Cesar A. Perales
Encyclopedia
Cesar Augusto Perales is the Secretary of State of New York
currently serving in the Cabinet of Governor Andrew Cuomo
. On March 31, 2011, he was nominated by Governor Cuomo to replace outgoing Secretary Ruth Noemí Colón
, and took office on May 2, 2011. He was confirmed by the State Senate on June 7. Prior to his appointment, Perales was a civil rights attorney and co-founder of the nonprofit Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, now known as LatinoJustice PRLDEF
. Perales is the state's third Secretary of State of Hispanic/Puerto Rican ancestry to have served in this office. He is also the fourth Puerto Rican to serve as Secretary of State in a state of the Union, preceded only by Pedro Cortés, of Pennsylvania, former New York State Secretaries of State Cortés-Vázquez and Colón, respectively. He is the second person of Dominican ancestry to serve as New York Secretary of State, and of a state in the Union (former Secretary of State Cortés-Vázquez was the first Dominican-American to have served in this office).
father and a Dominican
mother, Perales grew up in New York City
. He has said he first considered becoming a lawyer as a child, after his father's business went bankrupt.
"It really cost us a lot. I'm talking about losing furniture in the house, having it repossessed and things of that nature. It was a very terrible period for our family. And my father once told me that if he had had good legal help this wouldn't have happened."
Perales went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from City College
1962 and graduated from Fordham Law School in 1965.
Upon graduating from Fordham, Perales worked at the legal unit for a Ford Foundation
-funded program on the Lower East Side
of New York called Mobilization for Youth.
In 1968, when the federal government began to open neighborhood legal services programs as part of the War on Poverty
, Perales, at 27 years old was selected to establish the first Brooklyn
Legal Services Office.
His experiences working in New York’s Puerto Rican neighborhoods allowed him to also assume the role of legal advocate for New York’s Latino community. In April 1969, he represented the students who took over his alma mater, the City College of New York to demand the admission of more minority students.
In January, 1970, he represented the Young Lords Organization when they took control of a church to provide community services to poor community in El Barrio
. Perales negotiated the early morning non-violent arrest of over 100 members the Young Lords who refused to leave the church.
"The Young Lords were seen as a radical young Puerto Rican group that, actually in that situation had taken over that church and were offering breakfast to the kids," Perales said. "These young people had a right to have a lawyer. I was doing my job as a lawyer for a group that I thought was doing good things."
—raised enough seed money to open the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, a legal organization modeled on the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Perales served as the first Executive Director and Marrero was Chairman of the Board.
In its early days, the fund, known by the acronym PRLDEF , brought many important civil rights lawsuits on behalf of Latinos living in New York City and across the U.S.
In 1974, the consent decree issued in PRLDEF’s suit Aspira
v. New York City Board of Education
became central to the United States’ establishment of bilingual education
programs in schools across the country. And, in several lawsuits against the New York Civil Service Commission, New York Police Department and New York Sanitation Commission, PRLDEF was able to get the courts to strike down numerous civil service requirements that kept Latinos from public employment and eliminated barriers to government benefits for non-English speaking applicants.
In the mid-1970s, a number of PRLDEF lawsuits, beginning with Lopez v. Dinkins on the local level and culminating with Ortiz v. New York State Board of Elections on the state-wide level, forced election officials in New York to provide bilingual assistance. The litigation had national impact in 1975 when Congress amended the Voting Rights Act
to include the right to bilingual voting procedures.
task force on the Cuban-Haitian refugee crisis.
In 1981 Perales responded to the Board’s request that he return to PRLDEF. Within six months PRLDEF was at the forefront of litigation to get the Justice Department
to block the election of the New York City Council
until district lines were redrawn in a nondiscriminatory manner. The subsequent court order halting the elections was perhaps the most dramatic application of the Voting Rights Act in the North.
In 1983, Perales returned to government service as Commissioner of the New York State Department of Social Services under Governor Mario Cuomo
, and 1991 was named Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services for New York City by Mayor David Dinkins
.
Perales left government in 1994 to assume the position of Senior Vice President at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center. During his tenure at the hospital, he developed a Community Health Care system that received national recognition.
And the group’s case against Hazleton, Pennsylvania
’s anti-immigrant ordinance in 2007 was the first of its kind to go to a full trial, and ended with a federal judge issuing the precedent-setting ruling that immigration legislation is a matter reserved to the federal government.
Under Perales’ leadership, the group was also among the first to challenge violent early morning raids of private homes by federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. The organization has also filed a unique petition with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
, arguing that the United States’ aggressive immigration enforcement policies create a climate that fosters bias crimes.
