About the Consortium

Logo

The logo on our website, “Equal Justice,” is an art work by Seattle, Washington graphic artist Sekio Matsumoto, who died in 2006. 

The design was originally conceived by Mr. Matsumoto in 1977 when he was asked by the American Baptist Churches, USA to demonstrate inclusiveness of a diverse racial, ethnic and linguistic population in the national church membership. His original artistic rendition of the concept was a striking visual reminder that persons of all “colors” were equal and expressed themselves in various languages. The work has received worldwide acceptance as an expression of inclusiveness.

The Washington State Minority and Justice Commission in 1994 asked Mr. Matsumoto if he could adapt his concept from a celebration of religion to a celebration of justice. The result is the “Equal Justice” version of the work that first appeared on the cover of the 1994 Report of the Washington State Commission and was later used with copyright permission as a symbol for the federally-funded First National Conference on Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Bias in the Courts, which was held March 2-6, 1995, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

In 1998, with permission of the artist the Consortium adopted the logo as its official logo.

The Matsumoto “Equal Justice” logo, with copyright permission of the artist, is now used in publications by the Washington State Minority and Justice Commission and the National Consortium on Racial and Ethnic Fairness in the Courts. Occasional use is made by the National Center for State Courts.