My people struggle more than they need to
Bernice Espinoza
A map of all twelve markers for Claiming Justice: On the Trail of Local Stories.
Bernice Espinoza gives a notebook to each of her clients seeking asylum in the US.
“Right now, the government sees you only as a black-and-white page from a coloring book. They have your name, they have this number they assign to you, they may or may not know what country you were born in. It’s my job to make a full, in-depth, rich painting of you. I have the brush, I have the pen and the computer. But you have all the paint. So I need you to put in all the colors in the notebook for me.”
The portrait that they paint together — the stories of abuse, trauma, persecution and flight — often mean the difference between life and death for those seeking sanctuary.
Bernice is one of two removal defense attorneys in Sonoma County who provide free legal counsel to people in removal proceedings, particularly asylum seekers. She grapples daily with the arcane and frequently impossible rules that make up the US immigration system.
She is employed by Sonoma Immigrant Services which is funded by Secure Families Collaborative, a public-private collaboration in the county to meet the legal needs of our immigrant community. The waiting list for people seeking help is often long. A fortunate few make their way to Bernice. The wall of her office is filled with their thank yous, a helpful reminder of the importance of the difficult work she does.
Unlike other legal systems, the immigration system does not provide attorneys to those who cannot afford them. Even with strong potential cases, many immigrants lose their chance for asylum, because they have no way of knowing the language and legal requirements demanded by immigration officials.
In California, public defenders in a few counties (San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa and San Diego) have begun to provide removal defense for immigrants.
For people outside those counties, the help provided by Bernice and others through a network of non-profits — is critical.Language and justice are two forces which Bernice Espinoza has grappled with in profound ways. They are the core of her professional life as a civil rights attorney. They flourish in her poetry. She battled with them during her bar exam. And they have been present in her life from an early age.
In Livermore as an eighth grade student, Bernice felt a strong moral obligation to translate for new immigrant classmates. “Rather than seeing her race and color of her skin as a barrier, she began to see it as a bridge and a way to connect. …She learned her culture and identity were powerful and could aid her in her quest to help others.”
In her high school history class they read the preamble to the Constitution:
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
Why Bernice asked, did they need to know this? Her teacher replied, perhaps because someday you will be a civil rights attorney. And for Bernice, a seed was planted.
She graduated with Honors from UC Berkeley and received her graduate degree from UC Berkeley School of Law. While there, she met another powerful and articulate young woman, Alegría de la Cruz. Alegría became Bernice’s mentor and both remain friends as they work for justice in Sonoma County.
Bernice has worked as a public defender in Contra Costa and Riverside counties. In 2016 she took a post at the public defender’s office in Sonoma County. She established the county’s first Padilla program which informs immigrants of their rights and the status of their cases. In 2020 she left to become a immigration removal defense lawyer specializing in asylum cases.
Her work is as difficult as it is important.Bernice’s poetry is a window into her fierce conviction for the work she does. She has read her work at the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Arts and Culture in Riverside and at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco.
