From when I was a child until present day, an unconventional place has been instrumental in eliciting, shaping and expanding my desire to help under-privileged communities: the barbershop. It is from this passion, founded at an unexpected neighborhood staple, that has brought me to King Hall at UC Davis. Through the Human Rights and Social Justice concentration, I will be prepared for a career in the legal field where I can serve the communities I am most familiar with, through both public counsel and education.
When I was about eight years old, my parents divorced and my mother took my sister and I to live in Watsonville, CA, a small agricultural town that seemed foreign to my birth city, Sacramento. My mother, who immigrated to the United States from Mexico as a teenager, had a lot of family support in the town, so relocating there was a sound choice for her, both financially and emotionally. We lived in a full house in which every adult -- with the exception of my disabled grandparents -- worked two to three jobs to support the family. Because I hardly saw my father, my uncles were often in Mexico and my grandfather didn’t communicate much with us children, I yearned for interaction with adult males. I found solace when my mother began taking me to a neighborhood barbershop, and was elated when one of the barbers eventually asked if I could help out on Saturdays by sweeping up and taking out the trash; I would be compensated with “tips” and a haircut.
At the time, I understood my Saturdays at the barbershop merely as a way to get outside of my impoverished home environment and gain exposure to a world in which I never knew. I was oblivious to the fact that this time at the barbershop gave my mother more time to study for ...
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...riting skills through contributing to King Hall’s highly respected law journals, I will become a positive and prudent voice for the public. With proper application of the law, significant changes, albeit incremental ones, can be made to benefit the aforementioned communities I strive to help.
Working as a barber has provided me a way to both see and experience the struggles that face socio-economically disenfranchised communities in the world. Although I have enjoyed my experiences with outreach and advocacy, I am ready to embark on a legal education that I know will strengthen my capacity to create or defend justice where it is often absent or unclear. The barbershop is responsible for having shown me the challenges communities face at a grassroots level; but law school will be credited with giving me the necessary tools to address those issues, on global scale.
...hat of how to apply law effectively. Now, I’m able to participate in casual conversations about sports, but I’m more interested in conversing about the structures of free agency, labor-related issues and the drafting and negotiation of contracts.
“Corruption is like a ball of snow, once it’s set a rolling it must increase (Charles Caleb Colton).” Colton describes that once corruption has begun, it is difficult to stop. Corruption has existed in this country, let alone this very planet, since the beginning of time. With corruption involves: money, power, and favoritism. Many people argue today that racism is still a major problem to overcome in today’s legal system. American author (and local Chicago resident) Steve Bogira jumps into the center of the United States justice system and tells the story of what happens in a typical year for the Cook Country Criminal Courthouse, which has been noted as one of the most hectic and busiest felony courthouses in the entire country. After getting permission from one of the courthouse judges’ (Judge Locallo) he was allowed to venture in and get eyewitness accounts of what the American Legal System is and how it operates. Not only did he get access to the courtroom but: Locallo’s chambers, staff, even his own home. In this book we get to read first hand account of how America handles issues like: how money and power play in the court, the favoritism towards certain ethnic groups, and the façade that has to be put on by both the defendants and Cook County Workers,
“The New Jim Crow” is an article by Michelle Alexander, published by the Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law. Michelle is a professor at the Ohio State Moritz college of criminal law as well as a civil rights advocate. Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law is part of the world’s top education system, is accredited by the American Bar Association, and is a long-time member of the American Law association. The goal of “The New Jim Crow” is to inform the public about the issues of race in our country, especially our legal system. The article is written in plain English, so the common person can fully understand it, but it also remains very professional. Throughout the article, Alexander provides factual information about racial issues in our country. She relates them back to the Jim Crow era and explains how the large social problem affects individual lives of people of color all over the country. By doing this, Alexander appeals to the reader’s ethos, logos, and pathos, forming a persuasive essay that shifts the understanding and opinions of all readers.
The Andersen family, Bill, Jill, and Riley, are originally from Minnesota and have recently relocated to the San Francisco area due to Bill’s new position at a startup tech company. At first the family was excited about the prospect of moving from Minnesota to California, however they ran into some unforeseeable issues that quickly change their outlook. They were unhappy with their new residence and their household goods were delayed by a week. This coupled with problems at Bill’s new job, created a tense and unpleasant environment for the family. The home situation further impacted Riley, who was already stressed about starting at a new school and not having any friends (Wolsos, 2015).
At the age of two my parents made the long and devastating journey to bring me and my siblings to the United States from Mexico. Wanting a brighter future for us, my parents fought tooth and nail to give us the world they didn’t grow up having. Ever since stepping foot on the U.S soil, going back seemed impossible. The effects of this life-changing move, couldn’t mask the unforeseen disadvantages. Lacking exposure to Mexico’s colorful culture, little to no bonding time with my family from abroad, and the struggle of trying to blend into an environment that was so different, soon began to interfere with my overall identity. Realizing this, my wonderful parents prepared a transformative trip back to my homeland, and back to the past, facing
...t. in Dimensions of Culture 2 Justice Ed. Valerie Hartouni, Robert Horwitz, and John Skrentny. University Readers, 2011. 225-229. Print.