In 2008 PRLDEF’s Board of Directors voted to change the name of the group to more accurately reflect changes in its mission, its client base, and the make-up of its Board. The Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund changed its name to LatinoJustice PRLDEF. “Latinos are beginning to see themselves as a group, as a community,” said Perales. “There is a coming together of identification in a common struggle.”
Secretary of State of New York
The Secretary of State of New York is a cabinet officer in the government of the U.S. state of New York.The current Secretary of State of New York is Cesar A...
currently serving in the Cabinet of Governor Andrew Cuomo
Andrew Cuomo
Andrew Mark Cuomo is the 56th and current Governor of New York, having assumed office on January 1, 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the 64th New York State Attorney General, and was the 11th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development...
. On March 31, 2011, he was nominated by Governor Cuomo to replace outgoing Secretary Ruth Noemí Colón
Ruth Noemí Colón
Ruth Noemí Colón was the 66th Secretary of State of New York, serving in the Cabinets of Governors David Paterson and Andrew Cuomo. She was appointed by Governor Paterson to replace outgoing Secretary Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez who officially resigned on September 1, 2010. She is the state's second...
, and took office on May 2, 2011. He was confirmed by the State Senate on June 7. Prior to his appointment, Perales was a civil rights attorney and co-founder of the nonprofit Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, now known as LatinoJustice PRLDEF
LatinoJustice PRLDEF
LatinoJustice PRLDEF, long known by its former name the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, is a New York-based national civil rights organization with the goal of changing discriminatory practices via advocacy and litigation...
. Perales is the state's third Secretary of State of Hispanic/Puerto Rican ancestry to have served in this office. He is also the fourth Puerto Rican to serve as Secretary of State in a state of the Union, preceded only by Pedro Cortés, of Pennsylvania, former New York State Secretaries of State Cortés-Vázquez and Colón, respectively. He is the second person of Dominican ancestry to serve as New York Secretary of State, and of a state in the Union (former Secretary of State Cortés-Vázquez was the first Dominican-American to have served in this office).
Early life
The son of a Puerto RicanPuerto Rican people
A Puerto Rican is a person who was born in Puerto Rico.Puerto Ricans born and raised in the continental United States are also sometimes referred to as Puerto Ricans, although they were not born in Puerto Rico...
father and a Dominican
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
mother, Perales grew up in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He has said he first considered becoming a lawyer as a child, after his father's business went bankrupt.
"It really cost us a lot. I'm talking about losing furniture in the house, having it repossessed and things of that nature. It was a very terrible period for our family. And my father once told me that if he had had good legal help this wouldn't have happened."
Perales went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from City College
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
1962 and graduated from Fordham Law School in 1965.
Upon graduating from Fordham, Perales worked at the legal unit for a Ford Foundation
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....
-funded program on the Lower East Side
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
of New York called Mobilization for Youth.
In 1968, when the federal government began to open neighborhood legal services programs as part of the War on Poverty
War on Poverty
The War on Poverty is the unofficial name for legislation first introduced by United States President Lyndon B. Johnson during his State of the Union address on January 8, 1964. This legislation was proposed by Johnson in response to a national poverty rate of around nineteen percent...
, Perales, at 27 years old was selected to establish the first Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
Legal Services Office.
His experiences working in New York’s Puerto Rican neighborhoods allowed him to also assume the role of legal advocate for New York’s Latino community. In April 1969, he represented the students who took over his alma mater, the City College of New York to demand the admission of more minority students.
In January, 1970, he represented the Young Lords Organization when they took control of a church to provide community services to poor community in El Barrio
El Barrio
El Barrio can refer to the following:* The Spanish Harlem district of New York* Parts of East Los Angeles* El Barrio , a flamenco band...
. Perales negotiated the early morning non-violent arrest of over 100 members the Young Lords who refused to leave the church.
"The Young Lords were seen as a radical young Puerto Rican group that, actually in that situation had taken over that church and were offering breakfast to the kids," Perales said. "These young people had a right to have a lawyer. I was doing my job as a lawyer for a group that I thought was doing good things."
Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund
In 1972, Perales, along with two other young Puerto Rican attorneys—Jorge Batista and Victor MarreroVictor Marrero
Victor Marrero is a United States federal judge appointed to the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York by President Bill Clinton in 1999...
—raised enough seed money to open the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, a legal organization modeled on the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Perales served as the first Executive Director and Marrero was Chairman of the Board.
