Professor Villazor Contributes Op-ed to New York Times Online
Professor Rose Cuison Villazor co-authored an op-ed that appeared in "Room for Debate," a feature of the New York Times website. Written with Professor Elizabeth Glazer of the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University, the article is one of a group of essays addressing the question of whether undocumented immigrants in the United States should be encouraged to go public about their status, a "Room for Debate" topic that was suggested to the Times by Professor Villazor.
The article compares the decision to publicly acknowledge undocumented status as being similar to a gay person's decision to "come out of the closet" and openly acknowledge his or her sexuality, and asserts that this acknowledgment is an important step toward social change. "Coming out of the closet provides the opportunity to not only accept one's true identity but also to gain acceptance and support from one's family, friends, and community. Critically, it is arguably a necessary step toward creating social, cultural and legal change," write Villazor and Glazer.
Professor Rose Cuison Villazor joined the UC Davis faculty in 2012 from the Maurice A. Deane Law School at Hofstra University. She has also taught at Columbia Law School and the Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law. Professor Villazor teaches and writes in the areas of property law, immigration law, race, and citizenship.