The Delano Guardians and their collaborators, Central Valley Empowerment Alliance (CVEA), hosted a legal clinic on Nov. 20. Held at McFarland’s Church of the Living Savior, the clinic not only provided information on workers’ legal rights but also addressed immigrants’ rights.
The McFarland community showed its unwavering support. Among them was Octaviano Magallanes, an attendee, who shared that he attended because he had been told there would be important information of great interest to him.
Another attendee, Christina Aguliar, shared the importance of such a legal clinic not only to her but to the rest of the community.
“The reason for my coming was that I needed information about the immigration attorneys. My goal in leaving this clinic is to gather the necessary information and share it with the community about our rights…I’d like them to come back and for more people to take advantage of this information,” said Aguliar.
Previously, an attorney was scheduled to attend this event, but was unable to due to unforeseen circumstances. Maria Perez-Ruiz, executive director of CVEA, said that, if needed, their attorneys can make home visits to community members interested in receiving free legal services.
“We’re inviting community members to invite us into their homes, and our attorneys are willing to meet even if it’s just three people that we are providing information and providing legal services to them,” said Perez-Ruiz.
During the legal clinic, Jose Perez, Rural Justice Coordinator for CVEA, spoke to the audience, providing examples of workers’ rights and general information that may be important to note.
“The violation of rights is very common in our community. Many are afraid to speak up, fearing they will be fired. But we all have rights, and if they want to abuse your rights, there are consequences,” said Perez.
Perez also stated the importance of gathering information. He mentioned the need to collect information such as paycheck stubs, dates, and hours worked.
“To be a rural justice advocate is to transform fear into voice, silence into rights, and to take every step to a more just world,” commented Perez.
Before the legal clinic began, another organization was coincidentally handing out necessities inside the church, including household supplies and clothing. The organization, House of Hope, was founded by the church’s pastor, Anthony Blanco, and his wife, Diana Blanco.
“We first began with distributing food to the community, and one thing led to another, and we also started this because we know that there is a lot of need in the community,” said Blanco.
Blanco also mentioned that on the third Thursday of every month, they host a food drive at the Church of the Living Savior. CVEA plans to continue its outreach efforts in Kern County, including another legal clinic in Lamont in January. Community members interested in seeking updates or additional details can visit cvempowermentalliance.org for more information.
