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EQUAL JUSTICE WORKS FELLOW, CLASS OF 2007
Name of Host Organization: Texas Civil Rights Project
City, State: San Juan, Texas
Issue area: Consumer Rights, Community/Economic Development
Sponsor: Texas Access to Justice Foundation
THE INSPIRATION
As a summer intern for the Texas Civil Rights Project (TCRP), I worked in deep south Texas, a place I barely knew existed. I immediately was struck by the extreme poverty in the area. But, I also was moved by the rich history of community organizing and action is still alive in the area. Despite being one of the frontlines of economic and social justice issues, I knew this was a place I could support others in improving their lives while I also would have the support of a broad network for my work.
THE PROJECT
My project establishes Consumer Right Centers located in colonias--extremely low-income, unincorporated rural neighborhoods along the Texas-Mexico border. These centers distribute and gather consumer information, train people to teach their neighbors about how to navigate financial institutions, and inform impact litigation based on community priorities. The goal of the centers is to be a hub of community activism that locally work to change the options available to consumers and improve their financial condition.
BIOGRAPHY
Hometown: | Austin, Texas |
Law school: | |
Making the connection: | After college I worked as a bilingual pre-K teacher in a low income school in Austin, Texas. As I got to know the students and their families, I began to understand the struggles that they faced as recent immigrants from Mexico and Central America. I witnessed first-hand the discrimination that some faced and came to know the economic and social barriers that many worked to overcome. I realized that I could use my language skills and my desire to continue my own education to be an advocate for families in similar situations. |
Surviving law school: | I got out of the classroom as much as possible. I volunteered, clerked for public interest organizations, and took as many clinic classes as possible. To me, being an attorney just means solving problems. Finding opportunities to represent real people with real problems made me realize that I would not be happy in my career unless I felt like I was helping solve, at least a little, some of the injustice and inequity in the world. Realizing that kept me focused on a public interest career. |
Recommended books: | The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan - changed the way I think about food and made me want to be a farmer...my backyard chickens will have to do! The Color of Wealth by Meizhu Lui, et al. - gave me clear historical and statistical examples to help educate others about why race and class inequality are inextricably linked. Anything by Haruki Murakami - mainly because his books are just fun and transporting. |
Favorite website(s): | NYTimes.com sends me the daily headlines. RioGrandeGuardian.com is an online newspaper that keeps me up-to-date on all that is going on along the Texas Mexico border. LandTitleUSA.com and TexasLandRecords.com because property issues are one of the biggest problem for low-income consumers in the area. |
Music I love: | You know, "Rock en Espanol" is starting to grow on me... Just can't escape it when you live this close to the Border. |
Words to live by: | “Once social change begins, it cannot be reversed. You cannot uneducate the person who has learned to read. You cannot humiliate the person who feels pride. You cannot oppress the people who are not afraid anymore. We have seen the future, and the future is ours.” Cesar Chavez |