Pride 2026: Justice for All

Available on-demand

June is Pride Month, and as ThinkND recognizes the positive impact LGBTQ+ people have had on the world, we are pleased to fully celebrate the Spirit of Inclusion and authenticity that defines Notre Dame. It is in that spirit we offer “Justice for All,” in partnership with the Alumni Rainbow Community of Notre Dame (ARC ND) and the Asian Pacific Alumni.

As you embrace the legacy of a trailblazer who redefined the boundaries of possibility, see how Justice Mary Yu ’93 J.D. champions equality as the first Asian, Latina, and LGBTQ+ jurist on the Washington State Supreme Court. Her wisdom transcends the courtroom, offering a roadmap to vanquish doubt through the power of authenticity and her call to always “stay visible.” Fulfill a profound need for belonging, fueling your own dedication to creating a more inclusive world where every individual feels seen, heard, and at home.

ARC ND is a Notre Dame Alumni Association group dedicated to bringing together Notre Dame LGBTQ+ alumni and allies, and is a part of the Notre Dame Alumni network of groups that provide alumni and friends the opportunity to connect around their shared identities. As an extension of the Alumni Association, ARC ND serves to strengthen the bonds of ND graduates to the University and to one another. The mission of ARC ND is to celebrate the presence and enrich the experiences of LGBTQ+ members of the Notre Dame family and their allies. All Notre Dame LGBTQ+ alumni and allies are invited to join ARC ND.

“Justice for All” was also included in120 Years Later: Asian and Pacific Islander Perspectives at Notre Dame, a commemorative series celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Asian Pacific Alumni group and the long history of this community at the University of Notre Dame. The Asian Pacific Alumni of Notre Dame (APA) is a dynamic and welcoming community that brings together alumni, students, and friends to celebrate Asian Pacific cultures and experiences through alumni programming, student outreach, and lifelong connections.

Guest Speaker: Justice Mary I. Yu ’93 J.D.

Mary Yu ’93 J.D. was appointed to the Washington Supreme Court on May 16, 2014, and subsequently elected in 2014, 2016, and 2022. Justice Yu joined the Supreme Court after more than 14 years as a trial court judge in King County Superior Court where she presided over a wide variety of criminal, civil, and juvenile cases, and presided over hundreds of adoptions and other family law matters.

Prior to becoming a judge, Justice Yu served as Deputy Chief of Staff to King County Prosecutor Norm Maleng and as a deputy in the Criminal and Civil Divisions. Before attending law school, Justice Yu worked in the Peace and Justice Office for the Archdiocese of Chicago first as staff and later as Director of that office following her appointment to the position by Cardinal Joseph Bernardin.

Justice Yu was raised in Bridgeport, a South Side neighborhood in Chicago, by immigrant parents; her mother came from Mexico and her father from China. She is the first in her family to graduate from college. She received her B.A. from Dominican University, her M.A. in Religious Studies from Mundelein College of Loyola University in Chicago, and her J.D. from the University of Notre Dame Law School. Justice Yu is the first Asian, the first Latina, and the first member of the LGBTQ community to serve on the Washington State Supreme Court.

Moderator: Edward Augustine ’87

Edward E. Augustine, Esq. ’87, is a solo practitioner in transactional residential real estate and estate planning law in Manhattan. Previously, Edward held the position of residential real estate associate and bank attorney at a law firm in Manhattan. He served on the Board of the New York City LGBT Bar Association (“LeGaL”) and was appointed to the Board of the New York City LGBT Bar Association Foundation as an officer. Edward also served on the New York City Bar Association’s LGBT Committee and the Committee on Legal Issues Pertaining to Animals. Currently, he is a member of the Board of the Community Scholarship Fund of Teaneck, New Jersey (where he was raised). Prior to the establishment of ARC, Edward served as a Co-Coordinator of Gay & Lesbian Alumni of Notre Dame: “GALA” NYC. As a strong supporter of the Notre Dame Alumni Club of New York (“NDNY”), Edward held various leadership positions, including Intercultural Diversity Co-Commissioner, Vice President, Executive Vice President, and is currently the ARC liaison for NDNY and a member of the Host Committee for the 2025 ARC ND Reunion. In 2024, Edward participated as a panelist at the Notre Dame Alumni Leadership Conference ARC panel on: “Over the rainbow: Reaching “victory” by engaging LGBTQ+ alumni and allies in local club programming.” Edward holds a Juris Doctor from Rutgers University School of Law – Newark, an M.A. from The Graduate School of Arts & Science at New York University, and a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame, where he studied in the Program of Liberal Studies/Great Books Program and lived in Sorin College. As a law student Edward secured fellowships at the American Civil Liberties Union – New Jersey and the Lambda Legal Defense & Education Foundation, Inc., in New York City. Prior to going to law School, Edward was an Assistant Dean at The Graduate School of The University of Notre Dame and an Assistant Director of Admissions and Financial Aid at The Graduate School of Arts & Science at New York University.

Moderator: Rona Reodica ’01

Rona Reodica ’01 previously served on the Asian Pacific Alumni of ND Board as the Director of Alumni Relations for 7 years and as the Intercultural Diversity Co-Commissioner for the Notre Dame Club of New York (“NDNY”). Rona earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Notre Dame’s School of Architecture.

Upon graduating, she was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship and spent two years in Manila, Philippines conducting research on “Housing and Community Development for the Urban Poor in Manila.” Rona then served as a volunteer through the ND Puerto Rico Program, where she worked with a non-profit organization and a group of Salesian nuns to build a new school and community center.

