MALDEF Honors Civil Rights Icons, EJS Board Chair Anthony Solana, Jr. and Others at 35th Annual Los Angeles Awards Gala
MALDEF last week celebrated its 35th Annual Los Angeles Awards Gala at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel, honoring civil rights icons and trailblazers who have been critical partners in advancing the goals of the community and providing social justice for Latinos. More than a thousand advocates, elected officials, attorneys, corporate leaders and city officials were in attendance, including newly appointed Los Angeles Police Department Chief Charlie Beck.
The gala held particular significance for the community as MALDEF celebrated the return of Thomas A. Saenz as its new president and general counsel. Saenz most recently served as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s counsel and as a MALDEF litigation attorney for 12 years. Saenz said, “The evening was a very special reunion of MALDEF friends and collaborators of many years. Our four honorees’ stories inspired everyone in attendance, adding a powerful tone to the evening.”
Among the honorees, EJS board chair Anthony Solana Jr. received the Excellence in Legal Service Award for founding For People of Color, Inc., an advocacy organization which shares MALDEF’s belief in supporting the success of minority law students.
Dr. Rodolfo Acuña was honored with the MALDEF Lifetime Achievement Award as the pioneering scholar whose many works on the U.S. Latino experience made him a leading voice in our nation’s Latino civil rights movement.
Anheuser-Busch Companies was recognized with the Corporate Social Responsibility Award for its longstanding financial commitment to MALDEF and to the Latino community.
Eva Longoria Parker received MALDEF’s Community Service Award for her activism with non-profits including Eva’s Heroes and Padres Contra El Cancer. “I am grateful to MALDEF for the honor of sharing the stage with America’s Latino civil rights legends, who are unified by the desire to serve our growing Latino community,” stated Eva Longoria Parker. “The evening was truly inspiring for me and will serve as a reminder of not only the great work that is being done by so many, but of how much yet remains to be accomplished.”
Giselle Fernandez served as the Mistress of Ceremonies with special presentations by Dolores Huerta, Antonia Hernandez, José José, Keisha Whitaker, Lupe Ontiveros, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, a performance by Nydia Rojas, and a special message from former President Bill Clinton. Click here for photos of the event.
MALDEF was pleased to honor and recognize the leaders in the public and private sector who have been instrumental in advancing justice for Latinos.
Eric Yamamoto, University of Hawai’i Law Professor and EJS Board Member, Honored for Outstanding Contributions to Justice
Professor Eric Yamamoto received the 2009 Ha’aheo Award for outstanding contributions to justice for communities in Hawai’i and beyond. The award was presented by the American Board of Trial Advocates (Hawai’i Chapter), a national organization of prominent trial attorneys.
“It sounds like an exaggeration, but Eric Yamamoto truly is a model law professor in multiple ways,” said Dean Avi Soifer of the William S. Richardson School of Law. “Not only is Eric a remarkable teacher and scholar, but he has begun to create new paths towards social justice as a mentor as well as in his role as a deeply committed scholar advocate.”
Professor Yamamoto is an internationally-recognized law professor at the University of Hawai’i William S. Richardson School of Law. He is known for his legal work and scholarship on civil rights and racial justice, with an emphasis on reconciliation and reparations for historic injustice.
Professor Yamamoto was among the first legal scholars to challenge the justification for the Iraq war and to raise concerns about undermining civil liberties in that context – both in scholarly journals and in an amicus brief filed in the U.S. Supreme Court in a Guantanamo Bay detainee case, Rasul v. Bush. He drew upon his national security-civil liberties expertise as co-counsel to Fred Korematsu in the successful re-opening of the leading WWII Japanese American internment case, Korematsu v. U.S.
Professor Yamamoto has received national awards over the recent years for his social justice scholarship, teaching and advocacy. He was the first Professor/Scholar to receive the prestigious American Courage Award given by the Asian American Justice Center on behalf of a consortium of civil rights organizations for his exemplary civil and human rights work undertaken during difficult times.
He was selected as the national Outstanding Law Teacher Award from the Society of American Law Teachers for his creative and impassioned teaching and scholarship with an emphasis on justice for all. He also received the inaugural Scholar Advocacy Award from the San Francisco-based Equal Justice Society for creating and initiating a national pilot project that trains law students to become sophisticated legal scholars in ways that are useful for frontline justice advocates.
