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Make Your Presence Known
Are you active alumnae of your school? College or law? I know many people, especially my fellow alumni of color, have no interest in contributing as alumni. Many had bad culture shock by attending universities with a low amount of minorities; others had to face blatant racism from ignorant students and faculty. Plus, you add up all the debt most of us are in (hello, I went to two private institutions), the horrible job market and it’s like–what have you done for me lately, right? I get it and can definitely understand that sentiment. But at the same time, I’ll argue that it is vital for alumni of color, especially…
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Breaking Law School Barriers I: Finding Guidance
This series, Breaking Law School Barriers, tackles the big and small issues that come into play when you’re deciding if you’ll even attend law school. The purpose is to give practical advice for college students, and for current law students and attorneys to give suggestions about their real world experience. So you want to go to law school? Felicidades! I think it’s great and we need more women of color in the profession. There are a lot of questions that you’ll have to answer before you can take the right steps to get into school (finances being a big part), but before you even get to figuring out how to…
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In Defense of Hispanic Heritage Month
September 15 marks the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month and for many Hispanic/Latinos it’s not such a happy occasion. I get it. It’s sometimes hard to swallow “celebrating” when we’re not just one culture and when there’s so much oppression and injustice inflicted on Latinos. I get that this month can sometimes seem like lip service. But, nonetheless, I’m here to defend it. Not the name, or the fact that it tries to encompass so many different cultures in one, but the general intent and the positive impact it can actually create. Because while it may seem like pandering to some, for other Latinos celebrating HHM can be…
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A Little Help From My Friends
When I started law school there were maybe 15 latinos in my class, “the largest ever!” my school proclaimed. They put most of us in the same section as well, which I actually did not mind. Since then, however, throughout the U.S. the number of hispanic students entering law school continues to decrease. The impact of few people of color earning J.D.s will have long-reaching ramifications. A J.D. is empowerment. If the people in power continue to only come from the same type of background, with similar forms of privilege, then real change will be a slow and dismal. Despite all of that, perhaps right now, you are in school,…
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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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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…