In her words, “Lessons learned by a Pocha” a poem she wrote in 2003.as a little girl
Mami and Papi
spoke to me in Spanish
But I responded in English
So little by little
my Spanish speaking tongue
nearly became numb
In junior high
Too afraid
To speak Spanish
Because my
English accent
Might be too strong
So instead
me quedé callada
I’m not afraid
Anymore
And while
I don’t know the language perfectly
I do know
that with this languaje comes a cultura
And I can never forget
What I have learned
I’ve learned que
la verdad no peca pero incomoda
And sometimes the truth needs to be confronted
Like
The fact
that my people
struggle more than they need to
Too often
Working long hours for
Low wages
But despite these adversities
We continue
And
Today I choose to celebrate
Today I celebrate my mamá
Who made sure that my home and
The homes of the rich were clean and beautiful—
As clean
and beautiful
as her soul
and
who saved me from the cucui
Even the real ones
racist monsters in my school
And wiped away my tears
Today I celebrate the Tías
Who prick their finger time
after time
In the garment industry sweatshops
So I can wear trendy clothes
Today I celebrate the Tíos
Who cook in all the restaurant cocinas
Who add Latin flavor to any cuisine
Because it’s made with their labor
Today I celebrate the Elote and Paleta Man
Who made me smile as child
Just hearing their compana calling me to their
Corn smothered
in chile and queso
Or a paleta de coco
Tan dulce
I celebrate my Mami Bertha
Abuelita
With stories that give wisdom
Porque el Diablo sabe más por Viejo
Que por Diablo
I celebrate you
Daddy
Your labor on the construction sites
Creating buildings that reach to the sky—
The way our Gente reach to the sky
Languaje mio
Esta Pocha sabe
If it were not for my Gente
Who have come to make better lives
Not for themselves — but for me
I WOULD NOT BE HERE
It is because of mi Gente
I/My sisters/My brothers
can all go out
And be the lawyers/doctors/teachers/activists
business people/politicians/scientists
Languaje mio
Esta Pochita
Sabe
Los esfuerzos
De mi Gente
Y tengo
Orgullo
Transcription of audio in English
Bernice Espinoza le da un cuaderno a cada uno de sus clientes que solicitan asilo en Estados Unidos.
“En este momento, el gobierno sólo te ve como una hoja en blanco y negro de un libro para colorear. Tienen su nombre, tienen un número que le asignan, pueden o no saber en qué país nació. Mi trabajo consiste en pintarle de forma completa, profunda y rica. Tengo el pincel, tengo la pluma, tengo la computadora. Pero usted tiene toda la pintura. Así que necesito que me ponga todos los colores en el cuaderno.”
El retrato que pintan juntos — las historias de abusos, traumas, persecución y huida — muchas veces significa la diferencia entre la vida y la muerte para quienes buscan santuario.
Bernice es una de los dos abogados defensores de expulsados del condado de Sonoma que ofrecen asesoramiento legal gratuito a las personas en proceso de expulsión, incluidos los solicitantes de asilo. A diario se enfrenta a las reglas arcanas y muchas veces imposibles del sistema de inmigración estadounidense.
Es empleada de Sonoma Immigrant Services, financiada por Secure Families Collaborative, una colaboración público-privada del condado que se dedica a atender las necesidades legales de nuestra comunidad inmigrante. La lista de espera de las personas que buscan ayuda suele ser larga. Unos pocos afortunados llegan hasta Berenice. La pared de su despacho está llena de agradecimientos, un recordatorio de la importancia del difícil trabajo que realiza.
A diferencia de otros sistemas legales, el de inmigración no asigna abogados a quienes no los pueden pagar. Incluso con casos potenciales sólidos, muchos inmigrantes pierden su oportunidad de asilo, porque no tienen forma de conocer el idioma y los requisitos legales exigidos por los funcionarios de inmigración.
En California, los abogados de oficio de algunos condados (San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa y San Diego) han empezado a ofrecer defender a los inmigrantes en casos de expulsión.
Para las personas que viven fuera de esos condados, la ayuda prestada por Bernice y otras organizaciones sin fines de lucro es fundamental.El idioma y la justicia son dos fuerzas con las que Bernice Espinoza ha batallado de manera profunda. Son el núcleo de su vida profesional como abogada defensora de los derechos civiles. Florecen en su poesía. Tuvo dificultad con ellas durante su examen profesional para admisión al colegio de abogados. Y han estado presentes en su vida desde una edad temprana.
En Livermore, como alumna de octavo grado, Berenice sintió la fuerte obligación moral de traducir para sus nuevos compañeros inmigrantes. “En lugar de ver su raza y el color de su piel como una barrera, empezó a verlo como un puente y una forma de conectar. ...Aprendió que su cultura y su identidad eran poderosas y podían ayudarla en su misión de ayudar a los demás.” En su clase de historia de la escuela secundaria leyeron el preámbulo de la Constitución:
“Nosotros, el pueblo de los Estados Unidos, con el fin de formar una unión más perfecta, establecer la justicia, asegurar la tranquilidad interna, proveer la defensa común, promover el bienestar general y asegurar las bendiciones de la libertad para nosotros y nuestros descendientes, ordenamos y establecemos esta Constitución para los Estados Unidos de Norteamérica.”
