of our community to remain steadfast, brave, and bold in our shared mission to achieve justice and equality for all.

Champion of Justice Honoree

Preeminent American legal scholar, author, and Dean of the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, Chemerinsky is recognized as a leading expert on constitutional law, federal jurisdiction, and civil procedure. He has led the nation in calling upon the legal profession to defend the rule of law against unlawful executive branch overreach, including in his latest book, "No Democracy Lasts Forever."

Justice in Journalism Honoree

One of the nation’s preeminent investigator reporters, Yeung has dedicated her career to telling truths of the exploitation and courage of women, immigrants, and survivors of sexual assault. Her work includes award-winning documentaries exposing the sexual assault of workers represented by Equal Rights Advocates, "Rape on the Night Shift" and "Rape in the Fields" for PBS Frontline. As our nation navigates the horror of sexual abuse by leaders and threats against our immigrant communities, Bernice is leading with courage and also cultivating the next generation of truth tellers at the U.C. Berkeley School of Journalism investigative reporting program.

2026 Gender Justice Honoree

Leading the U.S. Department of Education’s civil rights office as Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights under Presidents Biden and Obama, Lhamon championed the rights of student survivors of sexual assault. She has dedicated her entire career to public service in state and federal governments, as a civil rights litigator with several nonprofits, and a dedicated educator of our next generation of advocates, now at U.C. Berkeley’s Edley Center on Law & Democracy. Most recently, Lhamon joined ERA to call out the Trump administration's disdain of survivors and their advocates, as revealed by the Epstein files.

Emerging Leader Honoree

ERA student survivor client and 2026 Emerging Leader Honoree Anna Brooke will give a live viola performance at the event. She is a testament to the talent that soars when rights are defended.

Community Power Honoree

California Coalition for Worker Power (CCWP) is a group of worker centers, worker advocates, labor policy experts, and labor unions dedicated to ensuring every worker in California has the power to come together and improve their work conditions and their communities. As an organization that defends the rights of low-paid and immigrant workers, ERA joins CCWP in the belief that all work is valuable and that all working people must have a voice in order for California to succeed in creating a more just and equitable society. CCWP is a treasured member of the Stronger California’s Advocates Network, co-founded by Equal Rights Advocates 11 years ago, and the force behind 66 legislative wins benefitting millions across California and the nation.

Accepted by Jorge Plascencia

Cy Pres Champions

ERA will honor law firms who have designated Cy Pres awards to ERA, including Lieff Cabraser, Outten & Golden, and Altshuler Berzon. These transformational gifts, arising from class actions based on laws passed by ERA, have been a game changer. They help fund ERA’s free and direct legal services, community education, strategic legal enforcement, and policy initiatives addressing poverty, supporting workplace equity and working families, and those expanding access to childcare and reproductive health care. We are moved by contributors this year to a fund honoring the memory of Joy Kruse, a former ERA Board Member who dedicated her entire career as a public defender and then partner at Lieff Cabraser to representing consumers, investors, employees, and indigent clients.

additional Honorees TBA soon

About the Event

Attendees will enjoy an inspiring afternoon of connection, thought leadership, and purpose, featuring:

• Stories from those whose lives have been transformed by your support
• Visionary civil rights leaders lighting up the stage
• A chance to connect with 500+ fellow supporters who share your commitment to gender justice, racial, and economic justice
• Insights from our 2026 Gender Justice honorees, representing courageous community leaders and ERA clients advancing equality from the frontlines
• An elegant afternoon and lunch

Can’t make it? You can still support our work with a donation to the Courageous Together fund!