Justice Cruz Reynoso, who was the first Latino to serve on the California Supreme Court and has been widely honored for his leadership and public service, will receive the UCLA César E. Chávez Spirit Award on Thursday, April 29, at UCLA’s Covel Commons.
The event will begin with a reception at 6 p.m., followed by dinner at 7 p.m. and a program at 8 p.m. Linda Alvarez, weekend anchor and special assignment reporter with KCBS?Channel 2, will serve as emcee.
“As a former California Supreme Court Associate Justice, Cruz Reynoso, like Chávez, is a champion of the poor, the worker and those who were treated unfairly,� said Abel Valenzuela, interim director of UCLA César E. Chávez Center for Interdisciplinary Instruction in Chicana/o Studies. “He is a guardian of fairness and deliberates in a thoughtful and honest manner. His compassion and work on behalf of the downtrodden are a living testament to Chávez’s legacy.�
Reynoso grew up in a family of 11 children in Orange County. As a youth, he picked fruit and attended segregated schools with other Latinos. At 14, he petitioned Washington, D.C., to get mail service for his La Habra community. The son of Mexican farm workers, he ignored friends who warned he would never be admitted to college. He earned a B.A. degree from Pomona College in 1953 and a law degree from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1958.
Reynoso began his career in private law practice in El Centro, Calif., and subsequently took two leaves from his practice to accept positions in public service. He first left to serve as assistant director of the California Fair Employment Practice Commission and as a secretary to Gov. Pat Brown. Reynoso later served the federal government as associate general counsel of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Washington, D.C. In 1968 he returned to his home state to head California Rural Legal Assistance, one of the pioneering programs of the legal services movement.
In 1972 Reynoso joined the University of New Mexico School of Law. He was appointed associate justice of the California Court of Appeal in 1976, and then served on the California Supreme Court from 1982 to 1987. Reynoso was the first Latino to serve on the state’s highest court.
Reynoso returned to private practice and in 1991, he joined the UCLA School of Law. He was a beloved educator; law students selected him as “professor of the year� in 1995. Reynoso became the first Boochever and Bird Chair for the Study and Teaching of Freedom and Equality at the University of California, Davis, School of Law in 2001. In that position, he continues to pursue his academic interests in the areas of professional responsibility, remedies, appellate advocacy and civil rights.
Continuing his longstanding commitment to public service, Reynoso currently serves as the vice chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. Previous service at the national level includes an appointment by President Jimmy Carter to the Select Commission on Immigration and Human Rights. Reynoso also has served in numerous positions at the state and local level.
In recognition of Reynoso’s service, President Bill Clinton awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, in 2000; Reynoso received the Hispanic Heritage Foundation Award in Education that same year. He holds a number of honorary degrees, and serves on the boards of several civil rights, environmental and educational organizations.
Established in 2000, the UCLA César E. Chávez Spirit Award honors individuals who embody the principles, leadership and humanitarian qualities of the prolific late labor leader. Past award recipients include Luis Valdez, playwright and artistic director/founder of El Teatro Campesino; actor/activist Martin Sheen; labor leader and United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta; and Carlos and Deborah Santana for their philanthropic work through The Milagro Foundation.
Tickets to the event are $75 per person, and $40 for students with valid ID. R.S.V.P.s are requested by April 22. For more information on the awards dinner or to find out about possible sponsorship opportunities, call (310) 825-9199 or visit www.chavez.ucla.edu/spiritaward.
A portion of the proceeds from the event will support the creation of an endowment for an undergraduate scholarship in Chicana/o Studies. The center also is accepting additional donations for the César E. Chávez Spirit Scholarship Fund. These scholarships are for students pursuing a degree in Chicana/o Studies who have demonstrated a strong academic record and a commitment to social justice.
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