Rona returned to the U.S. to pursue a master’s degree in Urban Planning at NYU and began a career in public service at the City of New York’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (“HPD”), the nation’s largest municipal affordable housing organization. She has worked at HPD for over 18 years in various leadership positions and is currently the Assistant Commissioner for the Division of Building and Land Development Services, where she oversees the architectural, engineering, environmental planning, and construction monitoring services for affordable housing projects throughout New York City.

The Bridgeport Proving Ground: Calloused Hands and Dominican Dreams

Raised in the Bridgeport neighborhood of Chicago’s South Side, Justice Yu was the daughter of immigrant parents from Mexico and China. Her upbringing was defined by the manual labor of her parents, whose calloused and dirty hands served as a daily reminder of their sacrifices. Her mother’s primary hope was humble: that Mary would graduate high school and learn to type. The specific dream was for Mary to secure a job as a secretary in an office where her hands could stay clean, sparing her the physical toll of the factory floor. This trajectory changed only when her high school teacher, Joan Finnegan, intervened. Finnegan advocated for Yu’s potential, personally visiting her home to convince her parents that “kids like her” belonged in higher education, eventually escorting her to Dominican University to begin her academic journey.

Foundations of Faith and Professional Evolution

Before entering the law, Yu spent a decade at the Archdiocese of Chicago, working under Father Kane. She rose from a secretary to the Director of the Peace and Justice Office, a role that deepened her commitment to community organizing. Seeking more “tools in the toolbox” for social change, she arrived at Notre Dame Law School. Initially feeling lost in the larger university environment, she found her place by serving as an assistant rector at Siegfried Hall. This role allowed her to integrate her legal studies with a vibrant faith community, providing the grounding necessary to navigate the rigors of legal training and find her voice within the Notre Dame family.

Identity and the Mirror of Justice

Following her 2014 appointment to the Washington State Supreme Court, Yu became the first Asian, first Latina, and first LGBTQ+ individual to serve on the state’s highest bench. She views her intersectional identity as a “mirror” for the community, arguing that bringing her whole self to the table enriches judicial deliberations. For Yu, this is not a departure from impartiality but an enhancement of it; by acknowledging the working-class roots and cultural heritage she shares with the public, she ensures the law functions as a responding human experience rather than a detached academic exercise.

Moral Architecture: Courage in Action

Yu’s career is defined by moments of profound moral courage that prioritize human dignity over procedural ease. In December 2012, she officiated Washington’s first same-sex marriages. This historic event was inspired by her law clerk bailiff, Abe, whose own parents—an interracial couple—once had to flee their state to marry legally. To ensure every couple felt recognized, Yu opened the courthouse at midnight and officiated ceremonies until 7:00 AM. This same rejection of “finality” in favor of “human redeemability” defines her judicial philosophy. In her concurrence for State v. Moretti, a case regarding juvenile sentencing, she challenged the notion that young people are unredeemable, advocating for a restorative justice system that calls society to be more than it is today.

Justice Yu’s judicial philosophy underscores that the law must maintain its moral resonance by seeing and hearing the people it serves. Her journey serves as the rhetorical bedrock of her legacy, proving that the legal profession is most powerful when it seeks not just convictions, but the perfection of justice itself.

The Strategic Necessity of Visibility: In periods of institutional or social shifting, remaining visible and present is a vital act of leadership. By claiming one’s place within the fabric of an organization or country, leaders reinforce the legitimacy of diverse perspectives and ensure the “mirror” of leadership reflects the entire community.
Courage as a Habitual Practice: Moral courage is not a sporadic trait but a muscle developed through consistent use. By practicing courage in daily, small-scale decisions, leaders ensure that when they face politically charged or unpopular choices, the “right thing to do” becomes an intuitive, unwavering response.
Mentorship and Professional Retention: Success is a collective achievement with a specific focus on the future. High-impact leadership requires a commitment to the retention of women of color and underrepresented groups in the legal profession, ensuring they have the cohort and confidence to remain and ascend within their chosen fields.
Empathy as a Tool for Institutional Legitimacy: Impartiality must not be confused with detachment. A leader who practices empathy can better hear and see the humanity within a conflict, creating a safe environment that allows for more comprehensive problem-solving and ensures that stakeholders feel recognized by the system.
The Responsibility to Perfect the System: The law is not a static set of rules but an evolvable system. Professionals must use their “tools in the toolbox” to operate within current structures while simultaneously identifying where those systems fail to recognize human dignity, advocating for a moral architecture that believes in human redeemability.

“I don’t feel like I’ve done anything extraordinary. I think those awards are a way of a community recognizing themselves. It really just represents the fact that we’ve all made it in some ways. And so it’s almost a mirror.” — Justice Mary Yu
“Visibility is important and we have learned to feel comfortable, right? That this is indeed our country. These are the principles that we care about and we need to maintain that same course in the sense of just be visible and feel comfortable and know that we are part of the fabric of this remarkable country. We helped create it.” — Justice Mary Yu
“There isn’t a morning that I don’t start off my day saying, ‘A Notre Dame lawyer is a different kind of lawyer,’ and then challenging myself to really rise to that challenge.” — Justice Mary Yu
“I want to see us perfect our system, right? A system that does hold people accountable, but a system also that believes that as humans we are redeemable. It reminds me on a daily basis what my job is as a justice—to again, see and hear and also call us all to be more than who we are today.” — Justice Mary Yu
“And you know what, it’s easy when you start to practice it. When you practice courage, it’s easy. You don’t even begin to think about it. You just say, ‘this is the course, this is the right thing to do,’ and then you just do it. We can’t be people who are wavering because of the positions that we have.” — Justice Mary Yu