Our Mission...

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Minority Issues seeks to speak on behalf of minorities by reaching out to the larger community, to inform them, to share with them, to educate them and to grow with them. The goal of The Scholar is to give all minorities a "voice" in the publication of a legal journal on issues affecting all minorities.

In today's climate, where affirmative action is seen as a necessary evil, and where discrimination is viewed as a problem of the past, this scholarly journal wishes to extend and further the discourse of issues that touch upon race, ethnicity, class, gender and sexual identity, as well as the countless other labels applied to individuals and groups in our society.

Our primary goal is to educate ourselves and, in the process, offer some different perspectives not often allowed or sought after in our society. The Scholar members and staff will strive diligently and honestly to produce articles that will offer insights into the daily struggles of minorities today.

The articles published in The Scholar will be building blocks for an understanding of the issues that face all of us today. These building blocks will form bridges: bridges to bring together all the members in our society, bridges to connect all groups that comprise our community and bridges to access self-discovery and an understanding of the other.

We wish to add to the existing discourse on the role of the law and the influence of one state over others hegemony in the lives and identities of minorities. We plan for the work of this journal to be transformative: it will educate, inform and enlighten those who participate. We are creating an environment that will allow everyone to learn, to teach, to share, to work together and to contribute to the legal and educational communities.

The Scholar is a sign of hope for a promising future and for a better understanding of all members of our society.

The Scholar Bylaws

2010 Symposium

The Scholar announces its 2010 symposium, "Education and Minorities in the Modern Era: Working Civil Rights into Practice, Policy, and Procedure". Speakers will include City of San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro; Dr. Elizabeth Garza, Superintendent for Edgewood ISD; and Jennifer Solak, Senior Staff Attorney for Children at Risk Public Policy Law Center in Houston. A panel discussion focusing on public policy and litigation efforts to address the barriers minority students face in education will be conducted with panelists State Sen. Leticia Van de Putte; State Rep. Senfronia Thompson; State Rep. Joaquín Castro; Judge Israel Ramón, Jr., 430th State District Court in Hidalgo County; and David G. Hinojosa, Mexican-American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF).

The event will be held on Friday, February 12, 2010, from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. at San Antonio Marriott Northwest. To register or for more information please visit The Scholar Office or contact Francisca Perez at fperez1@stmarytx.edu or Andrea Aguilar at aaguilar6@mail.stmarytx.edu. Registration includes a lunch buffet.

Board and Staff