Issues
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When Offensive Comments Happen
At some point most of us will encounter someone spewing out something ignorant about our ethnicity or our gender. You would think that once you reach the esteemed halls of law school that it would stop. Unfortunately, there are people seemingly so steeped in privilege that law school is one of the first times they are “forced” to interact with people of color. But for the rest of us, we have to often be the only or one of the few people of color or Latinas-period-in our section or class. By being so isolated we are given an added burden of being the voice for our people, and having to…
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Advancing Past the Good Old Boy Club
A few years ago, I was at a networking event for work. I’m usually not a fan of these things, but I was having a relatively good time, and having an easy conversation with a colleague (a guy named “Jacob”). Soon, another attorney (also a man, “Mark”) came up to us. We included Mark in our conversation, you know, because that’s what civil people do, right? After a few minutes, he turned to Jacob and started talking to him –and only him– about baseball. I was floored. I was floored that he would try to purposefully exclude me from the conversation; floored that he didn’t return the favor of inclusion; and floored…
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How to Survive Law School
If you’re starting law school this semester, I have a few things to say–first, congratulations! This is a super exciting endeavor and you deserve a lot of acknowledgment! So Yay! My second piece of unsolicited advice is to not let anxiety and fear of the unknown overcome you. Instead, become fearless and adopt a badass attitude. This new chapter will be overwhelming, and if you’re going to survive you have to fortify yourself with confidence–it’s the only way you can make it through the next three years. For some of us, that self-confidence may come naturally. But if you’re like me, you’re feeling not only excited and anxious, but also…
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Bilingualism: Help or Hinder?
Do you speak Spanish? Are you fluent or able to speak just enough to talk to your older relatives? Statistically speaking, younger generations may have less Spanish speaking capability than earlier generations. It makes me sad to know that likely my (possible) grandchildren won’t know my native language. Though, I am hopeful because I know there is now more knowledge and awareness (and acceptance) about the benefits of being multilingual so I’ll keep my fingers crossed. But in the here and now, how are you using your Spanish skills? When I first started interning in college, an attorney realized I knew Spanish and asked me to translate for him. He made…
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Cultural Conflict: Being Too Polite
One of the great dilemmas we encounter is aligning our upbringing and culture with the expectations of the mainstream–especially in a conservative field like the law. Cultural conflicts often demand that we change our behavior so that those in charge find it easier to accept us. But as the current VP says–that’s a bunch of malarkey! Before we opt to make changes, it’s important to analyze and decide why we have to change just so that systems of power feel comfortable around us. Easier said than done! Instead, many times we just opt to play by the rules to get just an inch ahead–even if the rules don’t seem logical, fair, or natural to us.…
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Are You the Interpreter?
I’m a huge fan of TV and am always excited about the new fall line-ups. I am doubly excited this year that a new show starring a very funny Latina comedian will be on ABC. Cristela Alonzo will play a law student, and that makes me excited to think that perhaps there will be a storyline on t.v. with which I can actually relate! One scene that immediately struck a chord with me was the promo where a white woman misidentifies Cristela repeatedly (around the 30 sec mark). First, as the cleaning crew; then as support staff. The punch line happens when the lady asks Cristela (who she assumes to be…
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The Mission Statement
Latinas Uprising was born from the frustration of visiting mainstream internet communities that discussed being a lawyer or a women professional or even a female lawyer, but never seemed to take into account the experiences we have as Latinas. We often hear that women make around 70 cents to the man’s dollar, but that’s actually the statistic for white women. Latinas make 55 cents to the man’s dollar. That type of disparity will create an entirely different experience that is just not being discussed in mainstream communities. Why aren’t we included? We consist of the largest growing minority group in the U.S. and are a huge consumer group. We are…