Thomas Saenz, President of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF), will present ILS Director and Rev. Donald P. McNeill, C.S.C., Professor of Transformative Latino Leadership and the Joseph and Elizabeth Robbie Professor of Political Science, Luis R. Fraga, with MALDEF’s Lifetime Achievement, Excellence in Community Service Award at its 2018 Chicago Gala on Wednesday, June 20th. MALDEF is a national organization with offices in DC, LA, and Chicago, and strives to implement programs that are structured to bring Latinos into the mainstream of American political and socio-economic life; providing better educational opportunities; encouraging participation in all aspects of society; and offering a positive vision for the future. Founded in 1968, MALDEF is also celebrating 40 years of advancing Latino civil rights since its origin in San Antonio, Texas.
MALDEF is the nation’s leading Latino legal civil rights organization. Often described as the “law firm of the Latino community”, MALDEF promotes social change through advocacy, communications, community education, and litigation in the areas of education, employment, immigrant rights, and political access.