In relation to the Farmer v. Brennan, a case discussed in this blog, it is important to note that triggering language is used in the opinion, as the incorrect pronouns are used to refer to the petitioner throughout. The use of proper gender pronouns is important to nearly every person in the world. In all…
Category: Blog Posts
Wrongfully Charged
The Unreasonable Search and Seizure On January 10, 2020, a San Francisco Superior Court judge, at the request of a San Francisco Police officer, issued an arrest warrant in connection with a residential burglary. Mot. Suppress Evid. Off’d Against Def. Prelim. Hr’g, 6:1-2. The warrant listed suspects to be arrested and described a residence in…
Mandatory Minimums Require a Much-Needed Facelift
A PEAK INTO A BROKEN SYSTEM Hamedah Hassan was an overall upstanding member of our society until she became a victim of her extenuating circumstances. When Hamedah was 21 years old, she made a brave choice to flee from an extremely abusive relationship with her two children. At the time, Hamedah’s only option was to…
A SEAT AT THE TABLE: WHY YOU DESERVE IT, BUT YOUR BRAIN MIGHT BE TELLING YOU OTHERWISE
MY PERSONAL STRUGGLE WITH IMPOSTER SYNDROME As a queer person of color, it took me a long time to come to terms with my sexuality. Until recently, I was not proud of being gay; I was deeply ashamed of who I was. No matter what I accomplished in my life, my accomplishments were never good…
Social Equity: Will the Cannabis Industry Choose to Overcome Its Lack of Diversity?
Image by Terre Di Cannabis from Pixabay. In the world of legal cannabis, a new phrase has taken over: Social Equity. What does this really mean? Social Equity in the cannabis industry is an attempt to level the playing field for individuals who were negatively impacted by the prohibition of cannabis. Long before the re-legalization…
Constitution-Free Zones: How the Fourth Amendment Rights of Americans are Violated at and Near the Border
A Not So “Welcome Home” on a Scorching Summer Drive Across the Border Imagine driving through miles upon miles of dry, barren, flat roads into Laredo, a border town in southern Texas, on a scorching hot August day. You are returning home after a long trip to Mexico. The car is packed with your belongings.…
Pray the Gay Away: Conversion Therapy, Suicide, Religion, and the First Amendment
Image by waldryano from Pixabay. Your sexuality is a result of your childhood abuse. You are only the person you are because your father was absent. If you had only had more male influence in your life, you would not be the person that you are, but it can be fixed. Perhaps you need God,…
Kicking Off National Arab American Heritage Month 2021
Source: Arab American Institute/Twitter. For Starters Throughout the month of April, the Golden Gate University Race, Gender, Sexuality, & Social Justice Law Journal will focus its lens on lifting up the Arab American community in celebration of National Arab American Heritage Month. More substantive posts will provide insight into how American law and society have both…
More Than a Hashtag: Why We Need to #ProtectBlackWomen in Real Life
The most disrespected person in America is the Black Woman. The most unprotected person in America is the Black Woman. The most neglected person in America is the Black Woman.Malcolm X (1962) Photo by Stewart Munro on Unsplash. INTRODUCTION Social media campaigns will tell you to “Protect Black Women,” but rarely is there a serious…
Why we Should Provide More Support for Women of Color in Academia
Photo by Andre Hunter on Unsplash. My experience as a woman of color in higher education is not unique. In this piece, I will share my own story and discuss challenges women of color face to succeed in academia and how their absence in these spaces negatively affects the success of female students of color.…