We live in a barrage of systems, laws, hierarchies, policies and rules. These can be overwhelming to understand, even for the most educated individuals. Most women are so busy just trying to put food on the table that taking additional time and energy to figure how to maneuver these systems and hierarchies often leaves them feeling that there is no other choice than to frustratingly accept terribly unjust situations as is.
ELLA believes that every Latina needs to be prepared to deal with the inevitable. We are all confronted with unfair and unjust people or systems. Having a better understanding of how to ethically, legally, and technically problem solve unfair situations means that a woman has positioned herself and her family to better advocate for themselves, making them less likely to fall victim to injustice. Our civic education classes and workshops help Latinas to understand and navigate these systems.
Our civic education curriculum includes:
Citizenship
- What is a citizen and what can citizens do?
- Who represents you in government?
- Intro to active citizenship
- Jury duty
- Resident/Undocumented Immigrant rights
- Civility and civil discourse
Constitution
- Understanding the Constitution and what it means for citizens/residents and undocumented immigrants
- The Preamble
- The Bill of Rights
- The First Amendment – Understanding the five freedoms through the use of case studies, the reality, its limitations and its controversies
- The Fourth Amendment – meaning and application of search and seizure
- the Fifth Amendment – explores due process
Freedom of Information Act & Other Statutes
Legislative Process
- How bills are drafted
- Congressional hearings
- Congressional redistricting – what is it and why is it important?
- Census
- Campaign Finance
Municipal Government
- Open meetings act
- City councils
- School boards
- County commissions
State Social Services
Voting & the Electoral Process
- Ballot barriers and access
- Ballot initiatives
- County auditors
- Running for public office