DOWNTOWN — It was a well-attended and festive celebration featuring food, music, dancing and pride at Kings County Civil Court as the Latino Judges Association was honored on its 40th anniversary the afternoon of Oct. 8.
The LJA, formed in 1985, is an organization dedicated to increasing Latino representation in the judiciary.
The event, part of National Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15, embraced the theme, “Collective Heritage: Honoring the Past, Inspiring the Future.”
Hispanic Heritage Month honors the histories, cultures and contributions of Americans whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.
The importance of preserving Latino history
Keynote speaker Associate Justice Sallie Manzanet-Daniels, of the Appellate Division, First Department, and past president of the LJA, emphasized that this year’s theme spoke to her.
“As a perpetual student of the law, I am trained to look at all things with an appreciation and understanding of their history,” Manzanet-Daniels said. “For you see, history is the tool with which we process and place in context our present and plan for our future.”
Manzanet-Daniels added that, “the importance of preserving Latino history cannot be understated.”
She concluded her speech with some powerful statistics, noting that despite constituting approximately 20% of the New York State population, the status of Hispanic representation in the New York State judiciary is a mere 130 judges out of 3,093, or 4%.
Manzanet-Daniels noted that this is something that needs to change going forward. “We have to do better.”
