Remembering Ruth Bader Ginsburg |
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Inspiring Quotes from RBG:
“Fight for the things that you care about. But do it in a way that will lead others to join you.”
"Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time."
"Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. It shouldn't be that women are the exception."
“People ask me sometimes… ‘When will there be enough women on the court?’ And my answer is: ‘When there are nine.’”
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RBG Loved Legal Aid!
In 2015, Justice Ginsburg hosted and addressed a Legal Services Corporation (LASSD is a grantee of LSC!) reception at the Supreme Court for leaders of legal aid and the profession from around the country, including federal and state judges, members of Congress, bar leaders, lawyers in private practice and public service, and executive directors of LSC grantees.
In her remarks, Justice Ginsburg highlighted the critical impactful work LSC grantees (like us) do every day. She said,
“Sympathetic lawyers in those offices repair tears in the lives of the least advantaged,” she said. “They provide quality legal services that can turn despair into hope for the future.”
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RBG The Trailblazer
FIRST in her class in law school;
FIRST female tenured professor at Columbia Law School;
SECOND female Justice on the US Supreme Court;
FIRST woman to lie in state at the US Capitol.
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Maria (Family) met RBG while in law school in 2004! (Maria is 3rd from right on the top row). |
Lorena (Development) reminisces about having RBG as a teacher in Nice, France during a study abroad program in the summer 2001. The course? Comparative Constitutional Law. MERCI, RBG! "I was in awe of the fact that there she was for 2 weeks teaching a group of only 25 law students, lucky us! I would see her dining with her husband on the beach. She was very approachable and sweet, and was used to the students approaching her. It was then I learned the infamous story about her leaving Harvard Law to finish her final year of law school at Columbia, to be with Marty her husband. Harvard's student newspaper wondered what kind of future she would have after leaving the prestigious Harvard Law School!" #riprbg
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"In addition to her favorite collar (a white crocheted jabot from Cape Town, South Africa), she pointed out her majority opinion collar. It was a crocheted collar in yellow and beige flowers with scalloped edges that dangled teardrop beads at the edge and a chunky gold metallic chain near the neck (a gift from her law clerks). Then there was her dissent collar — a black Banana Republic bib necklace studded vertically with crystals that looked as solid as an armor plate. Asked by Couric why that one was named the dissent collar, Ginsburg responded with a slight chuckle: 'It looks fitting for dissents.'” Adam Tschorn, LA Times, 9/23/20 (https://www.latimes.com/lifestyle/story/2020-09-23/life-lessons-ruth-bader-ginsburg-collars)
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Jennifer Reps LASSD at RBG's Public Viewing! |
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Jennifer (Shriver) a.k.a. "Monte" was lucky to be in the D.C. area and attended RBG's public viewing as she lied in repose at the US Supreme Court. Monte shares with us that, "Being there last night was an extremely humbling and emotional experience. For my entire legal career RBG has been such an inspiration – the shirt I wore to the memorial is the same shirt I wore to Day 3 of the CA Bar Exam for motivation (thankfully I passed!). Both Kim and I were moved by being there and having the privilege to pay our respects to someone, without whom our lives would undoubtedly be much different.
Despite her small stature, RBG has always been a giant among us. She blazed a trail, knocked down doors, and shattered glass ceilings – clearing a way for all the women who followed in her wake. As one of those women, I cannot express my sincerest thanks and gratitude for all of the doors that are now open to me because of the relentless and enduring perseverance of RBG. She did this work quietly, without seeking attention or fame. She did it because she was truly a warrior for justice and equality. She did it methodically, with a brilliant strategy, and with purpose.
Without her, my education, my marriage, my career and my life for that matter would look nothing like it does today. The arguments she made as an attorney and as a Supreme Court Justice, fighting for gender equality and justice were the building blocks of so many seminal cases that laid the foundation for the rights and freedoms I enjoy today.
