WLPPFP Explores Launching LAWA Program in Afghanistan
The Fellowship Program hosted a visit by a delegation from Afghanistan in late April, which included Professor Mahbooba Hoquqmal (former Dean of the Law Faculty at Kabul University and Vice-Chair of the Loya Jirga Commission which will select the transitional government of Afghanistan), Ahmad Nader Nadery (Spokesperson for the Loya Jirga), and Belquis Ahmadi (from the International Human Rights Law Group.) The event included Women’s Law Fellows and Georgetown law students, staff and faculty, and culminated in discussion of an initiative to bring Afghan lawyers into the Fellowship Program.

Annual Retreat at Lost River State Park
On March 15th, we packed up our caravan and headed off for the Annual Fellowship Retreat at Lost River State Park. Although there was the threat of rain, everyone was in good spirits as we left the city behind. Fortunately, the rain held out and we were able to enjoy beautiful weather. Saturday featured a hike through the scenic mountains of West Virginia up to Cranny Crow Overlook. Inside the main cabin, staff members and fellows played games, ate s’mores, swapped stories, and practiced their salsa and hip- hop moves under the instruction of Advocate Jimena Vasquez. The Annual Retreat is a relaxing time for Fellows and staff to meet outside of classes, seminars, and briefings, leave the cares of the city behind for a weekend, and recharge “public interest batteries.”

2001-2002 Group Project: Community Bridges
This year, the Advocates have elected to mentor a group of 10-12 young women participating in Community Bridges – Jump Start Girls! a Maryland organization dedicated to the empowerment and leadership development of low-income young women. The Advocates have organized regular activities for the girls including a pizza party, a collage-making exercise, a trip to the Newseum, a trip to the National Mall to see the monuments, play games and have a picnic, a visit to the Museum of Natural History Museum and an Imax movie. Future plans include taking in a Washington Mystics women’s basketball game. Both the girls and the Advocates have benefited from the relationship, and we are grateful to Wendy Patten (Jumpstart Board Member and WLPPFP Advisory Board Member) and Naomi Nim, Executive Director of Community Bridges, for making this possible.

Supreme Court Hearings
In December, the Advocates were briefed by WLPPFP alumna Claudia Center, Director of Disability Programs for the Employment Law Center of San Francisco and plaintiff’s counsel in U.S. Airways v. Barnett, an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) case heard by the Supreme Court this term. The issue in Barnett was whether or not the ADA trumps an employer’s seniority system. In late April, the Supreme Court ruled that in this case it does not, although determinations generally must be made on a case-by-case basis.

The Advocates have also attended several other Supreme Court hearings, including: EEOC v. Waffle House regarding employment discrimination and arbitration agreements; Adarand Constructors v. Mineta, an affirmative action case; and Toyota v. Williams, concerning the Americans with Disabilities Act, stress injuries and reasonable accommodations.

The Advocates also had the opportunity to meet with Associate Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Justice Ginsburg generously took the time to answer questions regarding her career and the history of women’s advancement through law.

Alumni Corner
Last summer, Pam Coukos (95-96), reached a landmark settlement in the Ingram v. Coca-Cola race discrimination case. The case earned Pam and several co-counsel at the firm of Mehri & Skalet the honor of being finalists for Trial Lawyer of the Year. This award, given by Trial Lawyers for the Public Justice, is given annually to trial lawyers “making the greatest contribution to the public interest by trying or settling a precedent-setting case in the past year.” Congratulations, Pam!

Congratulations are also in order for alumna Claudia Center (92-93), who in December made her first appearance before the U.S. Supreme Court as plaintiff’s counsel in U.S. Airways v. Barnett, an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) case. Claudia was generous and composed enough to take time out of her busy schedule to brief the 2000-01 Advocates on the case the day before the oral argument in the Supreme Court. See “Seminars and Events” on page 5 for more about Claudia and the Barnett case.

Keep Those Updates Coming: Please remember your WLPPFP family when you make a job change, welcome an addition to the family, or have some other bit of personal or professional news you would like to share. Call, write, or email the fellowship staff, or send your news to us via one of our incredible volunteer Alum Directors: Johanna Bond, Angela Dwamena-Aboagye, Margaret Johnson, and Sarah Lubega.

Program Happenings

Thank You for Your Contributions Our sincerest thanks for the generosity of all our supporters who responded to our annual appeal To date, we have raised over $24,500. As a nonprofit program, every penny counts and we rely on each of our loyal supporters to keep our programs going. If you have not yet taken a moment to send in your donation, please do not hesitate to do so – contributions are welcome at any time and are tax-deductible! Please make checks payable to WLPPFP and send to: Women’s Law and Public Policy Fellowship Program, 600 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Suite 334, Washington, D.C. 20001.

WLPPFP Intern This Spring, the Fellowship Program received the assistance of St. Mary’s College student Keri Peterson. Keri worked for the Fellowship part-time throughout the semester, assisting the staff on a variety of administrative tasks, grant research and writing. While at St. Mary’s, she focused on legal issues and completed a paper on Supreme Court cases addressing gender discrimination. She also traveled to the Gambia for summer courses. In May, Keri received her Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and accepted a job as a caseworker with the Choice Program in Maryland, assisting troubled teens. Congratulations Keri!

