Rafael Román Martel

Human Rights Activist, Silvio Acosta and Law Professor, Gilberto García Guest Speakers at Emerson High School

Photos: Susan Ittoop

Daniel Frezzo; Assistant Principal with his former student Emersonian Gilberto García, Juana Dominguez; World Languages Teacher and Spanish Honor Society advisor, and Silvio Acosta; Human Rights Activist

Gilberto García Emerson High School Class of ’78

Law Professor, Gilberto García, Emerson High School Alumni, Class of ’78, returned to Emerson High School today as a guest speaker of the Spanish Honor Society. García, a native of Cuba, is one of the best lawyers in the United States today. He earned national recognition winning cases such as the Celia Cruz case and the Wal-Mart case. He was admitted to the bar of the State of New Jersey in 1987. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Law. He was an adjunct law professor at Seton Hall Law School in 1990-1991, where he headed the immigration law department at the Center for Social Justice of the law school. He argued, along with Keith Talbot of Legal Services of New Jersey, the case of Brambila v. Board of Review before the Supreme Court of New Jersey in 1990, which granted aliens with work permits the right to receive unemployment compensation. He was lead counsel, with law students from the clinic, in a class action lawsuit entitled Diaz v. INS, filed in federal court in 1990, on behalf of aliens seeking asylum from Salvador and Croatia. He has also litigated federal and state RICO claims on behalf of class members in the matter of Rolo v. City Investing, in federal court in New Jersey. Gilberto Garcia and Mary Ann Kricko were also the first individual practitioners to receive the Equal Justice medal for their unprecedented pro bono work on behalf of low income people in the State of New Jersey.

Silvio Acosta is well known for his pro-democratic and human rights activism. A member of the Democracy Movement, he has been involved in human rights, immigration, and pro-democracy advocacy for 27 years. He was the co-editor of The Political Reporter. A former teacher, he is often invited to speak about human rights and immigration issues in a variety of forums. Acosta co-hosted a informational TV program, Debatiendo con la comunidad. He is now a direct link between the Cuban dissidents and human rights organizations as well as the press. In January of 1992 he was involved in a non violent demonstration inside the Jacob Javitz Center on behalf of the Cuban Political Prisoners, where he and a group of human rights activists attracted international attention to the conditions of Cuban dissidents inside the island. In 2006 Acosta was recognized by congressman Albio Sires as Cuban of The Year in West New York. Mr. Acosta could be reached at lucasnj45@msn.com

Emerson High School’s history teacher, Mr. Lopes participated in the immigration panel, sharing his views and getting students involved in an interesting exchage in today’s discussion.