Category: Social Justice

Courage, George Zimmerman, Justice, Legal justice, Morality, Parenting, Social Justice, Stand Your Ground law, Trayvon Martin, Values

Legal Justice and Morality

Mona Alvarado Frazier
gettyimages.com


The reality of being a parent guarantees there will be fearful moments in our life. The verdict in the Zimmerman trial brought out intense feelings from thousands of people. It’s heartbreaking that a young man is dead, and one goes free, without being charged with any crime. Legal justice and morality are different. You cannot equate the two. One is a system, one a value.


If you’re a parent of color or have children of color, you already know about racial bias. There’s no need to spell out the statistics. I’m a parent of three kids, of varying shades of brown. My college education, socio-economic status, and career in law enforcement haven’t shielded my children, or myself, from racial or gender injustice.

As mothers, we want to protect our kids from the kind of situation Trayvon Martin experienced. As a community, we are sick of situations like this occurring. 

We may think we can offer little protection to the realities of life. That is a very scary thought and makes some people fearful.

We can’t succumb to fear. This is not an option. Fear hides, courage doesn’t. And this is what we can offer our children, the courage to take action and do something positive to ensure moral justice is served.

Individuals around the nation have signed petitions for the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the Zimmerman case. Some bloggers started a “We Are Not Trayvon Martin” blog, encouraging dialogue:

 “It’s not enough to know you aren’t Trayvon. What will you do to change our country?” 


A call to scrutinize the 2005 “Stand Your Ground,” Florida law was initiated.

Hundreds of community leaders have called for peaceful protests on this case. With the exception of a few, the numerous protests have been peaceful. 

Stevie Wonder said he won’t perform in certain states, “I decided today that until the ‘Stand Your Ground’ law is abolished in Florida, I will never perform there again…As a matter of fact, wherever I find that law exists, I will not perform in that state or in that part of the world.”

All of these peaceful actions take courage. This is what helps our community; this is what helps our children. This is what can help the legal system, criminal justice and morality to come closer together. 


California Strawberry Festival, Education, Foster aftercare, NLPOA, Rebozo Festival, Social Justice

Shawls, Strawberries, and Social Justice

Mona Alvarado Frazier

This weekend is going to be busy-in a good way. Two famous Ventura County festivals are held this Saturday and Sunday. I’ll attend both of them since I’ve had a long association with the non-profit groups, but even if I didn’t have that association I’d still attend because both contribute all profits to social justice causes that I believe make a difference. 

The Rebozo (Shawl) Festival is a cultural event, where the rebozo (shawl) is the centerpiece highlighting Mexican heritage. It’s a colorful garden party of women wearing sundresses, garden hats, and a wide variety of shawls and  men who don guayabera‘s and Panama hats to enjoy a three hour brunch with Mariachi music. Besides the food, clothing and music the main impetus for the festival is to raise money for community non-profits that serve youth and families. This ranges from foster after care, arts education, mentoring, and counseling services.

alvaradofrazier.com-Rebozo Festival

I’ll also work with the National Latino Peace Officer Association at the California Strawberry Festival, an event that draws 40,000 people into our city. There are strawberries galore, they’re everywhere from drinks to desserts. The group of law enforcement people I work with are dedicated on the job and off the job. All proceeds from two days of working concession booths go to a scholarship fund awarded to high school and community college kids. 

After 28 years working within prison walls I’ve accumulated a few theories on what keeps youth out of juvenile halls, jails, and prisons. We could go into the nature versus nuture (innate qualities versus personal experiences) debate about criminality, but there is no clear cut winner. 

I’m not speaking as a sociologist, however that is my university degree, but  my personal and professional experiences lead me to say that there are a few things that help youth stay out of the criminal justice system: Mentoring, education, and employment.

Who would have thought that shawls and strawberries could be so powerful.