A prolific writer, Yamamoto has already published two books and over sixty book chapters and law review articles on social justice. His first book on interracial justice (conflict and reconciliation among racial communities) entitled Race, Rights and Reparation: Law and the Japanese American Internment received the Gustavus Meyers Award for an Outstanding Book on Social Justice for 2000.
Professor Yamamoto also worked on the legal teams for Filipino American Manuel Fragante in his accent discrimination case and for Native Hawaiian Alice Aiwohi in her successful Homelands breach of trust class action, resulting in a major reparations settlement. He served as a consultant on the African American reparations case, Alexander v. Oklahoma, and his legal work also includes many other amicus briefs to the U.S. Supreme Court, most recently as co-author in the Office of Hawaiian Affairs v. HCDCH (Hawaiian lands) and Grutter v. Michigan (affirmative action) cases, as well as an amicus brief to the Ninth Circuit in Doe v. Kamemameha (Native Hawaiian education).
EJS Accepting Applications for 2010-2011 Judge Constance Baker Motley Civil Rights Fellowship
UPDATE: The deadline has been extended to Jan. 11, 2010.
The Equal Justice Society is now accepting applications for its 2010-2011 Judge Constance Baker Motley Civil Rights Fellowship, named after the first African American woman to serve on the federal bench. Applicants for the one-year paid fellowship should be recent law school graduates with up to five years of work experience after law school.
Applications must be received in our office, not postmarked by December 7, 2009.
EJS is a national strategy group heightening consciousness on race in the law and popular discourse. As heirs of the innovative legal and political strategists of Brown v. Board of Education, the organization broadly models its programmatic efforts after the late Honorable Constance Baker Motley and the Brown litigation team. Using a three-prong strategy of law and public policy advocacy, cross-disciplinary convenings and strategic public communications, EJS seeks to restore race equity issues to the national consciousness, build effective progressive alliances, and advance discourse on the positive role of government.
Motley Fellowship applicants should demonstrate experience in civil rights advocacy and a strong commitment to racial justice. The Fellow will work under the supervision of staff attorneys for a 12-month period. During the fellowship period, the Fellow may lead new research, advocacy, coalition building, and public education efforts related to transforming anti-discrimination law and policy. The Fellow will be a full participant in office events and activities, including staff meetings and strategic planning sessions.
The position is based in our San Francisco office and runs from October 1, 2010, to September 30, 2011, with some flexibility in dates.
To be considered for the Judge Constance Baker Motley Civil Rights Fellowship, applicants should send a cover letter, resume, list of four (4) references and a writing sample (preferably on a racial/social justice topic) to info@equaljusticesociety.org with the subject line “Motley Fellowship Application” or mail hard copies to Motley Fellowship Applications, Equal Justice Society, 260 California Street, Suite 700, San Francisco, CA 94111.
Applicants should be recent law school graduates with 0-5 years of work experience after law school. Bar passage is not required. Candidates will be evaluated based upon criteria including: Demonstrated commitment to racial and social justice; Demonstrated interest in civil rights law and policy; Excellent research and oral /written communication skills.
EJS Statement on ACORN
The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) has championed the rights of low and moderate income level families for more than three decades. With the backing of 400,000 member families in about 75 cities across 40 states, ACORN has become a target of the Right Wing de-legitimization machine. Just as Van Jones was recently attacked with half-truths and outright lies in order to remove him from his position, so have the same forces politically assaulted ACORN for years.
It is unfortunate that the actions of few staff members would hurt the capacity of such a large organization. ACORN has taken the proper steps to remedy any potential irregularities by securing the services of former Massachusetts Attorney General Scott Harshbarger. He will lead an independent inquiry into the organizational systems and processes surrounding the services of the organization.
Mr. Harshbarger said of the process: “I have been asked by the leadership of ACORN to conduct an independent and comprehensive inquiry and review of the management of its service delivery to communities. The CEO and Board have also asked me to make a full report, including recommendations for restoring ACORN’s full capacities to carry out its mission on behalf of low- and moderate-income families.”
In the meantime, ACORN has suspended accepting new clients into its service programs for working-poor families including tax preparation, housing assistance programs, and benefits screening until the independent review is completed.
