Saint James, MN — Julio Murphy Zelaya dreams of a region with abundant prosperity and a legal system infused with humanity, restoration, and representation. As director of advocacy at the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota (ACLU), he is deeply rooted in the rural immigrant experience within the American judicial system and recognizes that those most impacted by laws are essential to creating a better legal ecosystem. In his ACLU role, he established a new model that merged impact litigation and community organizing to address unconstitutional immigrant detention in Minnesota. This model is now being used to address issues of policing and housing. To better understand collaborative models for change and how to increase civic engagement and community-based problem solving, he seeks to further bridge the worlds of organizing and law. He will pursue a legal degree and a master’s degree in public policy to build the knowledge and experience to lead lasting change in his rural home. He will also identify ways to prioritize time for the reflection and rest he needs to sustain his energy and passion.
What has informed your approach to leading change in your community?
My approach to leading change in my community is grounded in what I learned and saw from my mother and her experiences working for justice during the civil war in El Salvador.
If you could only do one thing in life, what would it be?
I would take people from the margins and have them be seen within the institutions that govern them. I would remind people that they belong and that they can participate in whatever ways they need or want.
What is your favorite quote or expression?
“The natural distribution is neither just nor unjust; nor is it unjust that persons are born into society at some particular position. These are simply natural facts. What is just and unjust is the way that institutions deal with these facts.” - John Rawls
