IN THE COMMUNITY
Ybarra Maldonado Law Group – A firm founded on resistance on all fronts.
The Ybarra Maldonado Law Group’s story is one of resistance and a commitment to fight for the rights of those we love. YMLG takes our social responsibility very seriously. Every year we support our communities in a myriad of ways; we unapologetically support migrant & BIPOC communities by collaborating with local social justice organizations, legal entities, and grassroots movements.
In addition, Dr. Maldonado & Abogado Ray founded The Border Crit Institute, as a way to foreground the voices of people of color through academic social justice critical race research and publications that uplift issues of importance to the communities we serve.
About The Border Crit Institute:
Dr. Maldonado and Ray Ybarra Maldonado, from Ybarra Maldonado Law Group founded the Border Crit Institute as a way to give back to our communities by establishing an educational organization to raise consciousness and foster unapologetic resistance. The Border Crit Institute collaborates with YMLG to develop social justice educational content and extend legal resources to immigrant and marginalized communities in the borderlands and beyond.
We engage in immigration advocacy, generate movement responsive research, and publish print and digital content and narratives that foreground the voices of people of color living in the borderlands. We are dedicated to social justice education and building community knowledge that empowers immigrant communities living in the border and in the interior.
Mission:
To foreground the voices and experiences of people of color living in the borderlands, through social justice education, community advocacy, and research. We believe in the power of counternarratives and direct action. Our stories mother resistance and (r)existence.
Social Justice Education & Advocacy:
We are committed to advocating for the civil and human rights of undocumented families and their children. We host “Know Your Rights” workshops, Family Preparedness education, provide legal resources and “Immigration Toolkits,” provide updates on current immigration laws/policies, collaborate with local communities to host quarterly events such as DACA and/or Citizenships Workshops, Know your Rights, & other Community Resource events
Border Crit Theory:
Border Crit Theory, is a new and emerging critical theoretical framework to better address education and research in the borderlands. There is a pressing need to begin crafting a space for education and research that is mindful of the complexities and ethical responsibilities one has and should maintain when writing about or working with and within vulnerable border communities. Border Crit Theory forefronts the perspectives and counter narratives of people of color as legitimate forms of knowledge.
It begins with the understanding that race and borders are endemic to everyday life. This theoretical framework emerges from and is inspired by LatCrit, Tribal Crit, and Critical Race Theory. Border Crit Studies or BorderCrit Theory requires a re-imagining of a world without borders, geographic, and epistemological. It requires a call for context and a history of the beginning.
It maintains that researchers have a responsibility to admit their privilege, and engage with the world they are ‘studying,’ to become close to the people and places they are narrating versus distancing themselves through insincere objectivity.
Locations:
We currently proactively operate in Arizona and Texas. However, our work transcends geographical borders. We believe it is important “to show up” when and where our communities are attacked.
THE BORDER CRIT INSTITUTE
“TO FOREGROUND THE VOICES OF PEOPLE OF COLOR IN THE BORDERLANDS”
Started from the Border Shirt
Started From The Border, Now We're Here Black YMLG T-shirt #abogadoray
Donde Esta Papi Hardcover
"Donde Esta Papi?" presents a glimpse of the beauty, strength, and resilience of migrant families.
Born on the Border Book
Born on the Border by Ybarra Maldonado, Esq.
DONT WAIT. LET OUR LAW FIRM HELP YOU.
Español de México