LLSA’s Letter in Support of BLSA

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Tonight, as most of us sit safe in our homes, we struggle to find the words to understand what is happening in the world around us. We struggle to convey our sorrow for the lives tragically and wrongfully taken; we struggle to communicate our sorrow for their families; and we struggle to convey our outrage at the blatant acts of racism occurring in our country, and our utter disappointment for the contempt and indifference of our leaders.

“We cannot hold a torch to light another’s path without brightening our own.” These are powerful words spoken by Hispanic leader Cesar Chavez. We must follow his example. We cannot fight racism and injustice without understanding the struggles of the black community, and until we open our eyes to the reality that they have been fighting every day, we will continue to contribute to such injustice. To stand silently by as injustice occurs is to contribute to the destruction of justice for all. By allowing this vulgar display of violent racism to continue we are contributing to it’s rot.

LLSA will not stand idly by. We will use our platform and our voices to stand up for justice and for our fellow black student community. LLSA stands in support of BLSA. We say loudly and clearly that we are a safe community for any member of the Penn State family and that you will always have an ally in us. Racism will not be tolerated. Every life is valued. We are not colorblind. We see every color and each color is unique, valued, and beautiful.

“It’s up to all of us – Black, white, everyone – no matter how well-meaning we think we might be, to the honest, uncomfortable work of rooting [racism] out.” – Michelle Obama

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Reconectando con Mark Diaz

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This summer I am working with Professor Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia, the Director of the Center for Immigrants’ Rights Clinic at Penn State Law. Professor Wadhia is well-known in the immigration realm for her cutting-edge publications uncovering the subtleties and realities of prosecutorial discretion and immigration enforcement. Some of the work I have been doing has been in the clinical capacity, as I was a clinical student last semester, and some has been in the research capacity. For the Clinic, I have been involved in providing unbiased information regarding the pressing immigration issues of the moment. For example, the Clinic hosted a family separation/detention information session, and released two fact sheets to bring light to the law and policy surrounding family separation. Some of the case work from the Spring semester has also, fortunately, carried on into the summer.  In my research ! capacity, I have been involved with Professor Wadhia’s persona! l, non-clinic related, publications. I’m look forward to next semester when I will be continuing my work as a research assistant for Professor Wadhia as well as earning five more credits in the Advanced Immigration Clinic.

Reconectando con Melissa Blanco, President of LLSA

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Hi everyone! My name is Melissa Blanco and I’m a rising third year student at Penn State Law. This summer, I am working in Philadelphia doing criminal justice work (I promise to tell you more once the summer is over!). Beyond that, I’ve been editing Penn State Law Review comments that will be published in the fall. Speaking of the fall, I’m extremely excited to welcome all of the new 1Ls to the Penn State Law family! There’s nothing more comforting than knowing you will have a home away from home at Penn State Law, and I can’t wait for all of the incoming 1Ls to experience that. Until then, I hope everyone is enjoying their summer as much as I am!

Reconectando con Vanessa Miller

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Vanessa is a fourth-year J.D./Ph.D. student and the LLSA Outreach and Recruitment Chair for the 2018-2019 year. She is also the Vice President of the Public Interest Law Fund and the Student Bar Association Diversity Chair. This summer, Vanessa is interning in Washington, D.C. at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (“Lawyers’ Committee”) and the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund (“LDF”). At the Lawyers’ Committee, Vanessa is part of the Educational Opportunities Project working on issues of access and equity. She begins her internship with LDF in July. Since moving to Washington, D.C., Vanessa has attended a rally on Capitol Hill, attended a salary negotiation workshop sponsored by the American Association of University Women (AAUW), watched several Congressional hearings, and plans on hearing Supreme Court decisions in person. Vanessa is also the recipient of a Public Interest Law Fund Fellowship, The B.A. Rudolph Foundation Graduate Public Service Scholarship, and a Cuban American Bar Association Scholarship. She also recently became a contributing writer for The Black Wall Street Times.