Linguistic Justice® Founder
Washington, D.C.
[email protected]
I’m a social entrepreneur passionate about language, justice, and equality. Born in Venezuela, I’m a prospective Asylee in the U.S. and a TPS holder, as well as a former attorney with a master’s degree in Civil Procedural Law.
Upon relocating to the U.S., I pursued my linguist training and national certifications as an interpreter and translator and was later appointed as a staff interpreter for the New York State Unified Court System in the Family Courts. I founded Linguistic Justice after the failure of the courts to provide meaningful language access became more evident in the wake of COVID-19. Born out of my desire to foster diverse spaces calling for language justice, Linguistic Justice envisions a diverse and truly inclusive society where non-English speaking communities are given the tools to participate and understand at the same level as their English-dominant peers. I boldly seek to contribute to creating a society where the right to communicate in one’s preferred language is considered an explicit human right, fully protected by law as a fundamental component of our human dignity, freedom of speech, and the right to equal treatment before the law.
Working at the intersections of language, justice, and restorative practices, my mission is for all communities to have the same opportunities to understand and participate in society regardless of their preferred language, by:
- Consulting on accessibility strategies for meaningful language access.
- Advocating for inclusive spaces while maintaining the highest delivery standards for language access services such as translation and interpretation.
- Integrating the use of restorative practices to drive better language access outcomes through community engagement, participatory learning, and collaborative decision-making.
I’m a member of the Global Coalition for Language Rights and I’m currently pursuing a master’s degree in restorative practices with a specialization in community engagement from the International Institute for Restorative Practices.
Areas of interest
- Language access
- Language justice
- Human rights
- Restorative practices
- Access to justice
- Community integration