On Friday, February 21, the Bickel & Brewer Latino Institute for Human Rights held its third annual symposium, “A Force for Change: Advancing the Rights of the Latino Community.”
Each year the symposium gathers academics, advocates, practitioners, and law students to discuss critical issues. This year, guest speakers discussed voting, anti-immigrant ordinances, and higher education, all with the purpose of highlighting how the rights of the Latino community are being advanced or defended.
Panel 1: A Vote, A Voice: The Importance of the Voting Rights Act
Moderator: Katherine Culliton-Gonzalez, Senior Attorney and Director of Voter Protection, Advancement Project
Panelists:
- William Brewer, Partner, Bickel & Brewer Storefront
- Nina Perales, Vice President of Litigation, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF)
- Ana Reyes, City Council member for the City of Farmers Branch, Texas
Watch the discussion (1 hr, 38 min):
Panel 2: Lessons Learned from the Front Lines: Challenging Local Anti-Immigrant Ordinances in the Midst of a National Call for Reform
Moderator: Julia Preston, National Immigration Correspondent, New York Times
Panelists:
- José Perez, Deputy General Counsel, LatinoJustice/PRLDEF
- C. Dunham Biles, Partner, Bickel & Brewer Storefront
- Andre Segura ’06, Attorney at the Immigrants’ Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
Watch the discussion (1 hr, 24 min):
Panel 3: Realizing the Dream: Promoting Access to Education and Bar Admissions for Undocumented Students
Moderator: Alina Das ’05, Assistant Professor of Clinical Law and Faculty Director of the Bickel & Brewer Latino Institute for Human Rights at NYU School of Law
Panelists:
- Cesar Vargas, Executive Political Director of the DREAM Action Coalition
- Luis Angel Reyes Zavalza ’15, Bickel & Brewer Latino Institute for Human Rights scholar
- Sergio Garcia, Undocumented Attorney
Watch the discussion (1 hr, 27 min):
Posted on March 6, 2014