Growing up in Turkey, Kadir* hid his identity as a gay man to his conservative family and most friends in his circle. He even dated girls publicly to hide his sexuality – he says, “I never came out to my family or other friends because of fear that they would reject me, or that it could become public knowledge [...]
March 16, 2022 was a bittersweet day. It was a day to celebrate the Reauthorization of The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) 2022 but also a day which marked the one-year anniversary of the killing of eight individuals which included six Asian women in Atlanta on March 16, 2021. As an attorney, I am thankful for the Reauthorization of [...]
March 8th, 2022 This quote from Audre Lorde comes to mind as we celebrate International Women's Day: "And that visibility which makes us most vulnerable is that which also is the source of our greatest strength." As I reflect on my career as an attorney representing women who experienced domestic violence and as an educator inspiring young women to find [...]
Sometimes, the most heartbreaking journeys can still end in new hope. Elisa’s* story is a testament to that. Growing up in Mexico, Elisa endured abuse from all angles just because she was different. She says, “From a very young age, I did not conform to or identify with the [male] gender assigned to me at birth.” Whenever she expressed her [...]
This year, we bestow fourteen Special Recognition awards to exceptional interpreters, translators, law clerks, paralegals, and community volunteers who embody the spirit of Casa Cornelia by assisting our clients and furthering our impact with compassion, dedication and perseverance. The Law Center relies on the generosity of volunteer interpreters and translators (VITs) to bridge the language gap between clients and their [...]
This year, we bestow twelve Pro Bono Publico awards to exceptional attorneys who embody the spirit of Casa Cornelia by representing our clients with compassion, dedication and perseverance. In 2020, the effects of the pandemic and immigration policy restrictions impacted Casa Cornelia’s programs and the clients we serve. However, these challenges did not impede the active participation of volunteer attorneys, or [...]
Hashem* was born in the 70’s in Iran to an extremely conservative Muslim family. Although it was all he knew growing up, there were many aspects of his family’s religious practices and beliefs that made Hashem uncomfortable. Some of the rituals included self-harm, polygamy, and public executions by stoning. As an Islamic state, Iran’s citizens live under this Islamic law, [...]
Victoria’s* closest family growing up was her mother and her cousin, Gloria*, who was more like a sister to her. In the Democratic Republic of Congo – a country in central Africa – Victoria’s mother supported their small family by working as a shopkeeper. In addition to her day job, her mother was the president of a local women’s rights [...]