Born in 1962, in an upper-middle-class neighborhood near New York City, Lawrence Otis Graham works as an attorney in Manhattan. Albeit a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School, he is also an author who has penned several dozen books, and writes for the New York Times. In 1991, the magazine published an essay written by him titled “The “Black Table” Is Still There.” In this revealing essay, Graham revisits the junior
Growing up in a country where girls are constantly advised to be doctors, nurses, educators, and any other profession except law enforcement motivated me even further in accomplishing just that. Even as a little girl I simply could not ignore the violence, corruption, and inequality that affected my country; I wanted to fight the violence that brought misery to many, and bring justice to those who desperately deserved it. My goals of pursuing a career in criminal justice were constantly struck down and criticized throughout the years. However, once an impossible dream became a reality when I immigrated to the United States, the land of opportunity. Though my hope was restored, living and adapting to an unfamiliar environment with no family or support proved to be yet another obstacle. Witnessing my parents struggle to adapt, feeling helpless, and confused to provide us a better life has been an immense source of inspiration that drives me to seize every opportunity as it were my last.
The importance of doing pro bono work as part of legal education is something that law students should take into account, not only due to the benefits it provides, both in developing key legal skills within a real-life context and enhancing graduate employability, but also because its charitable nature gives them a sense of having “given back” to their community by aiding those who seek out legal advice.
I was told that my desire to enter the field of public interest would wane after my first year of community service. On the contrary, the realization of the power which a lawyer possesses has reinforced my desire to enter this arena. An advocate's work can have far reaching consequences. This is clearly true in public interest law, where the purpose is not simply to correct a wrong done in the past between two parties, but to alter the disparate treatment of an often under-represented class.
It was a beautiful, sunny day in South Florida. I was six years old, playing by the pool with my new puppy. I loved swimming in the pool almost every day after school. I also enjoyed going out on our boat after school or crossing the street and going to the beach. My father came home one evening with some interesting news. Now, I do not remember exactly how I felt about the news at that time, but it seemed like I did not mind that much. He had announced that we were going to move back to my birth country, Belgium. I had been living in Florida for five years and it was basically all I had known so I did not know what to expect. I had to live with my mom at first, and then my sister would join us after she graduated high school and my father finished settling things. I remember most of my earlier childhood by watching some old videos of me playing by the pool and dancing in the living room. It seemed like life could not get any better. However, I was excited and impatient to experience a new lifestyle. I realized that I could start a whole new life, make new friends and learn a new language. Belgium was not as sunny as South Florida but it has much better food and family oriented activities. Geographic mobility can have many positive effects on younger children, such as learning new languages, being more outgoing, and more family oriented; therefore, parents should not be afraid to move around and experience new cultures.
Growing up, it was hard to find time to spend as a family. My mom worked two full time jobs in a span of twenty four hours. Her first job consisted of working in a lab where they made packaging solutions, then at night she worked as a bartender. My brother and I would see her for about three hours until we would have to settle in with another babysitter. I wasn’t really aware of what was going on until my brother and I were enrolled into school. Everyday we would walk to school it was hard to spark a conversation with him because he had a problem that no one knew about. And little did I know that I also needed help developing greater english skills, so my teacher decided that I come in an hour earlier each day to get the extra help. Around the time that I started attending these classes my brother moved onto middle school and I began to walk alone. It wasn’t a problem until one day someone started chasing me and lucky enough a cop stopped me to ask me about the situation.
The legal system we abide by has generally served its purpose by providing order and justice in most situations that need legal obedience. However, on the premises of producing social change, the system has not proven to bring changes in society. Perhaps justification for this is explained by Clarence Darrow who argues that the law applies to and favors specific types of social classes. Robert Cover addresses how punishments from judges may counteract their purpose. Karla Fischer and her peers, along with Jackie Campbell’s “Walking the Beat Alone,” show how law has objectives to serve society, but do not supply social change and in fact hinder its progress. The film Eyes on the Prize portrayed the African American efforts in disobeying the law in order to make a statement. Lastly, Tom Tyler’s writing, Why People Obey the Law, he discusses laws that people do not obey purely because it is a law. The legal system’s role is thought to bring social change, however, the system is structured to favor certain groups of people and in many cases, statutes and legal decisions have counteracted their intentions and failed to create change in society.
My interest in public interest law, nonprofit advocacy, and social justice began at a very young age. My passion was influenced by my upbringing, as well as my journey down a path different from what my family and culture envisioned. It is this same divergent path that has led me to me to pursue the legal profession today.
The union of my parents stands at 37 years. My parents migrated to The United States to better themselves and their families. Their struggle to obtain the “American Dream” instilled family values, and showed my siblings and myself a direct link to education and work. During my childhood, my mother was the first woman to show me what tenacious means. She stood front and center to save her family from becoming victims of society. In order to move her family out of the ghetto, she worked three ...