Recognition
LAS–ELC Staff Attorney Araceli Martínez-Olguín receives Henderson Social Justice Prize
LAS–ELC is extremely proud to announce that staff attorney Araceli Martínez-Olguín has been selected as the 2010 recipient of the Hon. Thelton E. Henderson Social Justice Prize. Established in 2006 and administered by the University of California, Berkeley Law School (Boalt Hall), the annual award honors a Berkeley Law graduate who “best exemplifies the intellectual rigor, integrity, courage and vision that are distinctive of the Honorable Thelton E. Henderson.”
“Berkeley Law has a long, deep commitment to serving the public, and Araceli exemplifies that extraordinary spirit,” said Ian F. Haney-López, John H. Boalt Professor of Law at Berkeley and a member of the executive committee of the Thelton E. Henderson Center for Social Justice at Berkeley Law. “From her first days as a student, Araceli has recognized the tremendous power of law to do good, and has striven to force law to live up its promise. With this award, Berkeley Law honors one of its own, holds her up for emulation by today’s students, and expresses its faith that Araceli will continue to use her legal education to promote justice for all.”
The Prize was established in honor of U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson, who was appointed to the Northern District of California bench in 1980 by President Jimmy Carter and served as its Chief Judge from 1990 through 1997. During more than three decades as a federal judge, Judge Henderson has become deeply respected in the civil rights community for closely reasoned and courageous decisions in the areas of prisoners’ rights, environmental law, and affirmative action, among many others. In addition to having graduated from Berkeley Law within the past seven years, the recipient of the Henderson Prize must have “demonstrated a commitment to social justice through use of the law to challenge societal inequities,” and “made a significant contribution to under-represented and/or disadvantaged communities.”
After graduating from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs in 1999, Araceli taught bilingual kindergarten in the Oakland public schools for two years as a member of the Teach for America program. While at Berkeley Law, where she received her J.D. in 2004, Araceli was Articles Editor of the Berkeley La Raza Law Journal, served on the staff of the Berkeley Women’s Law Journal, and was also a member of the Admissions Committee and the Coalition for Diversity. Upon graduating from Berkeley Law, Araceli clerked for two years for U.S. District Judge David Briones of the Western District of Texas in El Paso. She then spent the next three years as an attorney with the ACLU Women’s Rights Project in New York, where she took a lead role in its advocacy on behalf of low-wage immigrant workers and women of color, and also litigated cases challenging sex-segregated public school classrooms and on behalf of female victims of sexual violence and human trafficking. At LAS–ELC since April of this year, Araceli continues her work in defense of immigrant workers’ rights as a member of the National Origin, Immigration, and Language Rights Program.
“Araceli brings to her work a powerful combination of traits—formidable skills as a litigator, a deep understanding of the immigrant experience, and a passion for workers’ rights,” said LAS–ELC President Joan Messing Graff. “We are so fortunate to have someone with her expertise and commitment in our organization, and we’re absolutely delighted that she has been honored with the Henderson Prize.”