S1: Welcome in San Diego. It's Jade Hindman on today's show here about Carmen Chavez , one of the award winners of the 2026 Leadership Award grant. Also here about the great work she's doing here in San Diego. This is KPBS Midday Edition , connecting our communities through conversation. Each year , the foundation recognizes local leaders who are making a lasting impact on the community , from arts and culture and youth success to health and well-being. My next guest is one of this year's awardees , Carmen Chavez. She is the executive director of Casa Cornelia Law Center , a San Diego nonprofit providing pro-bono legal services to survivors of human and civil rights violations. Carmen joins me now to talk about this recognition and her own journey through law. Welcome to the show. Hello.
S2: Hello. Good afternoon. It's so wonderful to be here with you.
S1: It's wonderful to have you here in studio. Congratulations on this honor.
S2: I , of course , deeply , deeply grateful for this recognition. So I was very surprised. And , you know , I think for , for me , it's it's almost like a culmination of a lifelong commitment to the community and to serve others. And it's also a recognition of our amazing staff who day in and day out , give 100% of themselves to try to ensure that we can provide a bridge to justice with compassion. So , so very grateful to to everyone who has supported Casa Cornelia Law Center , of course , of which I am very , very proud , very proud to be a part of and to be a leader of. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. And that support goes a long way for listeners who might not be familiar with Casa Cornelia Law Center. How would you describe the work that you all do ? Absolutely.
S2: So in short , we provide direct legal services to be to be very , very , very brief. But who we serve. We serve persons that have suffered some kind of violation against their humanity. Perhaps it's a child or a youth that has suffered abuse , abandonment or neglect , or it's a victim of a serious crime such as human trafficking , domestic violence , kidnapping , rape , the list goes on , unfortunately , and who are actually working with law enforcement. And last and certainly not least , as persons that have fled their home country because they have suffered persecution or torture because of who they are , what they believe in. So this is within the context of immigration law. So all the persons that we represent qualify under current law to find protection. But they need help. They need to know what are the next steps that they need to do , what's the application process and to stand next to them in court. And that's where we come in.
S1: Yeah , yeah. Well , and there's a big need for what it is that you're doing. The award with comes with a $100,000 grant. So how will that grant continue to support this work that you're doing ? Absolutely.
S2: I'm very grateful. That's another aspect that I was not familiar with. So a part of that will definitely go straight back into the organization to provide , um , much needed support for our programs so that we can continue to , to be of service to the , to the community. And of course , it will also go to support my ability to to stand firm and strong and continue to be , um , in my role as Executive director and leader of the of Casa Kenya Law Center. And so it will help to foster , to support , to supplement and to sustain the good work of the organization.
S1: You know , you've been at Casa Cornelia Law Center for nearly three decades , right ? Right.
S2:
S1: All right.
S2: So I mean , from its very inception and our founder , Sister Anne Durst , uh , began with this concept of what can we do to answer the needs ? How can we meet the needs of those that probably need us the most , the person who cannot afford an attorney , who qualifies under the law but has no way of getting there. And so we have very humble beginnings. We started with one program and then it became another , added another. A new need came up. We wanted to be able to extend our reach. So we started a volunteer attorney aspect of our work. We needed to ensure that we had the language as needed in order to be able to speak to our clients and advocate for them and be their voice. And so we've been very fortunate to also add on community members who are willing to volunteer their language , whether it's written or verbal. And so little by little began to grow. And we have our asylum program. We have our victims of crime program. And last but certainly not least , we have our children's program. So I have the good fortune and and so proud of all the work that has happened of seeing the trajectory of the organization. Wow.
S1: Wow. It's come so far in that time. You know , I want to ask about your own personal journey. Um , you're from San Diego , born and raised. That's right. What was that like for you , and how did the experience of growing up here inspire you to commit a life of service ? Absolutely.
S2: Absolutely. Well , I have to thank my my parents , who were always very , very , um , available to serve , serve the community. But indeed , I'm born and raised San Diegan. Sometimes people throw out this term called having been a mercy baby. I am that as well. I'm also a San Diego State alum and so being on on the border and having this understanding of this regional , the regional importance of where we sit , of where we stand , has been part of my growing up and my understanding since I was very young. And so as it progressed , I understood that it's so much wider than that. It's it's large because the persons that we represent at Casa Cornelia are from all over the world , all of them seeking justice with compassion. So I have been very privileged to personally support and advocate for and represent persons from so many different African nations , nations from the Middle East , Asian countries and of course , countries in Latin America. And so I would say that my world scope enlarged and I became more knowledgeable and wise and understanding. Wow.