As promoters of racial, social and economic justice, the Equal Justice Society continues to support ACORN, its mission and its constituents. We do not support any actions that will further impair the ability of low and moderate income people to seek and access much-needed assistance. Thus, we find it regrettable that the House took the first steps to eliminate federal funding for ACORN’s services. Instead, we believe the process for seeking the truth and proper consequences includes awaiting the findings of Scott Harshbarger and holding only the necessary people accountable for any wrongdoing.
LDF Statement on Sen. Ted Kennedy
The NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund today issued the following statement on the life and legacy of Senator Edward M. Kennedy, who passed away last night at the age of 77:
Today, with the passing of Senator Edward M. Kennedy, our nation lost an extraordinary champion of equal justice. His leadership on civil rights issues during nearly five decades of service in the United States Senate is unprecedented and incomparable. Beginning his Senate career at the dawn of the civil rights movement, he was at the helm during passage of all of the important federal civil rights laws-laws ensuring full participation in the political process, opportunity in employment, access to public accommodations, fairness in housing and equal opportunity in education. In subsequent years, he worked to strengthen these laws and to pass new laws protecting victims of injustice. Without his unyielding voice, the nation would be a very different place. Indeed, the historic election of our current president would not have been possible without these earlier milestones.
Senator Kennedy possessed a rare combination of qualities that allowed him to carry the torch on civil rights in the U.S. Senate. He had an unwavering commitment to ensuring equal opportunity, the courage to fight the hard battles, the optimism to lead others, and the perseverance and statesmanship that ensured victory after victory. Above all, what we will remember is his fearlessness. When doubt or cynicism or the prospect of defeat was injected into the debate, Senator Kennedy inspired us to continue the struggle for a fairer and more just society. In addition to inspiring us, it was Senator Kennedy who often crafted the legislative plan leading to success in that struggle. Simply put, Senator Kennedy was always on our side, and, on many occasions, this made the difference to the cause for justice.
Founded by Thurgood Marshall in 1940, LDF is the nation’s oldest civil rights legal organization. Throughout our history, only six individuals have led the organization. Remarkably, Senator Kennedy’s service in the Senate has coincided with the tenures of five of our six leaders. Last year, these past and present leaders of LDF joined in a letter to Senator Kennedy expressing gratitude for his many contributions to equal justice. They acknowledged that “[w]hile we have passed the torch to one another, you have held onto the same light-all the while burning bright-as the preeminent civil rights champion in Congress…. No one fights as hard as you do or with more courage and moral conviction that the right thing must be done. We are eternally indebted to you for opening the doors of opportunity to millions of people.” (A copy of that letter and Senator Kennedy’s gracious reply will be available on LDF’s website)
LDF is deeply saddened by the passing of our colleague, friend and hero in the Senate-a voice once thunderous in the cause for justice is now silenced forever. At the same time, we are heartened by reflecting on the grand legacy of his life’s work, and the vision and hope he left us for a more just society.
Thomas A. Saenz, Counsel to Los Angeles Mayor, Named MALDEF President and General Counsel
The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) today announced Thomas A. Saenz, Counsel to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, as its new President and General Counsel. Saenz will join MALDEF in mid-August.
(Tom has been an extraordinary ally and supporter of EJS for many years. We congratulate him and wish him much success in returning to MALDEF.)
Since August 2005, Saenz has served as Counsel to Mayor Villaraigosa and as a member of the Mayor’s four-person Executive team. Saenz has helped to lead the Mayor’s legislative effort to change the governance of Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) in order to secure a quality education for all students in Los Angeles and has recently served as the Mayor’s lead liaison on labor negotiations as the City strives in partnership with workers to address its serious financial situation.
“We could not ask for a better civil rights leader than Thomas Saenz to take the helm of MALDEF at this critical time,” said Patricia A. Madrid, Chairman of the MALDEF Board of Directors and former New Mexico Attorney General. “The Latino community is currently facing a drastic rise in hate crimes and witnessing an explosive rebirth of extremist anti-immigrant rhetoric and measures that adversely affect all Latinos. A highly respected attorney and community leader, Thomas brings a wealth of legal expertise and dedication to civil rights causes that fundamentally define the future of Latinos. We are looking forward to a great future under his leadership as we work together to advance the mission of MALDEF,” Madrid added.