¿Por qué, preguntó Berenice, necesitaban saber esto? Su maestra respondió: "Quizá porque algún día serás abogada de derechos civiles". Y para Berenice, se plantó una semilla.
Se graduó con honores en la Universidad de California en Berkeley y recibió su título de posgrado en la Facultad de Derecho de la misma universidad. Allí conoció a otra joven poderosa y elocuente, Alegría de la Cruz. Alegría se convirtió en la mentora de Berenice y ambas siguen siendo amigas mientras trabajan por la justicia en el condado de Sonoma.
Bernice ha trabajado como defensora pública en los condados de Contra Costa y Riverside. En 2016 asumió un puesto en la oficina del defensor público del Condado de Sonoma. Ella estableció el primer programa Padilla del Condado que informa a los inmigrantes de sus derechos y la situación de su caso. En 2020 se marchó para convertirse en abogada defensora de la expulsión de inmigrantes especializada en casos de asilo.
Su trabajo es tan difícil como es importante.La poesía de Bernice es una ventana a su feroz convicción por el trabajo que hace. Ha leído sus poemas en el Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Arts and Culture en Riverside y en el Yerba Buena Center for the Arts en San Francisco.
En sus palabras, “Lecciones aprendidas por una Pocha” un poema que escribió en 2003.as a little girl
Mami and Papi
spoke to me in Spanish
But I responded in English
So little by little
my Spanish speaking tongue
nearly became numb
In junior high
Too afraid
To speak Spanish
Because my
English accent
Might be too strong
So instead
me quedé callada
I’m not afraid
Anymore
And while
I don’t know the language perfectly
I do know
that with this languaje comes a cultura
And I can never forget
What I have learned
I’ve learned que
la verdad no peca pero incomoda
And sometimes the truth needs to be confronted
Like
The fact
that my people
struggle more than they need to
Too often
Working long hours for
Low wages
But despite these adversities
We continue
And
Today I choose to celebrate
Today I celebrate my mamá
Who made sure that my home and
The homes of the rich were clean and beautiful—
As clean
and beautiful
as her soul
and
who saved me from the cucui
Even the real ones
racist monsters in my school
And wiped away my tears
Today I celebrate the Tías
Who prick their finger time
after time
In the garment industry sweatshops
So I can wear trendy clothes
Today I celebrate the Tíos
Who cook in all the restaurant cocinas
Who add Latin flavor to any cuisine
Because it’s made with their labor
Today I celebrate the Elote and Paleta Man
Who made me smile as child
Just hearing their compana calling me to their
Corn
smothered
in chile and queso
Or a paleta de coco
Tan dulce
I celebrate my Mami Bertha
Abuelita
With stories that give wisdom
Porque el Diablo sabe más por Viejo
Que por Diablo
I celebrate you
Daddy
Your labor on the construction sites
Creating buildings that reach to the sky—
The way our Gente reach to the sky
Languaje mio
Esta Pocha sabe
If it were not for my Gente
Who have come to make better lives
Not for themselves — but for me
I WOULD NOT BE HERE
It is because of mi Gente
I/My sisters/My brothers
can all go out
And be the lawyers/doctors/teachers/activists
business people/politicians/ scientists
Languaje mio
Esta Pochita
Sabe
Los esfuerzos
De mi Gente
Y tengo
Orgullo
Transcripción de audio en español
Bernice Espinoza arrived in Santa Rosa in 2016 driving a 20 foot U-Haul 800 miles in a rainstorm with her friend Wally. By the time she and her friends were done unpacking they were soaked and starving. It was after 9 pm — and the only place that was open was Belly. It is one of the last memories she has of her best friend Wally before he died in July 2020.
Her marker is placed near this important milestone in her life.