CEO Lucas Fonseca Serves as Panelist at the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights

Our LM mission has brought our team across cities and states in the pursuit of improved language-access, and on March 21st, it led us to the nation’s capital.

There, CEO Lucas Fonseca served as a panelist at the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights’ language-access panel, sharing primary municipal research conducted by LM.

The purpose of this hearing was to inform the commission concerning current best practices and challenges in the language-access field, in order to guide future policies and legislation. Panels featured field experts from across the nation at the national, state, and local levels.

Fonseca shared data highlighting LM’s groundbreaking progress in the state of Indiana through the use of our proven language-access model. He also shared data-based recommendations for commissioners as they work to ensure the nation is equipped to serve all constituents. Lucas’s statement also shed light on a key challenge to local language-service implementation: in many cases, local providers of essential services are unaware that providing truly effective language-access saves time and tax dollars for the city as a whole, benefitting all residents. 

“The way that we see this”, Fonseca explains in response to a question from Commissioner Victoria Nourse, “Is as an opportunity to actually improve economic opportunities in the communities we serve. . . we see providing these services as a means to bring about more efficiency at every level, to protect our budgets, and to ensure that the time and the utilization of those services is done in the best way possible.” 

Fonseca also summarized his own experience on social media, saying, “...It is impossible to visit Washington D.C. without growing in respect for the rich history and diverse culture of the United States. I am proud to play my small part in its progress and eager to do so for years to come. Despite the divisions and challenges that we face as a nation, the phrase that summarizes our complex but compelling history and bright, trailblazing future continues to be the de facto motto of the United States: ‘E Pluribus Unum: Out of Many, One’.” 

As for the rest of the LM team, for our work to be considered part of this nation’s progress in the language-access field is an honor, and we will continue to equip municipalities, states, and our nation as a whole to excel through innovative language-access initiatives. 

To listen in on the panel discussions, check out the following video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=Ktc56pAxeMw.