The Minnesota Hispanic Bar Association (MHBA) held its Annual Gala on March 18, 2021. The virtual event kicked off with Governor Tim Walz addressing the attendees and was followed by the presenting of the MHBA’s Manuel Guerrero Courage in Leadership Award to Rachel Sibley for her decades of service to the Minnesota Latinx Community, most recently as the Senior Staff Attorney of Tubman, which provides support to victims of sexual abuse and domestic violence. Judge Peter Reyes, speaking on behalf of the Minnesota Coalition of Bar Associations of Color (MN-CBAC), provided an update on the newly formed MN-CBAC and their initiatives, as did Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) President, Elia Diaz-Yaeger on the HNBA’s plans for 2021. MHBA President Zuri Balmakund recapped the MHBA’s many accomplishments this past year and MHBA President-Elect, Richard Greiffenstein, announced the MHBA’s financial grant to the Latino Economic Development Committee to aid their rebuilding efforts of the Lake Street Latinx-owned and operated business affected by COVID. The main event of the Gala was the keynote speech by civil rights icon and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, Dolores Huerta, who also took time to answer questions from law students from the Minnesota law schools. True to form, the Gala ended with its customary after-party, featuring a virtual Latin music concert by local musicians, Javier Trejos and the Barrio Boys.
