17th Annual Cruz Reynoso Gala

On April 5th, 2019, La Raza celebrated the 17th Annual Hon. Cruz Reynoso Fellowship Gala. We celebrated the legacy of Cruz Reynoso the first Latinx judge to serve on the CA Supreme Court and the fellowship recipients. We ate good food, danced, and laughed all night. This year our Keynote was Judge Elizabeth G. Macias. In her speech, she reminded us that we need to help one another and to serve as mentors for future generation so we can uplift one another.

We recognized Kazan, MoFo, and Kirkland for over a decade of sponsorship to the fellowship. We also recognized the Academic Skills Program Director and Associate Director, Professor Kristen Holmquist and Professor Diana DiGennaro for their commitment to the academic success of students of color.

Our theme this year was, “Tu eres mi otro yo, por eso seguimos pa’lante; you are my other self, and so, we persevere.”that everyone has wisdom and knowledge to share. We hope everyone left that night with the reminder that when we come together as one we are stronger and more resilient than when we are alone. The Hon. Cruz Reynoso Fellowship is a great example of the power and impact that community can have. Back in 2002, La Raza Law Students Association created the fellowship for members pursuing social justice internships and judicial externships. Over the first two years of the fellowships the association raised $60K to start the fellowship. The fellowship has now been sustained for seventeen years through the collective contributions of students, alumni, non-profits, law firms, and allies who understand the value of serving communities who lack access and believe that everyone deserves justice. This year we kept that legacy alive by awarding the largest number of scholarships in the history of the fellowship, and raising over 60K to continue the fight ahead!

California Supreme Court Visit

On March 6, 2018, a group of Raza students attended the oral argument at the Supreme Court of California. We were able to hear three cases argued both by private and government attorneys. One of the cases focused on conditions imposed after bond. The second case dealt with the scope of habeas corpus jurisdiction in order to make a record of “mitigating evidence tied" to youth. 

 For some of us, this was the first time we had watched oral arguments. It was fascinating to see the various strategies employed by the attorneys. It became clear to us what made an attorney an effective advocator and what behavior we should stray away from.  

After some lunch, we were invited to Justice Cuéllar's chambers where we were able to ask sit down and have a discussion about what it is like to be a judge. Justice Cuéllar spoke on the difficulty of getting everybody to agree and the understanding he has gained through his role as a judge. 

Renato Puga Memorial Scholarship Ceremony

On Monday night, we celebrated the first two recipients of the The Renato Puga Garcia Memorial Scholarship, Elizabeth Lee and Maribel Garcia Ochoa, and remembered our dear friend and colleague Renato. We ate delicious enchiladas and heard from Professor Hurley, Professor Haney Lopez, and an alumni who knew Renato, Pedro Viramontes. We laughed and cried over our memories of our dear friend, but we also celebrated the accomplishments of the two recipients and their past, present, and future contributions to the Latinx communities. 

The scholarship was started in late 2017 by La Raza Law Students Association and La Raza Law Journal at Berkeley Law in honor of our friend Renato, who was an active member of both organizations. Renato was born In Morelia, Mexico and received his Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Butler University. During law school, he was also captain of the Boalt Hall Soccer Club and a summer associate for Cooley, LLP in San Diego. Renato was an exceptional student but most importantly he was deeply committed to the Latinx community. Through this scholarship, we hope to continue Renato’s legacy and commitment to the Latinx community, but we also aim to provide support to Latinx students and ensure their success in law school. 

If you would like to help contribute to the scholarship, you can venom donations @RenatoPG_Scholarship

Any contributions will be greatly appreciated. 

MALDEF Voting Rights Event

The current administration shows us how important it is for Latinx to show up and vote for leaders that will represent and fight for the Latinx community.  The 2020 Census has a citizenship question which will negatively impact Latinx participation. Latinx communities will fear answering the census will lead to deportation and will skip the census altogether. Census data direclty affects the number of representatives a state has, this census will disempower Latinx voters. The La Raza Law Students Association co-sponsored a talk with Tanya Pellegrini about Latinx voting right and the work that MALDEF does to protect them- in particular, suing the current administration about the citizenship question. This talk helped empower students and become aware of the role of lawyers in protecting Latinx voting rights. 

Hispanic Heritage Month Fundraiser: Part I

Hispanic Heritage Month is meant to pay tribute to the generations of Hispanic and Latinx who paved the way for future generations and their contributions to society. In line with empowering Hispanic and Latinx communities, La Raza Law Students Association chose to hold a bake sale to raise funds to continue to help Latinx law students get the resources they need to be successful in Law School. Latinx lawyers make up only 4% of the lawyers in the U.S., La Raza Law Students Association strives to make sure Latinx are better represented in the legal field. We had a successful bake sale and want to thank everyone for your contributions.