Hidden Gems: Meet Carmen of Survivor Justice Center

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carmen.

Carmen, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I never thought I would be a lawyer, or an Executive Director, but in many ways my story has always pointed me in this direction, which begins with my parents.

My parents’ journey is the biggest influence on where I am today. My parents are Cuban refugees. My entire life was centered on what it meant for my parents to flee a country for political reasons, and I was taught to value the freedoms I was given merely by being born in the US. Politicians and policy makers who had legal backgrounds also influenced me. Those two things led me to law school, where I went with the intent to help those who most needed representation.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Not at all — I have faced numerous obstacles. I struggled with standardized tests in school. I am a single parent- the only parent- for my two children. One of my kids is twice gifted. My family lives across the country. My abuelo discouraged me from leaving my family to go to law school. I struggled with mentorship in college, and now I lead an organization during a time when nonprofits are being targeted- while taking on the steep learning curve of the ins and outs of nonprofit management.

But I am one to focus on the positive, which is that I have grit and determination. I am determined to help people, to solve problems, to lead, to guide, to make this a better world for all. I teach my kids “you are not the only person in the world.” We are here to help each other so that we all thrive.

As you know, we’re big fans of Survivor Justice Center. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I lead the Survivor Justice Center. I am a lawyer, and now the very proud Executive Director of the agency. It gives me immense joy to lead and champion a cause I believe in.

I recently watched Famous Last Words: Dr. Jane Goodall, and she talked about living a mission-driven life, and that is how I feel. I want to ensure that we have a society without power and control, one with autonomy, equality, and safety.

Survivor Justice Center’s mission is to secure justice for survivors, and to empower them to create their own futures.

Our services are unique—we have an empowerment model because we know that choice, autonomy, and decision-making are critical for our clients. We do not tell them what to do; we educate and stand beside them on their journey to achieve justice. We also do not stop there; when we identify systemic issues, we work on those as well to ensure that all survivors can be impacted as well.

We are known for having a trauma-informed model, and have trained folks throughout the state and country on this model.

Fighting for others provides the best adrenaline rush! It is easier to fight for others than for yourself at times. We know that we are helping stop an injustice, that we are supporting people, families, and children. Our clients are impacted by every system, all while trying to heal from trauma. They are given an insurmountable burden, but we are here to support them and help them get through it.

I am asked every day by people why the system is so hard. They wonder why they can’t access a police report easily, or why they can’t get justice and feel whole for situations ranging from a theft to a hit and run — terrible things. However, the system does not make you whole. You are a victim of something terrible and then you must fix it yourself. We are here to help alleviate that. In addition, our clients have every issue happening at the same time; they are experiencing homelessness or food insecurity or joblessness. The causes are all intertwined.

And now, our clients are afraid to ask for help. They are afraid of ICE, of immigration, of deportation. Their abusers are often the person alerting ICE to their whereabouts.

We are unique in our model, and in our own grit and advocacy – we don’t stop until we make some progress to justice and safety.

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
Well, in many ways we are going back 50 years in the struggle for justice. Every day, there are new laws, new executive orders, new restrictions, and new attacks.

While we help any person who needs assistance, the reality is 85% of our clients are women and 73% are immigrants.

So, attacks on gender issues like reproductive rights, marriage equality, this pronatalist movement, Trump minimizing domestic violence, they feel like an attack on women. The domestic violence movement is very much rooted in the feminist movement as a champion for equality for ALL.

The brutality of how we are treating immigrants and the community is shocking. We as a nation struggled through the most horrific issues around slavery and racism, resulting in the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, the notion that all people are created equal. And now, we are back to having a US Supreme Court decision allowing racial profiling. We are seeing the erosion of equal protection, of voting rights, of due process.

When a legal observer, who is trying to protect rights, is assassinated, and the government shows no remorse, we are in dark days. I know the movement for justice is long, and we are here for the fight, but these shifts and trends that erode equality are going to take us years to rebuild.

What gives me hope is the strength of our coalitions—legal aid partners, community organizations, pro bono attorneys, and advocates across sectors are showing up for each other in ways that remind us this work has never been done alone.

So, for now, we focus on the task at hand: the mission to secure justice for survivors and build community and resilience.

Pricing:

• We offer free legal services

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.survivorjusticecenter.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/survivorjusticecenter/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SurvivorJusticeCenter/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmen-mcdonald-esq/
• Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@survivorjusticecenter