She has inspired generations of women who continue her legacy of blazing trials, knocking down doors, and breaking glass ceilings for future generations, including my daughter. As a woman, lawyer, soon-to-be-mom, member of the LGBT community, and wife of a female military officer, I say from the bottom of my heart and with the sincerest gratitude, THANK YOU RBG for your example, for your invaluable
contributions to this country, and for your relentless pursuit of justice. #Idissent." -Jennifer Monterroso
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Monte will be able to tell her daughter one day that she was also at RBG's public viewing.
Thank you for sharing, Monte!
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A heartfelt congratulations to our own Rosalina (Fair Housing) who will receive the San Diego County Bar Association’s (“SDCBA”) “Service by a Public Attorney” award next Wednesday, September 30th, 12-1:15 p.m. If you’re an hourly staffer and wish to watch, please coordinate with your supervisor. The SCDBA event is free! Congress Member Susan Davis will congratulate Rosalina and LASSD on Sept. 30th during this virtual event.
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Rosalina and her daughter at Pride parade 2019, sowing the seeds of justice. |
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Thanks to CCHEA Program Manager Carol Neidenberg for sending us all a very informative email about our awesome case managers. They are such superstars! Here are our wonderful case managers reflecting on their jobs, and how they're inspired by their clients and vice versa. #justicebeginshere
"As we know, our clients have limited or no resources and sometimes need help in paying rent, affording groceries, and getting to appointments to name just a few of their daily obstacles. We are fortunate to have 5 extraordinary behavioral health case managers – Aaron, Chris, Joanna, Tia, and Gretchen – who work closely with the incredible housing case managers Vanessa and Enrique – to help our clients stay housed, buy food, and connect them to resources.
If you have any questions about our case management services, send me an email ([email protected]) or call or text me (619-549-3996). I’m always happy to brainstorm and work with you to figure out ways to help connect clients to services especially during this extraordinary time. And thank you for your support!"
-Carol Neidenberg
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Vanessa Vera (Fair Housing)
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I've been working with a Spanish speaking couple that due to their language barrier they were not informed of the many forms of government assistance they could benefit from. They didn’t even know low income housing existed! I was able to get them into a new Low Income Senior Housing development (opening up Oct. 2020) located in Vista. I connected them to an agency that was able to cover the cost of their deposit. Wife and husband both have physical disabilities. Wife is on dialysis and the husband is losing sight. I helped sign them up with an agency that picks up his wife and takes her to her dialysis appointments. I connected the husband to an agency that will help him obtain a vision exam and new glasses. One thing they told me and it stuck with me is, “Mija, gracias por ayudarnos y por todo tu apoyo. Me da gusto que puedes ayudar gente como nosotros que como venimos de mexico no queremos pedir ayuda. Ocupamos mas gente como tu”. ("Thank you for helping us, and for all of your support. I am happy you can help people like us who come from Mexico and do not want to ask for help. We need more people like you.") |
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Tia works for CCHEA's BHU (Behavioral Health Unit) team as a Case Manager. She has been with the Consumer Center for Health Education & Advocacy (CCHEA) since January 6th of this year but has been a Case Manager for over 16 years, working with such agencies as Head Start non-profit preschool, and Telecare Agewise. She loves "helping people navigate through life’s ups and downs and believes this is what I was born to do." Tia truly enjoys working for Legal Aid.
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Gretchen is really enjoying the mix of legal and mental health work. She is learning a lot about the legal side of life." Gretchen says that "it is a pleasure to work with all of you!" "I am so proud to be a part of Legal Aid!"
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"I was working with an individual at my last job before I left for Legal Aid. This man has no record of ever being born, he isn’t sure who his parents are and he spent time in foster homes. He lived in multiple states, AZ, NM, FL and MA. The only state that had any record of his existence was Mass., they had a grade school report card.
For two years I had been trying to get this individual his CA ID. I tried everything I could possibly think of, and I wasn’t far off in my attempts to figure out the system. I knew the next few steps needed to be all legal steps. So upon hire at Legal Aid, I coordinated with my friends/former co-workers to get this individual in for services he qualified for. VERY long story short, this man has been denied a state ID for 20 plus years. This has obviously made his life very difficult. For example: finding a job, boarding a plane, admissions to venues (he reads his poetry at clubs/ bars where you have to prove you're over 21 years old), having a bank account….anything and everything someone would use an ID for.
