By American Bar Association
The American Bar Association Commission on Hispanic Rights and Responsibilities will present legal giants Norma V. Cantú and Iván Espinoza-Madrigal with the 2026 Impacto Award at the inaugural Titans for Change Gala during the 2026 ABA Midyear Meeting in San Antonio. The gala will be held Feb. 7, 2026, at the Grand Hyatt San Antonio River Walk.
The Impacto Award recognizes the accomplishments of individuals and organizations that either demonstrate a lifetime of positive impact on the Latino community or show great promise and a clear plan to building a world of possibilities for the Latino community. The “Titans for Change Gala: Celebrating Excellence, Impact and Pathways to the Profession” will unite the Impacto Award with the Spirit of Excellence Award, presented by the ABA Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession, and the Alexander Awards, presented by the ABA Council for Diversity in the Educational Pipeline, in a celebration excellence and leadership.
Cantú, a former educator and professor, served for 14 years as a litigator and administrator at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, a national nonprofit organization that protects and promotes the civil rights of Latinos in the United States through litigation, advocacy and education. There, she successfully represented Hispanics and other client groups in securing their legal and constitutional rights, including representing women facing employment discrimination and students who were denied their constitutional rights to access public schools. She was part of a team of attorneys enforcing the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling regarding the children of immigrants.
Cantú also successfully argued in Washington, D.C., federal court for student groups in a national case regarding the failure of the U.S. Department of Education to perform its duty to enforce civil rights laws concerning disabilities, sex discrimination, race and national origin. Her career is marked by her dedication to government service. She was nominated by President Clinton — and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate — as assistant secretary for civil rights in the Department of Education. In November 2020, she took a leave of absence from the University of Texas to serve on the Biden-Harris transition team. She was invited back to serve as the first Latina chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights from February 2021 to December 2022.
Espinoza-Madrigal is the executive director of Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) in Boston, an organization founded at the request of President John F. Kennedy in the 1960s at the height of the Civil Rights Movement. LCR is one of the largest and oldest organizations in New England working on legal and policy issues at the intersection of racial justice, immigration, public health and entrepreneurship. LCR is a recent recipient of grant funding from MacKenzie Scott, who has donated over $19 billion to 2,000 organizations since 2019.
Best known for his work at the intersection of civil rights and immigration, Espinoza-Madrigal has 20 years of experience in complex federal and appellate litigation and has represented a wide range of clients, as both plaintiffs and defendants, in the corporate and nonprofit sectors. His work spans across immigration, education, housing, workplace justice, voting rights, public health, entrepreneurship and LGBTQ+ rights.
Espinoza-Madrigal is an expert in legal protections for people of color and immigrants. He has filed and won dozens of life-changing and law-changing cases across the country. He regularly advises policymakers on the legal needs of marginalized communities. His work is frequently featured in publications such as the New York Times and documentary films like Martha’s Vineyard v. DeSantis (MSNBC). He has also been recognized as Lawyer of the Year by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly and Bostonian of the Year by the Boston Globe.https://www.americanbar.org/news/abanews/aba-news-archives/2025/10/2026-aba-impacto-award/
The American Bar Association Commission on Hispanic Rights and Responsibilities will present legal giants Norma V. Cantú and Iván Espinoza-Madrigal with the 2026 Impacto Award at the inaugural Titans for Change Gala during the 2026 ABA Midyear Meeting in San Antonio. The gala will be held Feb. 7, 2026, at the Grand Hyatt San Antonio River Walk.
The Impacto Award recognizes the accomplishments of individuals and organizations that either demonstrate a lifetime of positive impact on the Latino community or show great promise and a clear plan to building a world of possibilities for the Latino community. The “Titans for Change Gala: Celebrating Excellence, Impact and Pathways to the Profession” will unite the Impacto Award with the Spirit of Excellence Award, presented by the ABA Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession, and the Alexander Awards, presented by the ABA Council for Diversity in the Educational Pipeline, in a celebration excellence and leadership.
Cantú, a former educator and professor, served for 14 years as a litigator and administrator at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, a national nonprofit organization that protects and promotes the civil rights of Latinos in the United States through litigation, advocacy and education. There, she successfully represented Hispanics and other client groups in securing their legal and constitutional rights, including representing women facing employment discrimination and students who were denied their constitutional rights to access public schools. She was part of a team of attorneys enforcing the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling regarding the children of immigrants.
Cantú also successfully argued in Washington, D.C., federal court for student groups in a national case regarding the failure of the U.S. Department of Education to perform its duty to enforce civil rights laws concerning disabilities, sex discrimination, race and national origin. Her career is marked by her dedication to government service. She was nominated by President Clinton — and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate — as assistant secretary for civil rights in the Department of Education. In November 2020, she took a leave of absence from the University of Texas to serve on the Biden-Harris transition team. She was invited back to serve as the first Latina chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights from February 2021 to December 2022.
Espinoza-Madrigal is the executive director of Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) in Boston, an organization founded at the request of President John F. Kennedy in the 1960s at the height of the Civil Rights Movement. LCR is one of the largest and oldest organizations in New England working on legal and policy issues at the intersection of racial justice, immigration, public health and entrepreneurship. LCR is a recent recipient of grant funding from MacKenzie Scott, who has donated over $19 billion to 2,000 organizations since 2019.
Best known for his work at the intersection of civil rights and immigration, Espinoza-Madrigal has 20 years of experience in complex federal and appellate litigation and has represented a wide range of clients, as both plaintiffs and defendants, in the corporate and nonprofit sectors. His work spans across immigration, education, housing, workplace justice, voting rights, public health, entrepreneurship and LGBTQ+ rights.
Espinoza-Madrigal is an expert in legal protections for people of color and immigrants. He has filed and won dozens of life-changing and law-changing cases across the country. He regularly advises policymakers on the legal needs of marginalized communities. His work is frequently featured in publications such as the New York Times and documentary films like Martha’s Vineyard v. DeSantis (MSNBC). He has also been recognized as Lawyer of the Year by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly and Bostonian of the Year by the Boston Globe.https://www.americanbar.org/news/abanews/aba-news-archives/2025/10/2026-aba-impacto-award/
