About Us

The Mission of Uprise Theatre is to use art and activist lawyering to disrupt systems of oppression and reclaim power with the people.

The Vision of Uprise Theatre is that now will be the time in history in which all peoples are treated by the legal system as full human beings with corresponding full human rights.

We maintain the Values of Uprise Theatre by being authentic in the way we relate to ourselves and others; we are unapologetic in our desire of liberation for all people; and we are a community-based organization.

                                          
We do this through: 

ART
Uprise believes art can and should be used to promote social justice. The best example of how we use art to promote empowerment is our flagship theatre program: a legal course that teaches topics including domestic violence, immigration, sexual assault, LGBTQ+ rights and hate crimes, 4th and 5th Amendment rights, and gang and conspiracy charges.

Participants of the program, turned peer-educators, re-teach the information they have learned to the community through live performances. Listen to our first ever podcast-play!

We also use beautiful posters to educate people on their legal rights. These poster are available for free download on our website.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS FORUMS
Uprise contributes legal knowledge and skills to the people, striving for investment and empowerment of community members in the legal process. Please contact us if you or your organization are interested in having us present.

LEGAL SERVICES
As an extension of our Know Your Right Forums, Uprise is a core organization with FREE SD and provides limited legal coaching for folks facing criminal charges.

Uprise also believes that access to justice should be for everyone, without attorneys serving as gatekeepers of that information. We have created a Template and How To Database for basic legal information.

LEGAL CLINICS FOR FLOOD VICTIMS
As an organization rooted in Southeast San Diego, we are dedicated to provide social justice on all fronts. The environmental and systemic racism exhibited during the January 2024 floods devastated our communities. We are here to help with legal services for those impacted. Our clinic is mobile, traveling to different locations every week. We are offering help with evictions, FEMA applications, insurance appeals, and small claims petitions. You can check out our calendar here to see where we will be for the week.