“Tom Saenz has been a trusted advisor who understands the importance of public service and working on behalf of those in need,” said Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. “His zealous leadership, legal prowess and counsel have helped diversify our body of City commissioners, provide living wages for our City’s workers, and demand a quality education for every child in Los Angeles. I thank Tom for his devoted service to the City of Los Angeles and wish him all the best in his new endeavor. MALDEF is not only inheriting a brilliant legal mind, but also a passionate and committed champion of civil rights.”
Saenz had previously served as MALDEF’s lead counsel for 12 years. During that time he successfully challenged California’s unconstitutional Proposition 187 and led numerous civil rights cases in the areas of immigrants’ rights, education, employment, and voting rights. Saenz achieved several victories against ordinances unlawfully restricting the rights of day laborers, served as lead counsel in the 2001 challenge to California’s congressional redistricting, and initiated the employment discrimination lawsuit resulting in a $50 million settlement with Abercrombie and Fitch. Saenz was also the lead drafter of the Amicus brief on behalf of Latino organizations supporting affirmative action in the Supreme Court case, Grutter v. Bollinger.
Saenz said he is looking forward to the new challenges and opportunities. “Throughout its 40-year history, MALDEF has been a national leader on all legal and policy issues affecting the Latino community. I look forward to leading a very strong MALDEF staff in successfully addressing the next set of challenges facing what is now the largest minority group in this country, a group whose progress is essential to our nation’s success,” Saenz stated.
Prior to joining MALDEF early in his legal career, Saenz clerked at both the federal district court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit after graduating summa cum laude from Yale University and receiving his Juris Doctor from Yale Law School.
“Tom Saenz is an outstanding choice, he represents an extensive and celebrated record as a champion for civil rights and social justice. Throughout his career as Chief Counsel to Mayor Villaraigosa and as legal counsel for MALDEF, Saenz has proven to be a cornerstone for legal activism in our country,” stated Wade Henderson, President and CEO, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR). “I can think of no better leader to take on the challenge of continuing the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund’s nationwide movement for equality and justice.”
“MALDEF’s work is now more important than ever before. Tom has spent his professional life serving as a champion for civil rights and social justice. His legal career has been devoted to protecting the people’s civil and constitutional rights. His lawsuits overturned local ordinances banning day laborers from seeking employment and he will lead the fight to ensure that the promises of justice and equality are a reality for all Americans,” stated Dolores Huerta, Co-founder of United Farm Workers of America and President of the Dolores Huerta Foundation.
Saenz has an extensive and celebrated background.
At the beginning of August 2005, Thomas A. Saenz became Counsel to the Mayor of the City of Los Angeles, where he serves as a member of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s executive team and provides legal and policy advice to the mayor. Previously, Saenz practiced civil rights litigation at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), a national organization dedicated to securing and promoting the civil rights of Latinos in the United States, where he served as Vice President of Litigation. As Vice President, Saenz oversaw MALDEF’s efforts nationwide to pursue civil rights litigation in the areas of education, employment, political access, immigrants’ rights, and public resource equity.
Saenz was born and raised in southern California. He graduated summa cum laude from Yale University, and he received his law degree from Yale Law School. Saenz then served as a law clerk to the Honorable Harry L. Hupp of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, and to the Honorable Stephen Reinhardt of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Saenz joined MALDEF as a staff attorney in 1993; he became Los Angeles Regional Counsel in 1996, National Senior Counsel in 2000, and Vice President of Litigation in 2001. At MALDEF, Saenz served as lead counsel in numerous civil rights cases, involving such issues as educational equity, employment discrimination, immigrants’ rights, day laborer rights, and voting rights. For example, he served as MALDEF’s lead counsel in successfully challenging California’s Proposition 187 in court; as such, he presented extensive written and oral arguments on numerous occasions in three different cases involving the anti-immigrant initiative. He was also MALDEF’s lead counsel in two court challenges to Proposition 227, the English-only education initiative that voters enacted in 1998, and he successfully challenged several ordinances barring day laborers from soliciting employment. Saenz also served as MALDEF’s lead counsel in challenging California’s congressional redistricting in 2001.
For eight years, Saenz taught “Civil Rights Litigation” in the spring semester as an adjunct lecturer at the U.S.C. Law School. Saenz currently serves on the Los Angeles County Board of Education, and he previously served on the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations.
