The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund is celebrating 40 years...!

Defending Latinos for 40 years



27 de enero de 2008

The year 1968 marked a turbulent time. In the United States, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy were assassinated, while the world was shaken by the killing of students at Tlatelolco and the May rebellion in France. For the Latino community in the United States, 1968 marked the appearance of an institution devoted to the defense of civil rights that for decades has improved the lives of Hispanics by fighting injustice in the courts. This defense is needed today more than ever.

The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) began 40 years ago, and over these decades, has won historical legal battles, such as in Texas, where it denounced unequal school district funding as unconstitutional and, nationally, where it ensured that undocumented children have the right to public education.

In California, MALDEF played a leading role in the agreement with the state government to abandon implementation of Proposition 187 after it was overturned in a federal court. MALDEF was also key in legal actions preventing the dilution of potential Latino influence in the redistricting process.

For four decades MALDEF has been a fierce defender of civil rights for Hispanics. In recent times, the civil rights agenda has evolved; today, the political climate against undocumented immigrants leads to new abuses.

We believe that it is imperative that MALDEF maintain a high profile and be even more forceful to perform the role expected of this historic civil rights organization that safeguards the rights of Latinos and other minorities .