I provided case management services and worked with Curtis Bulgatz, a Pro Bono Attorney for Legal Aid and we successfully helped this individual obtain his California state ID.
After 20 plus years he said, 'I can finally open a bank account. I can get a better job”.
It was such a simple sentence but, it meant the world to him, and me. He thanked me and Curtis profusely but, I am just happy he can finally 'exist’ in society. He deserves an identity and now he has an ID to prove he exists."
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While working here at LASSD as a full time case manager, Joanna is finishing her master's program at San Diego State in Rehabilitation Counseling, she’s focusing on psychiatric disabilities so she can become a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor. “I really enjoy working for Legal Aid because I feel everyone here has their heart in the right place. We all share a common desire to help others and do our best to serve our underrepresented communities."
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Christopher Khabbaz (CCHEA) |
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"I wanted to work somewhere where the work was worth doing, and if I could help a few veterans along the way that would be a bonus! That’s exactly what I get to do here at LASSD/CCHEA. I assisted a client who tried to get rental assistance to stay in his unit and failed. He mentioned that 'He lost faith and quit.' We were able to get him $4000 in rental assistance to stay in his unit. He couldn’t believe it and said it was “'lifesaving.'" In another case, we see a photo of Chris in a hazmat suit during the height of the quarantine lock-down, when he was cleaning out a client's unit so she could move back in. Now THAT is dedication! |
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Enrico Rogers-Atkins (Fair Housing) |
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"A quote by Anne Frank reads, 'How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment to improve the world.' This is precisely what we are doing and hearing about all of our successes with clients truly motivates me to champion through my own trials so that I may pay-it-forward and be the champion for others in need.
Thanks for all that you guys do, our clients appreciate you and so do I!"
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"In the midst of all of this sickness, chaos, and confusion I wanted to share a little glimmer of joy that I received today from a client. Bernie was worried about a client that we have who lives in a very affluent area in San Marcos and had identified that she was in need of groceries. Bernie referred her for services and I was heartbroken when I received a voicemail from a provider saying that they had no more resources to service the client’s zip code. Then having reviewed the local listing for food banks and meal delivery services for seniors, there were tons of providers, but not for San Marcos. In referring another client, I asked if Jewish Family Service (JFS) had expanded their services due to COVID-19 and luckily, they had! I was able to refer this client to receive groceries delivered by way of contact-free delivery which is a huge deal as she is immunocompromised and currently working with her doctor as she believes she has contracted COVID-19.
All things considered, all of the work we are doing will be remembered forever. And although we have our own personal challenges due to COVID-19, I’m amazed at how our efforts, big and small, are making such a huge impact on our clients’ daily lives."
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"I received a thank you card on July 2nd from two clients that I had been working with. The case management referral was from the Shriver Team. The card read, 'It’s people like you, Aaron, that make me proud to be human. You restore some faith in humanity, thank you. Please let your co-workers know how you are all appreciated!! Legal Aid is a breath of fresh air!'"
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Activities around San Diego |
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Walk the Block: Barrio Logan Saturday, September 26th at noon to 6 p.m. Click Here to take you directly to the webpage for more information. Additionally, here are more events going on this weekend.
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Don't Forget to Wear Your Mask! |
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LASSD has taken action to keep its employees safe, including continued implementation of masks and other PPE in the workplace! |
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Andrea (Accounting) is staying diligent by wearing her face mask! |
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If you are at the office, please remember to put on your mask when someone comes into your office, and to wear it while walking around the office. Here are more helpful reminders for wearing a mask.
Thank you for doing your part to slow down the spread!
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Kids Studying Remotely While Their Parents Work Remotely... Challenging! |
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Margarita (Executive Management) got an early morning surprise this week, when her kids Stephanie and Ivan woke her up, having made her breakfast and writing her this sweet note, promising to let her work and treat her throughout the day! (The clock says 5:00 a.m.!) |
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Ideas for the Next Staff Newsletter? |
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We love your ideas!
Do you have a story about your family you'd like to share with your coworkers? If you have any ideas. Email your Development Director, Lorena at [email protected].
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