NAACP Celebrates 100 Years; President Obama to Address Convention
The NAACP this week celebrates its 100 year anniversary in New York City highlighting a century of Bold Dreams, Big Victories with a visit from President Barack Obama, Attorney General Eric Holder and many icons of the civil rights movement. The Convention started yesterday and runs through July 16th at the New York Hilton.
“For 100 years the NAACP has pushed us to acknowledge the humanity in each other and ensure that our laws will follow suit. You (the NAACP) have inspired us to strive for that mountaintop even when the climb seemed steep and for that I honor you, I congratulate you, and I wish you another century of accomplishment as extraordinary as your first,” stated President Barack Obama. “It’s humbling to think of the progress made possible by ordinary folks who refused to settle for the world as it was and instead stood up and fought to remake the world as it should be,” concluded President Barack Obama.
“New York is the birthplace of the NAACP, and it is only fitting that this great city be the host of our 100th Anniversary Convention,” stated Benjamin Todd Jealous, President and CEO of the NAACP. “We gather in New York to celebrate the NAACP’s past accomplishments as we look toward the future of our organization. Together we will celebrate our victories from the past 100 years, from Brown v. Board of Education to the election of Barack Obama. We will also lay out our bold dreams for 2009 and beyond with new initiatives on the critical issues facing our nation,” concluded Jealous.
A yearly tradition, the NAACP Convention will set the stage for its programs and legislative agenda for the next year. The organization will unveil a sweeping initiative on criminal justice and law enforcement which will use cutting-edge technology and engage all of the NAACP State Conferences and Branches.
Speakers during the six-day event also include New York Governor David A. Paterson, New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Senator Charles E. Schumer, Representative Charles B. Rangel, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, and Reverend Al Sharpton.
On Thursday, July 16th, the NAACP will present NAACP Chairman Julian Bond with the Spingarn Medal.
The Spingarn Medal, instituted in 1914 by the late Joel E. Spingarn, then NAACP Chairman, is awarded for the highest or noblest achievement by an American of African descent during the preceding year or years.
“The NAACP and thousands of our members are responsible for many of America’s seminal moments. In each decade, we have been a powerful, transformative force helping our beloved country realize its own promise. As we move forward in this new century, there is no better place to celebrate our centennial than in New York City, the birthplace of the NAACP,” stated Julian Bond, Chairman of the NAACP Board of Directors.
“The New York State Conference is proud to be the host of the NAACP Centennial Convention. This year’s convention marks an historic milestone with the celebration of 100 years of a campaign to ensure the political, educational, social and economic rights of all people and to eliminate discrimination in our nation,” said Hazel N. Dukes, President of the NAACP New York State Conference of Branches. “This Convention and Centennial Celebration are unique events for New York because the organization was founded here in 1909 by a small multiracial group of concerned New Yorkers. The recent election of President Barack Obama stands as testament to how far the NAACP has led our nation since the days when African Americans could not vote, let alone run for and win the White House. It is historically correct for the NAACP to lay out its agenda for the future in New York; our great state has been in the forefront of the civil rights movement since it began, and I can think of no better place for the NAACP to outline our bold vision for the next century,” concluded Dukes.
“For 100 years, the NAACP has been tireless in its efforts to ensure a society in which all individuals have equal rights. Together with the residents of New York, and thousands of civil rights heroes of yesterday and today we will look to the future and march forward in our second century continuing our proud tradition of dreaming bold dreams and achieving big victories, “ said Roslyn Brock, Vice Chairman of the NAACP Board of Directors and Chairman of the 2009 Convention Planning Committee.
The NAACP selected New York City as the host city for the Centennial Convention based on the efforts and support of National Board Member and New York State Conference President Hazel N. Dukes and its dedicated members, Leonard Riggio, Chairman Barnes & Noble; Stephen Schwartzman, Chairman & CEO The Blackstone Group; Earl G. Graves, Sr., Spingarn Medalist and Editor and Publisher Black Enterprise Magazine; Governor David A. Paterson; Mayor Michael R Bloomberg; Former Mayor David N. Dinkins; NYC & Company and Bill Lynch Associates.
Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities, conducting voter mobilization and monitoring equal opportunity in the public and private sectors.
