Dr. Antonia Pantoja founded ASPIRA in 1961 because she believed young people needed the tools to lead their communities. The movement spread across the US, including the opening of ASPIRA of Florida. In 1996 Pantoja became the first Puerto Rican woman to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Frank Angones arrived alone in Miami from Cuba in 1961. Decades later, he became the first Cuban-born president of The Florida Bar. Angones increased diversity among Florida attorneys, provided legal services for people who could not afford them, and organized attorneys around human rights cases.

FCARE is hosting a sleepout today in solidarity with people experiencing homelessness, and FJI will be there during the rally to support. Join us and our partners at FCARE at Lummus Park in Miami Beach at 2pm to build that support.

Mario P. Goderich had already practiced law in Cuba when he arrived in Miami, but his credentials did not transfer. So he earned a law degree, joined The Florida Bar, and helped found CABA. He became the first Cuban American to sit on the Eleventh Circuit bench and Third District Court of Appeal.

Betsy Pizzo's son Phillip has schizophrenia. He spent 117 days in a county jail, much of it in an isolation cell, while his mental health kept getting worse. It's why FJI is a part of a case suing the state over these delays. Follow so we can keep you updated.

Give Miami Day returns on Thursday, November 19, and early giving opens November 14. Your support is what makes things like the Tristin Murphy Act, class action settlements, and camping ban repeals possible. Follow so you know the moment our Give Miami Day page goes live.

Lucas Benitez was a teenager when he left Mexico for Immokalee, Florida, and started working in the tomato fields. Benitez co-founded the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, a worker-led human rights group that continues to change conditions in the fields through the Fair Food Program.

Evelio Grillo was born in Ybor City in 1919 to Black Cuban cigar workers, grew up in segregated Tampa, and served in a segregated Army unit during World War II. Grillo went on to organize in Oakland, bringing Black and Latino communities together across lines the system drew between them.

Florida law gives the state 15 days to move a person found incompetent to stand trial out of a county jail and into treatment. Our lawsuit says the wait runs four to six months instead, and the case is gaining media attention. Follow to stay updated as this case continues.

Osvaldo N. Soto came to South Florida as a Cuban exile and used the law to fight discrimination. He co-founded SALAD, challenged Miami-Dade's English-only ordinance, and was a founding member of CABA. His career reflects something we believe at FJI: the justice system has to belong to everyone.

Happy birthday to Carly Carrillo, one of the paralegals who keeps our cases and our office moving. Carly, thank you for your hard work and the positive energy you bring every day. Join us in wishing her a wonderful birthday in the comments!

We are happy to welcome Simone Schafer to FJI as a fall clerk. Simone is a law student at U Miami with a focus on civil rights, justice reform, and litigation. Simone spent her 1L summer at the Miami-Dade Public Defender's Office handling research, advocacy, and trial preparation. Welcome, Simone!

Headed to the Florida Policy Summit today? FJI Executive Director Michael Langley will be on the panel for "Moving Away From the Old Ways: How Florida Can Adopt Better Practices to Public Safety." The session starts at 2:40pm. Follow so you stay connected with all of our events.