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  • PRESS RELEASE
    24, March 2022
    LatinoJustice PRLDEF Launches 50th Anniversary Celebrations with a Series of Virtual, Hybrid and In-Person Events

LatinoJustice PRLDEF Launches 50th Anniversary Celebrations with a Series of Virtual, Hybrid and In-Person Events

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 24, 2022

Contact:
Carolina González | Senior Director of Strategic Communication| [email protected] |  212-739-7513
Sarai Bejarano | Manager of Traditional & Digital Media | [email protected] | 212-739-7581

 

LatinoJustice PRLDEF Launches 50th Anniversary Celebrations with a Series of Virtual, Hybrid and In-Person Events
Celebrating Fifty Years of Service and Impact in Latino Civil Rights

 
New York, NY – Celebrating five decades life-changing impact on civil rights in the US, LatinoJustice PRLDEF – a national nonprofit advancing equity and justice in Puerto Rican and Latinx communities – kicked off a year-long series of events this week with a virtual roundtable on a draconian border enforcement program that is devastating Texas border communities.

The event, Operation Lone Star: Coming to a State Near You," engaged Texas advocates revisioning the justice system to cover the impact of Operation Lone Star in the Rio Grande Valley, other Texas border communities and how it is being used to criminalize persons crossing the border.

The webinar is the first of a five-part series "Advancing Leadership, Equity, and Justice," Illuminating LatinoJustice's five decades of work on behalf of civil rights for Latino communities and its ongoing commitment to defend and promote the rights and opportunities of Latinos across the country.  

"As LatinoJustice celebrates half a century of work for our communities, we resolve to demand and expect more from those who profess to uphold these ideals, in addition to holding the line against efforts to undermine justice and equity, such as Operation Lone Star in Texas," said Lourdes M. Rosado, President and General Counsel for LatinoJustice/PRLDEF. “Like the community advocate lawyers who founded PRLDEF in 1972, we have a vision for a more just world. With the help and support of our allies and communities, we hope to make that vision a reality. This is why our theme for our 2022 anniversary year also serves as our call to action: Bold Legacy, Bolder Future: Advancing Equity, Justice, and Leadership." 

LatinoJustice PRLDEF was founded as the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund (PRLDEF) in 1972 by three young Puerto Rican lawyers, Jorge Batista, Victor Marrero, and Cesar Perales. The organization grew out of the need to protect and advance the legal rights of Puerto Ricans throughout the country and to help grow a cadre of Latino lawyers who would go into the community to fight for their civil rights. In 2008, PRLDEF formally became LatinoJustice PRLDEF, to better reflect the evolving nature of the Latino community, the makeup of the organization's clients and legal cases, while honoring its Puerto Rican roots. 

"Throughout 2022, LatinoJustice PRLDEF is developing and setting off on a trajectory of growth and expansion that will take the organization into the next few years and beyond," added Rosado. "Our goal is to enhance and grow LatinoJustice's regional and national reputation as a leading civil rights and social justice organization and seek even more strategic opportunities and partnerships to build the power of the Latinx community."  

The webinar “Operation Lone Star Coming to a State Near You” featured a conversation moderated by LatinoJustice PRLDEF’s National Criminal Justice Director and Director of the Southwest Region, Jorge Renaud, and Carolina Canizales, Senior Texas Campaign Strategist, Immigrant Legal Resource Center; My Le, Accountability Project Director, Texas Fair Defense Project; Claudia Muñoz, Co-Executive Director, Grassroots Leadership.

In addition to the virtual webinar series highlighting five decades of work, LatinoJustice’s yearlong celebration includes the following events: a "Legacy Tour" gathering community in a half-dozen cities where the organization has history and a stake; hybrid events for LJP alumni, for students entering the legal profession, and (pending public health guidelines) the return of in-person events in New York, the annual Latina Trailblazer Breakfast in June and the culminating celebration, the LatinoJustice PRLDEF gala in November.

A special 50th-anniversary page is now active on the LatinoJustice website. It has the latest updates on events and activities for LJP’s anniversary year, and how to get involved with the organization in this historic year, as well as information on the organization's history, milestones, and key leaders.

For five decades, LatinoJustice PRLDEF has litigated precedent-setting impact cases across the country, advocated for the rights of Latinos, fostered civic engagement, and trained Latinx to become leaders in their community. Our pillars of work address: Voting Rights, Immigrant Justice, Economic Justice, Criminal Justice Reform, Puerto Rico and Legal Education and Leadership Development through our CAP Leadership Institute.

Additional Materials
- LatinoJustice 50th Anniversary logo
- LatinoJustice Future Plans One Sheeter

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About LatinoJustice
LatinoJustice PRLDEF works to create a more just society by using and challenging the rule of law to secure transformative, equitable and accessible justice, by empowering our community and by fostering leadership through advocacy and education. For five decades, LatinoJustice PRLDEF has acted as an advocate against injustices throughout the country. To learn more, visit www.LatinoJustice.org