Derechos y Esperanza – Rights and Hope: ASU Law Civil Rights, Migration and Workplace Law Initiative

Prof. David Lopez interviews Hispanic National Bar Association President Rosevelie Marquez Morales as she traces her journey from Puerto Rico and the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn to a legal career focused on excellence, service to underserved communities, and expanding pathways for others. Marquez Morales describes the role of Aspira, a New York City community-based organization, in shaping her path and explains why fellow New Yorker Marc Anthony’s “Vivir Mi Vida” serves as her walk-up song.

This podcast is for educational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the host and guests and do not reflect the views of Arizona State University or the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. Nothing discussed should be considered legal advice or a substitute for professional counsel. All errors are the responsibility of the speaker.

Dr. Matthew Whitaker, executive director of Phoenix's George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center, helps us remember the legacy of the late Reverend Jesse Jackson, reminding us also of the too often forgotten history of Black migration to Arizona, the rise and resistance to racial segregation in Phoenix and how it connects to broader issues nationally and globally. Plus, why Zapp's More Bounce to the Ounce, is the quintessential walk up song.

This podcast is for educational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the host and guests and do not reflect the views of Arizona State University or the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. Nothing discussed should be considered legal advice or a substitute for professional counsel. All errors are the responsibility of the speaker.

Why should not only lawyers be concerned with the "rule of law"? What we can do to ensure a fair and just legal system that serves our democratic values?Michelle Behnke discusses her journey from catholic school in Madison, Wisc. to the heights of the legal profession as president of the American Bar Association, the nation's oldest and largest organization of lawyers, working to combat threats to judicial independence and further access to justice. We learn this journey includes tenacity, vision and a great walk up song, Bruno Mars’ Uptown Funk.

This podcast is for educational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the host and guests and do not reflect the views of Arizona State University or the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. Nothing discussed should be considered legal advice or a substitute for professional counsel. All errors are the responsibility of the speaker.

In this powerful episode of Derechos y Esperanza – Rights and Hope, former EEOC Chairs Jenny Yang (nominated by President Barack Obama) and Charlotte Burrows (nominated by President Joe Biden) reunite with professor David Lopez and program associate Abdi Lopez, to discuss their calling to civil rights and their paths to the EEOC.

The conversation traces the EEOC's evolution from its founding as a legacy agency of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to its role defining equality in the modern workplace—from pioneering sexual harassment policy before #MeToo to securing Supreme Court recognition of LGBTQ+ workplace protections in Bostock v. Clayton County. Yang and Burrows reflect on the agency's bipartisan traditions, the career civil servants who form its backbone and their groundbreaking work on AI bias in hiring.

Former Chairs Yang and Burrows then reflect on their proudest moments while addressing urgent concerns about the agency's future—and what gives them hope for equal opportunity in America.

This podcast is for educational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the host and guests and do not reflect the views of Arizona State University or the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. Nothing discussed should be considered legal advice or a substitute for professional counsel. All errors are the responsibility of the speaker.

Jim Ko, intellectual property attorney and founder of the AI Rights Project, discusses the accelerated emergence of artificial intelligence as the civil rights issue of our time, taking us on a journey of the positive uses of AI but also the dangers it presents to the principle of non-discrimination, the protection of creative and scientific intellectual property, privacy, speech and due process.

This podcast is for educational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the host and guests and do not reflect the views of Arizona State University or the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. Nothing discussed should be considered legal advice or a substitute for professional counsel. All errors are the responsibility of the speaker.

Juan Cartagena reflects on his journey from aspiring musician to Columbia Law School and more than a decade leading LatinoJustice PRLDEF, one of the nation’s premier civil rights law organizations, before turning to the Supreme Court’s 2025–26 term to examine cases involving racial profiling, gerrymandering and potential challenges to birthright citizenship, as well as ongoing debates over Puerto Rico’s political status.

This podcast is for educational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the host and guests and do not reflect the views of Arizona State University or the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. Nothing discussed should be considered legal advice or a substitute for professional counsel. All errors are the responsibility of the speaker.

Part III is a bonus episode of Bad Bunny, the Super Bowl and the Law. Law professor Diego Alcala-Laboy, activist attorney Raquel Maldonado, Impacto AZ founder Jonathan Higuera and ASU law student Alondra Lopez Barrera examine Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime performance. The discussion explores its celebration of Puerto Rican and Latin culture, its reference to Puerto Rico’s colonial status and its challenge to conventional definitions of American identity. The episode also considers the role of joy and love during periods of social and political uncertainty.

This podcast is for educational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the host and guests and do not reflect the views of Arizona State University or the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. Nothing discussed should be considered legal advice or a substitute for professional counsel. All errors are the responsibility of the speaker.

Part II continues the conversation with ASU scholar-in-residence Luis Mendoza; Albany Law School professor Diego Alcala Laboy; San Juan-based lawyer and activist Raquel Maldonado Navarro; and ASU Law student and superfan Alondra Lopez Barrera, examining how controversy over the NFL’s decision to invite Bad Bunny to perform at the Super Bowl offers a broader learning moment. The guests discuss how the debate highlights Puerto Rico’s ongoing colonial status, the contradictions of U.S. citizenship and questions of language, belonging, gender and culture, while also diving into key legal cases and Bad Bunny songs — and what audiences might expect from his Super Bowl performance.

This podcast is for educational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the host and guests and do not reflect the views of Arizona State University or the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. Nothing discussed should be considered legal advice or a substitute for professional counsel. All errors are the responsibility of the speaker.

Bad Bunny photo © Glenn Francis, www.PacificProDigital.com. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

Bad Bunny, the Super Bowl and the Law: Part 1 explores the global rise of Puerto Rican reggaeton star Bad Bunny, tracing the genre’s Afro-Caribbean roots from Jamaica and Panama to San Juan’s La Perla, New York City and California’s Central Valley. The episode features ASU scholar-in-residence Luis Mendoza; Albany Law School professor and Ponce native Diego Alcala Laboy; San Juan-based lawyer, scholar and activist Raquel Maldonado Navarro; and ASU Law student and superfan Alondra Lopez Barrera, who together examine how reggaeton — and Bad Bunny — emerged as a worldwide cultural force.

This podcast is for educational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the host and guests and do not reflect the views of Arizona State University or the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. Nothing discussed should be considered legal advice or a substitute for professional counsel. All errors are the responsibility of the speaker.

Bad Bunny photo © Glenn Francis, www.PacificProDigital.com. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

Jennifer Abruzzo traces her path to the labor movement and labor law, explains the historic role of an independent National Labor Relations Board in protecting workers’ right to organize, examines current threats to the agency’s viability — including a recently argued Supreme Court case that could reshape labor rights — and discusses her work to reimagine labor law and strengthen worker power, particularly in states like Arizona with historically low unionization rates.

This podcast is for educational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the host and guests and do not reflect the views of Arizona State University or the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. Nothing discussed should be considered legal advice or a substitute for professional counsel. All errors are the responsibility of the speaker.