In its early days, the fund, known by the acronym PRLDEF , brought many important civil rights lawsuits on behalf of Latinos living in New York City and across the U.S.
In 1974, the consent decree issued in PRLDEF’s suit Aspira
Aspira
Aspira is a 400 ft tall skyscraper in the Denny Triangle neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. It has 37 floors, and mostly consists of apartments. Construction ended in late 2009....
v. New York City Board of Education
New York City Board of Education
The New York City Board of Education is the governing body of the New York City Department of Education. The members of the board are appointed by the mayor and by the five borough presidents.-Rise, fall and return of Mayoral Control:...
became central to the United States’ establishment of bilingual education
Bilingual education
Bilingual education involves teaching academic content in two languages, in a native and secondary language with varying amounts of each language used in accordance with the program model.-Bilingual education program models:...
programs in schools across the country. And, in several lawsuits against the New York Civil Service Commission, New York Police Department and New York Sanitation Commission, PRLDEF was able to get the courts to strike down numerous civil service requirements that kept Latinos from public employment and eliminated barriers to government benefits for non-English speaking applicants.
In the mid-1970s, a number of PRLDEF lawsuits, beginning with Lopez v. Dinkins on the local level and culminating with Ortiz v. New York State Board of Elections on the state-wide level, forced election officials in New York to provide bilingual assistance. The litigation had national impact in 1975 when Congress amended the Voting Rights Act
Voting Rights Act
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of national legislation in the United States that outlawed discriminatory voting practices that had been responsible for the widespread disenfranchisement of African Americans in the U.S....
to include the right to bilingual voting procedures.
Government Service
In 1977, Perales was appointed head of the regional office of the then-Department of Health, Education and Welfare, overseeing several jurisdictions including Puerto Rico. Two years later, in 1979, he was recruited to Washington to become Assistant Secretary for Human Services in the new Department of Health and Human Services, where he went on to play an important role in the White HouseWhite House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
task force on the Cuban-Haitian refugee crisis.
In 1981 Perales responded to the Board’s request that he return to PRLDEF. Within six months PRLDEF was at the forefront of litigation to get the Justice Department
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
to block the election of the New York City Council
New York City Council
The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of the City of New York. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs. The Council serves as a check against the mayor in a "strong" mayor-council government model. The council monitors performance of city agencies and...
until district lines were redrawn in a nondiscriminatory manner. The subsequent court order halting the elections was perhaps the most dramatic application of the Voting Rights Act in the North.
In 1983, Perales returned to government service as Commissioner of the New York State Department of Social Services under Governor Mario Cuomo
Mario Cuomo
Mario Matthew Cuomo served as the 52nd Governor of New York from 1983 to 1994, and is the father of Andrew Cuomo, the current governor of New York.-Early life:...
, and 1991 was named Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services for New York City by Mayor David Dinkins
David Dinkins
David Norman Dinkins is a former politician from New York City. He was the Mayor of New York City from 1990 through 1993; he was the first and is, to date, the only African American to hold that office.-Early life:...
.
Perales left government in 1994 to assume the position of Senior Vice President at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center. During his tenure at the hospital, he developed a Community Health Care system that received national recognition.
Returning to LatinoJustice PRLDEF
In 2003, Perales returned to the organization he had founded. PRLDEF quickly gained new prominence as an advocate and defender of the rights of immigrants. The fund’s attorneys won a major victory against the Town of Brookhaven, New York in 2005 when a judge ruled that the town had to halt its policy of selectively enforcing its housing code laws against Latino households and its practice of evicting tenants without prior notice.And the group’s case against Hazleton, Pennsylvania
Hazleton, Pennsylvania
Hazleton is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 25,340 at the 2010 census, an increase of 8.6% from the 2000 census count .-Greater Hazleton:...
’s anti-immigrant ordinance in 2007 was the first of its kind to go to a full trial, and ended with a federal judge issuing the precedent-setting ruling that immigration legislation is a matter reserved to the federal government.
Under Perales’ leadership, the group was also among the first to challenge violent early morning raids of private homes by federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. The organization has also filed a unique petition with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights is an autonomous organ of the Organization of American States .Along with the...
, arguing that the United States’ aggressive immigration enforcement policies create a climate that fosters bias crimes.
In 2008 PRLDEF’s Board of Directors voted to change the name of the group to more accurately reflect changes in its mission, its client base, and the make-up of its Board. The Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund changed its name to LatinoJustice PRLDEF. “Latinos are beginning to see themselves as a group, as a community,” said Perales. “There is a coming together of identification in a common struggle.”