Mark Your Calendars On Thursday, September 12, 2002, at the Georgetown University Law Center, Dr. Mamphela Ramphele, Managing Director of the World Bank and long-time South African anti-apartheid and human rights activist will be the keynote speaker at WLPPFP’s Annual Luncheon.

Update on our Advocates’ Work
Through her placement in the Workplace Fairness program at the National Partnership for Women & Families, Adrienne DerVartanian’s work has focused on gender discrimination, affirmative action, welfare reform, and other civil rights-related employment issues, with a special emphasis on breaking barriers for low-income women in the workplace. With the reauthorization of the welfare law this year, her work has concentrated on priorities for reauthorization from a civil rights and work/family perspective. In addition to this work, Adrienne has contributed to the Partnership’s agency watch efforts, which have highlighted and helped defeat governmental actions such as a proposal to eliminate the regional offices of the Department of Labor’s Women’s Bureau. Adrienne’s fellowship is generously supported by the Revson Foundation.

Congresswoman Norton Hosts Second Annual Fundraiser
On Wednesday, March 6, the Fellowship Program hosted a lovely evening of wine, cheese, conversation and theater for the second annual WLLPPF Hexagon Fundraiser. The pre-theater reception was a splendid affair attended by more than 60 guests at the home of Advisory Board member Marian Hagler in Georgetown. Board member and Georgetown University Law Center Professor of Law, Wendy Williams, with her usual humor and grace, introduced event host WLPPFP Board Chair Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, who delivered a warm welcome to all of the guests and encouraged their continued involvement with the Program. After the reception, the guests strolled over to the Duke Ellington School for the Performing Arts to watch the performance of Hexagon 2002: “It’s a Grand Old Gag.”

We would like to thank our supporters, Board members and staff for making this event such an enjoyable and successful fundraiser. Particular thanks to WLPPFP Research Assistant Vanessa Brocato for coordinating the event and to our indispensable volunteers who prepared food, greeted guests, poured wine and cleaned up: Reed Christian, Rebecca Fox, Jacque Grey, Julie Lurman, Brian Stanton, and Ona Winet. We also would like to thank Fresh Fields/Whole Foods Market in Dupont Circle for their generous and delicious food donation.

LAWAs Participate in Habitat for Humanity Build
During the Law Center’s spring break, 2001-2002 LAWA Fellows Jamesina King and Ntibidi Rampete (see “Update on Advocate’s Work”) traveled with other Georgetown Law students to Pittsboro, North Carolina to build homes as Habitat for Humanity volunteers. The trip was organized by Holly Eaton, Pro Bono Coordinator for the Law Center’s Office of Public Interest and Community Service. Both Ntibidi and Jamesina enjoyed the experience and hope to participate in another Habitat project before returning home next November.

LAWA Program Adds Patricia King Fellows from Botswana, Zimbabwe
With the help of funding from the Ford Foundation, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Sandler Family Supporting Foundation, this July we will welcome four new Leadership and Advocacy for Women in Africa Fellowship Participants from South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe. WLPPFP is grateful to have the opportunity to expand the program within the Southern Africa region, and is confident we will be able to replicate the success we have achieved in other countries in Africa, where LAWA alumnae serve as key women’s rights leaders. Further expansion in the Southern Africa region is planned for the coming years with continued funding from Ford and Kellogg.

Seminars
Fellowship seminars continue to take place bi-weekly. Some recent seminars featured: 2001-2002 LAWA Fellows Jamesina King, Ntibidi Rampete and Sibongile Sigodi discussing their work at home and the legal systems in South Africa and Sierra Leone; a discussion led by Georgetown University Law Center alumna Lisa Mottet on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues and the Women’s Movement; an International Women’s Rights seminar featuring Julainne Cartwright Traylor of Human Rights Advocates, Inc., Dr. Sarah Moten and Aleta Williams of the Education for Democracy and Development Initiative, and Amnesty International’s Ginetta Sagan Fund Awardees Hina Jilani, United Nation’s Special Representative of the Secretary General on Human Rights Defenders, and Beatrice Mukansinga, founder of “Speak, I am Listening” in Rwanda.

2000-2001 LAWA Panel Presentation
In November 2000 outgoing LAWA Advocates participated on a panel discussing their research papers and work internships: Jacqueline Assimwe discussed the women’s movement and law reform in Uganda (1985 – 2000); Scholastica Jullu wrote on the topic of sexual violence in Tanzania; Naome Kabanda discussed women’s access to and control over land in Uganda; Mande Limbu addressed gender equality and higher education in Tanzania; Jane Magigita explored the implementation of affirmative action in Tanzania’s Parliament; and Harriet Musoke addressed the challenges of breaking the glass ceiling in Uganda. The panel was well-attended and made the front page of Georgetown University’s Law Weekly newspaper.

2000-2001 LAWA Fellows Return Home
All of the 2000-2001 Leadership and Advocacy for Women in Africa Fellows have returned to their home countries. Consistent with their devotion to women’s rights and the mission of the LAWA Program, they each have positions working for the advancement of their countrywomen.