The Network for Justice: Pursuing a Latinx Civil Rights Agenda

Abstract

This article explores the need to develop a Latinx-focused network that advances law and policy. The Network for Justice is necessary to build upon the existing infrastructure in the legal sector to support the rapidly changing demographic profile of the United States. Latinxs are no longer a small or regionally concentrated population and cannot be discounted as a foreign population. Latinxs reside in every state in our nation and, in some communities, comprise a majority of the population. The goal of the Network for Justice is to facilitate and support local and statewide efforts to connect community advocates to formal channels of creating or defending law and policy. This article provides a rationale for building a national network that connects existing advocacy institutions and community organizations, with law schools, academic institutions, lawyers, and policy makers. The building blocks for a Network for Justice that support law and policy to advance Latinx civil rights are already in place but this effort requires greater coordination to more effectively advance common interests. This model draws first and foremost from the existing community resources, recognizing that the foundational core of such a network should rest in the hands of Latinxs themselves.

Keywords: Latinos, Racial Justice, Networks, Voting Rights, Immigration, History, Demographics

JEL Classification: K11, K36, K37