Latino/a Rights and Justice in the United States

Book excerpt: The U.S. Census Bureau has proclaimed Latinos/as as the "largest minority community" in the United States. Yet, biases and unequal treatment still plague this growing population, and its struggles to secure equal rights and justice remain largely unknown. Linking international and domestic dimensions of the Latino/a presence in the United States, this book explores the historical and contemporary Latino/a experience of discrimination and economic and social injustice. Using Latino/a viewpoints, author Jose Luis Morin provides a deeper understanding of pressing issues within these communities, giving insights into the elusiveness of equality and fairness for Latinos/as in the United States. Morin also offers ideas on how to expose and reduce bias and other inequities within the justice system and the greater society. In addition to presenting an alternative approach to working with Latino/a youths and families, this book calls for a broadening of existing concepts of rights and justice in the United States. In so doing, Morin incorporates international human rights norms and principles of economic, social, and cultural rights to address the persistent inequalities and injustices that Latino/a communities confront in the United States. " . . . a fine overview of a major phenomenon in contemporary American society."--D.O. Friedrichs, CHOICE "Latino/a Rights and Justice is an excellent primer on who Latino/as are in the United States, the discrimination they have faced, and some of the legal issues that they must address. It would be an ideal coursebook for undergraduate students to provide a general introduction to Latino/a civil rights concerns."--Latino Studies "...international human rights norms must be considered as an indispensable element in the discourse concerning the treatment of Latino/a residents, migrants and citizens in the country. It is a point well taken and an avenue for excellent discussion in any classroom."--CENTRO: Journal of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies