Farmworker Activist Mónica Ramírez to Keynote the 2023 Access to Justice Awards Dinner on May 25

Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, Inc. (ABLE), Legal Aid of Western Ohio, Inc. (LAWO), and the Toledo Bar Association Pro Bono Legal Services Program (TBA) will honor three individuals for their extraordinary service to people living in poverty in northwest Ohio: Eugenio Mollo, Jr., for his immigration work; Ramón Pérez for his life-long dedication to advocating for the Latinx community; and the Honorable Myron C. Duhart for his long-time support of Legal Aid and people and communities living in poverty.

The awards will be presented during the Access to Justice Awards Dinner on May 25, 2023, at The Pinnacle in Maumee. The event, which is attended by over 300 guests each year, is led by the northwest Ohio legal community with proceeds to support legal services in our region. A sponsor and VIP reception will kick off the festivities at 6 p.m., followed by a public reception at 6:30 p.m., and the dinner and awards ceremony starting at 7 p.m.

This year's Access to Justice Awards Dinner keynote speaker is Mónica Ramírez. Ms. Ramírez is an attorney, author, and activist fighting for the rights of farmworkers, migrant women workers, and the Latinx community. She is the founder of Justice for Migrant Women and co-founder of Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, The Latinx House, and Poderistas. She has received numerous awards, including Harvard Kennedy School’s first Gender Equity Changemaker Award, Feminist Majority’s Global Women’s Rights Award, the Smithsonian’s 2018 Ingenuity Award, and the Hispanic Heritage Award. Ms. Ramírez was named to Forbes Mexico’s 100 Most Powerful Women 2018 list, TIME Magazine included her in its 2021 TIME100 Next list, and People en Español recognized her as one of the 100 Most Powerful Latinos in 2021.

The 2023 Public Interest Law Award recipient is Eugenio Mollo, Jr., a Clinical Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Toledo College of Law (UToledo). Eugenio recently launched the Immigrant Justice Clinic at UToledo, which introduces law students to substantive immigration law issues and the theory and practice of core lawyering skills. Under Eugenio’s supervision, law clinic students can represent local community members with critical legal needs working through the U.S. immigration system.

Ramón Pérez is receiving the 2023 Community Advocacy Award for his life-long contributions as a community organizer, fighting on behalf of Toledo’s Latinx community. Since the 1980s, Ramón has knocked on doors, organized sit-ins, hosted community conversations, and connected low-income people with the tools and resources they need to improve their lives. Ramón’s past work history includes organizing with the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC) and One Village Council. He was a co- catalyst for the establishment of the Adelante Latino Resource Center in 1995.

The 2023 Distinguished Service Award goes to the Honorable Myron C. Duhart of the Ohio Sixth District Court of Appeals for his consistent and generous support of LAWO and ABLE’s events and campaigns, his service on the Awards Selection Committee for the Access to Justice Awards Dinner, and his longstanding, often quiet, encouragement and support of the fight for equal justice.

Judge Duhart has also been a long-time champion of Toledo’s neighborhoods experiencing lack of opportunity and is a true warrior for justice. Judge Duhart is a member of the Toledo Bar Association, the Lucas County Bar Association, the Ohio State Bar Association, and the National Bar Association. He is the past President of the Toledo Bar Association, the Thurgood Marshall Law Association, and the University of Toledo College of Law Alumni Board of Governors.

Those looking to be inspired by this year’s keynote speaker and award recipients can purchase individual tickets

online at https://bit.ly/A2J_2023_sponsorship. Current sponsors at the Associate and Partner Sponsorship levels are Area Office on Aging of Northwestern Ohio, Inc.; R. Jeffrey & Kathleen Bixler; Bowling Green State University; Brouse McDowell, LPA; Dana Incorporated; Eastman & Smith, Ltd., Fifth Third Bank; Gallon, Takacs & Boissoneault; Greater Toledo Community Foundation; HOT Graphics; Leslie Murray Law; Owens Corning; Malone, Ault & Farell; Marshall and Melhorn, LLC; Marathon Petroleum; Nationwide Children’s Hospital- Toledo; RCO Law; Schaffer & Associates, LPA; Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP; Spangler Nathanson, PLL; The Ability Center; The Fair Housing Center; The University of Toledo; Trust Company Family Offices; UBS Financial Services, Inc., and YWCA of Northwest Ohio. For more information, contact Carmen Vega-Perez at ABLE: (419) 930-2515 or [email protected].