Penn Law LALSA's 24th Annual Conference

Please join us for the 24th Annual Penn Law LALSA Conference, Fighting an Uphill Battle: Examining the Legal Implications of COVID-19 on the Latinx Community, on Saturday, April 3, 2021!

Each year, the LALSA Conference illuminates significant legal and social justice issues facing the Latinx community while engaging leaders from across the nation in forward-looking conversations on Latinx advocacy. We are incredibly excited to host this year’s conference virtually, allowing this important discourse to reach those beyond our home in Philadelphia.

This year's Conference will explore COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on the Latinx community. According to the American Medical Association, COVID-19 hit the Latinx population at a rate almost double that of the general U.S. population. A significant number of frontline and essential workers are Latinx, many Latinx individuals lack access to basic healthcare, and protection from disparate policies are needed now more than ever. Community-based responses have been instrumental in combating the effects of harsh immigration policies exacerbated by the pandemic, securing public benefits, and promoting the overall well-being of Latinx individuals across the nation.

Panel One: A Tale of Two Pandemics: COVID-19 and the Humanitarian Crisis at the Border
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis at the border, with immigration authorities taking advantage of prevention measures to fortify and expand structures of inhumane treatment. Without access to safe lodging, medical care, or a source of income, these individuals face struggles that require community intervention. With the help of panelists Nicole Ramos (Al Otro Lado), Linda Corchado (Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center), and Efrén Olivares (Immigrant Justice Project at the Southern Poverty Law Center), this panel will chronicle these experiences, and the ongoing fight against them, in three distinct areas across the U.S.-Mexico border: Tijuana, Mexico; El Paso, Texas; and the Rio Grande Valley.

Panel Two: Health, Labor, and Benefits: Advocating for Aid in the Pandemic Society
As the pandemic wears on, Latinx frontline and essential workers, in addition to many Latinx individuals left unemployed, grapple with issues such as securing healthcare, accessing public benefits, and maintaining their livelihoods in the face of economic uncertainty. The Pennsylvania Latinx population relies on the advocacy of legal aid, social justice organizations, and government actors to ensure that they can lead secure and healthy lives during this challenging time. This panel will explore the ways in which prominent advocacy groups in the Philadelphia area and the Pennsylvania state government have been at the forefront of conversations and strategies to aid the Latinx population during this time. The panel will include perspectives from Maureen Olives (Philadelphia Legal Assistance), Ida Castro (Pennsylvania Commission on Latino Affairs), Dr. Daphne Owens (Puentes de Salud), and Mariel Mussack L’20 (Justice at Work).

Please register in advance here.

This program has been approved for 2.0 Ethics CLE credits for Pennsylvania lawyers. CLE credit may be available in other jurisdictions as well. Attendees seeking CLE credit must register for CLE credit and make a payment via the online CLE registration link in the amount of $80.00 ($40.00 public interest/non-profit attorneys). In order to receive the appropriate amount of credit, passcodes provided throughout the program must be noted in your evaluation form. Penn Law Alumni receive CLE credits free through The W.P. Carey Foundation’s generous commitment to Lifelong Learning.

The CLE materials for the Conference are available HERE.