The Equal Justice Society honors Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15 through October 15, and the contributions and achievements – big and small – of Latinos, Latinas, Latines, and Hispanic Americans and immigrants in this country. We especially celebrate our staff, board members, and advisory board members who are of Latina/o/e or Hispanic descent.
We are deeply angry and disgusted that we “live in a country where the Government can seize anyone who looks Latino, speaks Spanish, and appears to work a low-wage job” – to pull a phrase from Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s dissent in a recent Supreme Court decision overturning a judge’s restriction on ICE agents conducting racist stops.
“When ICE grabbed me, they never showed a warrant or explained why. I was treated like I didn’t matter — locked up, cold, hungry, and without a lawyer. Now, the Supreme Court says that’s okay? That’s not justice. That’s racism with a badge,” said Pedro Vasquez Perdomo — a named plaintiff in the case — in a statement released by the ACLU after Monday’s ruling and quoted in the Los Angeles Times.
The Supreme Court’s erosion of constitutional freedoms affects all people, yet the consequences are especially acute for Latina/o/e and Hispanic communities and immigrants. Given their significant presence and vital contributions to our neighborhoods, workplaces, and schools, our vigilance is not only warranted, it is imperative.
The Equal Justice Society is building an inclusive and multiracial democracy by confronting barriers and historic harms to Black, Indigenous, and marginalized people of all identities. This Hispanic Heritage Month, we renew our commitment to this mission and to the coming day when none of us need to fear the government because of how we look or the language we speak.