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Lawtina Book Club: Becoming x Michelle Obama
First, so excited for this first rendition of our book club! We’ll try different platforms as we go along, but I thought it made sense to make the first discussion here. And because everyone and their mother received Becoming for the holidays (or so it seemed) this seemed like the logical first choice. Overall, I loved it! She gave us such great snippets of her life from the beginning of a relationship with an up and coming politician to the tiring and the glamorous parts of being First Lady. But really what I took from their story is how difficult it is to be a political family, especially with young…
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A Spark: Books that Empower Latinas
So, the sad truth is there are many Latina authors, but they are not supported and very rarely get the same backing as other authors. That’s why it feels rare to read a book by Latinas. I’ve mentioned before that I’ve edited my social media followings to include mostly & primarily women of color. When I think about it, I realize it stems from my reading habits. Like most of you, I love reading and when I was little, the library was our refuge. My mom would take me to the local library and it would provide solace and peace away from homes that were, at times, tumultuous. I was…
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Summer Series: Your Experience is Your Strength
Our Summer Series winds down, and what an amazing summer tho! This series highlights different Latina students and law grads as they embark in their summer jobs and/or bar prep all across the country. This series provides a variety of work experiences, options for a healthy work-life balance, and general motivation through different guest contributors to help you to take charge of your summer and professional goals! Today we also hear from Noelia, a rising 3L who is leaving her career as a teacher behind to commit, full-steam ahead, to becoming an attorney. She shares her summer experience, the lessons learned, and the expertise she brings to our profession as an educator and advocate…
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Why We Talk About Our Struggles
There was a big back and forth online this week about the discussion that took place between Jessica William and Salma Hayek at some like women in Hollywood retreat. LA Times had a transcript on the event. Essentially, this was a huge, missed opportunity in intersectional feminism. Jessica tried to explain how her identity as a black woman is almost always on the forefront of how people see her and Salma (and Shirley MacLaine [da fuq]) dismissed this as almost silly. On top of also making some statements that seemed to imply programs that are akin to affirmative action are condescending… But Remezcla did a great piece on this situation…
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Summer Series: Pushing Yourself to Create A Career You Want
Our Summer Series continues! This series highlights different Latina students and law grads as they embark in their summer jobs and/or bar prep all across the country. We hope to provide a variety of work experiences, options for a healthy work-life balance, and general motivation through different guest contributors to help you to take charge of your summer and professional goals! Today we hear from Mariana, a rising 3L from Nebraska (midwest represent!) who has taken a non-traditional route this summer and encourages us to seek new ways to use our law degrees: Hello, my name is Mariana and I am currently a rising 3L at the University of Nebraska College of Law.…
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Latinas in Law School: What Made You So Lucky?
A few months ago I was at a forum where the moderator asked the panelist (all Latinos working in large firms/government) what made them so lucky in the face of dismal statistics that say Latinos can’t make it in law. It’s a difficult question and I think the instinctive reaction is to think of the hard things you did to make sense of how we overcame a system of oppression to join a privileged profession. Because if I think back on my journey to become an attorney, I can pick out countless of examples of difficult things I had to do to succeed—long nights; working multiple jobs; feeling lonely because…
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Culture Conflict: Extracurricular Activities and Latinos
Last week we talked about the importance of cultivating soft factors for law school. Most of that entailed getting involved in activities outside of school. However, I’m classifying getting involved in extracurriculars as a cultural conflict because Latino involvement in these programs is the lowest compared to other ethnic groups. There are many reasons why our participation is low: 1) our cultures really encourage children (girls, especially) to stay home; 2) finances may severely limit a family’s ability to pay for extraneous things; 3) parents (who may not have obtained their education in the U.S.) don’t understand the importance of these activities or connect how they relate to advancement in education;…
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Raise Your Voice: Student Activism
My freshman year in college, I innocently walked into a workshop about white supremacy. I had imagined I would learn about overt acts of racism (a la the KKK) but I when the workshop ended, I walked out stunned. My 19 year old brain had never been exposed to the idea of systemic oppression (please cut me some slack–it was very early 2000s and information did not travel like it does now). That day was probably one of the most formative days in school–it was like a curtain had been pulled back and suddenly so many things made sense, while so many more created confusion. After that workshop, it still…
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Latinas and Domestic Violence.
A friend from law school works in an agency that represents survivors of domestic violence and posted this poignant and incredibly sad alter for Day of the Dead to honor the murdered victims of domestic violence. As someone who works first hand with DV survivors this really struck a chord, I hear countless violent stories of survivors who barely made it out on time—and then there’s so many incidents of choking/head trauma that make me worry about the future health of those clients. Unfortunately, DV is a major problem in all communities, including ours. One in three Latinas will experience physical inter-family violence in their lifetime. This means that too…
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Seek Our History: The Purpose of Hispanic Heritage Month
One of the reasons that I Loved college (with a capitol L) is because of the Latino student group. It was small, but mighty. I learned so much about leadership, collaboration, advocacy, friendship, etc. etc. through this group, but one of the most important lessons was how vital culture is to our identities. For many years, I grew up isolated from family traditions and my culture (long story). It wasn’t until college that I realized how embracing my traditions and culture wasn’t just acceptable, but necessary. So for me, Hispanic Heritage Month is a time to go beyond my normal routine and learn about the highs and lows of the Latino-American experience.…