Latinos in the Courtroom: a Celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month
| Publication year | 2023 |
| Pages | 04 |
President’s Message
Latinos in the Courtroom
A Celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month
BY AMBER GONZALES (GUEST AUTHOR)
Introduction
As CBA president, I consider it my duty to provide you with insight into our great state, and I believe it's essential for voices from across Colorado to be heard. Indeed, one of the greatest strengths of the CBA is our ability to bring people together, share ideas, and find success through one another. As such, I've invited leaders from around the state to serve as guest authors for my monthly presidential columns, to share their messages in the spirit of belonging and progress. My hope is that by listening to each other and considering each other's perspectives, we can begin to define our collective pathway to success—where our knowledge and insights can lead us to a better tomorrow. In this vein, I'm pleased to introduce this month's guest author, Colorado Hispanic Bar Association President Amber Gonzales, who will share some important legal victories in Latino history.
—Judge Nathaniel Baca
Latinos—the fastest growing demographic in the United States—have played a pivotal role in American history. But our contributions to critical jurisprudence in the fight for equality are not widely known. This October, in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 to October 15), please join me in recognizing the many ways in which the Latino community has used the courtroom to change the face of our nation.
Latinos Then and Now
Latinos have been part of the fabric of Colorado history since before America became a nation in 1776. Families like mine are common in the Southwest—we can trace our roots back to this region for dozens of generations. Long before political boundaries separated nations, people lived on and moved across this land. Yet longevity has not begotten equality. Only a few decades ago, it was common to see signs throughout Denver reading "No dogs or Mexicans allowed." My grandparents were hit with a ruler for speaking Spanish at school. And school segregation was alive and well in Colorado.
Today, there over 63.6 million Latinos in the United States, and nearly one in five Americans is Latino.[1] And, as the country's largest racial or ethnic minority, we have a collective buying power that's estimated to hit over $2.6 trillion in the next year.[2] Despite our size and economic impact, however, we're still not being invited to the table. Less than 5% of C-suite positions or seats on Fortune 500 boards are occupied by Latinos.[3] And when you look at Latina women in particular, those numbers dwindle to only 1%. Latinos do not fare much better in the legal profession overall. Only 5.8% of attorneys are Latino, and only 2% are Latina women.[4]
The Fight for Equality in the...
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