Event Date
In 1890, New York lawyer Hong Yen Chang was denied the opportunity to practice law in California because of state laws that barred Chinese immigrants from most careers and opportunities. In 2014, the California Supreme Court granted Sergio Garcia, an undocumented Latino law graduate, the right to seek a license to practice law. The parallels between the immigrant experience at the turn of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries provide lessons for us as we explore the barriers to access to justice for low-income communities, minorities, women and immigrants. This conference brings together scholars, practitioners, and those personally affected by laws that limit professional licenses based on race, national origin, gender or immigrant status.