Stacey Young Connects Us All

<p>Stacey Young spent over 18 years at the Justice Department as an attorney; first in the Civil Division for 13 years, then in the Civil Rights Division for 5 more. Having founded the Gender Equality Network to make DOJ a better place for its employees in 2016, Stacey knew going into 2025 that DOJ employees would need support from outside. Shortly after inauguration, she resigned from her role at the Department to build Justice Connection—the direct support group DOJ employees needed.</p><p>Stacey didn&#39;t need a crystal ball to know that DOJ employees would be targeted by the new administration: they said it out loud. Within the federal government, only DOJ had investigated the President for his previous unlawful actions, which made the need for <a href="https://thejusticeconnection.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Justice Connection</a> obvious. Stacey issued her <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/12/opinion/administrative-deep-state-trump.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">call</a> to action as a guest essay in The New York Times, where she encouraged the public to support DOJ employees in their effort to keep the department on track. Later that month, Stacey <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/31/us/politics/trump-justice-department.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">answered</a> the call.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Highlights &amp; Topics</strong></p><p><strong>Making the Connection:</strong> Stacey&#39;s transition from an 18-year veteran DOJ attorney to non-profit founder working 90 hour weeks with a skeleton crew</p><p><strong>Retribution:</strong> Learn why FBI and DOJ employees were uniquely vulnerable to politically-motivated attacks and how Justice Connection established itself as a lifeline for those who are targeted</p><p><strong>Direct Support Networks:</strong> Explore how the <a href="https://www.thejusticeconnection.org/resources/legal-network" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Legal Network</a> (250+ pro bono attorneys), <a href="https://www.thejusticeconnection.org/resources/mental-health-support" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Mental Health Support</a> (100+ clinicians), <a href="https://www.thejusticeconnection.org/resources/employment-support" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Employment Support</a>, and all of the other ways Justice Connection provides alumni with opportunities to continue supporting justice</p><p><strong>FBI Support: </strong>The <a href="https://www.thejusticeconnection.org/resources/fbi-support-network" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">FBI Support Network</a> is helping FBI employees draw their red lines and doing what FBI professionals can&#39;t do from the inside: speak out against attacks on the workforce and raise awareness about the importance of its work</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Additional Resources</strong></p><p><strong>Justice Connection:</strong> Connect with Stacey on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacey-young-08462a2a8/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">LinkedIn</a>, read more about her work, and support her mission at <a href="https://thejusticeconnection.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">https://thejusticeconnection.org</a></p><p><strong>FBI Support Network:</strong> FBI employees can reach out to the FBI Support Network at <a href="mailto:protectandassist@protonmail.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">protectandassist@protonmail.com</a>. Do not use an FBI-owned device, an FBI network, or an FBI email address; never include sensitive information in an email subject line; and consider using a dedicated email address. <a href="https://proton.me/support/proton-mail-encryption-explained" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer"><em>Email headers are never encrypted!</em></a></p><p><br></p><p>Learn more about this episode on our <a href="https://forkingoff.com/stacey-young" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">website</a>.</p><p>If you enjoy Forking Off