Photo by Bryant Billing, courtesy Dayton Daily News
Advocates for Basic Legal Equality (ABLE) attorney Matt Currie was recently honored by the Dayton Daily News as a “Community Gem.” Currie, a long-time legal aid attorney and community advocate who played an instrumental role in providing legal support for community projects funded through the Ohio Access to Justice Foundation’s Neighborhood Stabilization Grant Program, retired from ABLE this summer.
Under Currie’s leadership, ABLE helped community members bring transformative projects to fruition, such as Gem City Market — a grocery store cooperatively owned by community members that provides fresh and healthy food in an area of the city where food access had been lacking. He is a founding member of Co-op Dayton, a nonprofit that develops worker-owned cooperatives, like Gem City Market, to stimulate economic growth and create grassroots wealth. Currie will stay on as a member of Co-op Dayton’s board.
“I think it’s fair to say that Matt has been one of the most effective lawyers working in community economic development,” said Camille Gill, the Foundation’s programs and grants counsel. “He’s really set the tone and provided a model for the type of success community groups can achieve when they bring legal aid in as a partner.”
Attorney Lela Klein, who frequently works with Currie through Co-op Dayton, nominated Currie for the Community Gem recognition. Currie will also receive a Humanitarian Award from the nonprofit Nurturing Community Cultivating Justice in October.
“He’s a very empathetic, compassionate person,” Klein told the Dayton Daily News. “He’s very measured, like he’s not going to bang on the table. He really listens more than he speaks, which I think is a great characteristic of a community lawyer. And he’s a total trailblazer.”
Read more about Matt Currie in the Dayton Daily News.