S1: Wow.
S2: My mother took me to this women's leadership conference and in walks this Latina judge and I. That was very I was young , so I didn't understand everything , but I listened to her speak and I saw her presence and it was a commanding presence , but it was also kind , knowledgeable and wise. And I said , wow , I want to I want to be like her when I grow up. So I would have to say that was a very defining moment. I think I must have been 13 or 14 years old to want to be an attorney. Wow.
S1: Wow. I mean , like seeing yourself sort of being able to see yourself in someone else and have the vision of all the possibilities that you can be that's so important. Yes. Yeah. The Trump administration's immigration crackdown is continuing to impact many community members across San Diego.
S2: We're right at the border. And of course , it's those are all issues that we are very concerned about always have been , and what I would take it back to is at the essence of our work is to provide quality , pro bono legal services to victims of human and civil rights violations in the immigration context. So we have responded by ensuring that our services are available to the community , that persons can call us , and those that qualify under the law , have an opportunity to get legal representation so that they can go through the process. And it's a very lengthy , complicated , difficult process. And one has to remember that the persons that we're helping have some kind of past trauma. So it's extremely difficult for them to step forward to begin with and to tell their tale. And so that's where we come in. So our response has been to be there for them to stand next to them and in a sense , uplift their voices so that they too can find safety , they can find protection , they can ensure that their families stay together and they have an opportunity for a new life.
S1: You know. The Pope Francis Center opened in San Diego last month as a resource center for immigrants affected by Trump's deportation campaign. How are you working with other community organizations to support the immigrant community at this time ? Sure.
S2: So the Port Francis Center , which is going to be headquartered in metro , metro San Diego at one of the Catholic parishes , they're the ones that are running the center. Of course , we will be able to provide legal representation , perhaps to persons that they refer to us and provide information to , to community members. So the way that we're going to participate in the way that we know best , and that is direct legal services to those that qualify for our for our services and our programs and be able to take that case forward.
S1: What do you think can be done , you know , to better support survivors and their families.
S2: So many different ways. I think understanding that these are persons that didn't choose to put themselves in these circumstances , and yet here they are. And so compassion is definitely part of all of that understanding where they might be coming from , and also understanding that they need resources , they need to be able to access help. And it might be legal services , it might be therapy , it might be other needs that they have. And so understanding that every single person , it goes down to being human. And we are 360 degrees of our needs likewise them as well. And you know , they want what we all want safety , protection , life , liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I think they want what we want. I often say that.
S1: Yeah , I want to bring it back to this , the recognition that you've received. Because the theme for this year's Leadership Awards is all in San Diego.
S2: We're looking at a common , hopefully a common goal of ensuring of having the very best city of San Diego and County of San Diego that we can. One that is inclusive , one that is respectful of others. So all in means that we all have a we all have something to to contribute and where can we plug in ? It's a very personal question , but where can we all plug in ? This is the way I've plugged in. What will be other person's opportunities to plug in and us working together ? We are stronger together. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. How do you how do you keep people encouraged and engaged in that.
S2: Oh so many different ways ? There are opportunities to volunteer and to get a direct connection with mission and being part of the solution , and trying to work towards all the good that that we can probably provide to another person , and supporting the good works in other ways , whether it's morally , financially , etc.. Um , and hopefully it is my hope that in receiving this amazing award and recognition of which I am so grateful for , that I have an opportunity to share and invite others to join us in this wonderful mission of justice with compassion.
S1:
S2: Cornelia. And you could learn about our programs , ways to support , ways to volunteer , and any up and coming events that we might have. That's definitely one way. One way to to learn more about us.
S1: Oh , that is great. Well , I've been speaking with Carmen Chavez , executive director of the Casa Cornelia Law Center. She will be celebrated at the upcoming 2026 Prevost Leadership Award ceremony that's happening February 23rd at The Soap Factory , along with the four other awardees. Carmen , thank you so much for your time and the work that you do. And congratulations again.
S2: Oh , thank you so much. I am so excited to celebrate with everyone , and especially to celebrate with all those who are wanting to learn more. I look forward to it.
S1: That's our show for today.
S3: I'm your host , Jade Hindman. Thanks for tuning in to Midday Edition.
