The Voice of Justice Anonymous

A string of jumbled and complex gibberish filled the air as a small group of kids gathered by the swings, rambunctiously joking with one another. I stood on the outskirts of the group, feebly looking from one face to the next, feigning a smile and nodding along, counting down the seconds until I could go home. I had only been living in the United States for a few months, and could not speak English with the other children at the park. Such instances of confusion were an everyday occurrence for me as I strived to enter a world that seemed out of my reach.

Until then, my childhood in Chile had been one filled with Neruda poetry, Mark Twain novels and countless Bible stories, as my parents endeavored to shape me into an educated, cultured individual. However, once we immigrated, all I had learned suddenly felt insignificant, and I found myself trapped in my thoughts, unable to share my excitement or bod with others. As I experienced first-hand the desolate feeling of being excluded, and the overwhelming frustration of being silenced, I came to understand how precious the work of helping defend those who are disadvantaged, and who otherwise do not have a voice can be.

I developed a passion for justice, and the laws that seek to...