The 5th Annual Harvard Law International Women’s Day Portrait Exhibit showcases the astounding contributions of women around the world to the areas of law and policy. The honorees—each of whom were nominated by HLS students, faculty or staff—are powerful voices in their respective fields, whether they are sitting on a high court bench, standing in front of a classroom, or marching in the streets.
The International Women’s Day Exhibit Committee is honored to present our community with the 2018 honorees.
HARVARD LAW INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
PORTRAIT EXHIBIT
2018 HONOREES
Jody Wilson-Raybould
Jody Wilson-Raybould is the Minister of Justice
and Attorney General of Canada. She is a lawyer,
advocate, and leader among British Columbia’s
First Nations. Previously, she served as the Crown
Prosecutor of British Columbia, Treaty
Commissioner, and Regional Chief of the B.C.
Assembly of First Nations. During her legal
career, she has championed the environment
and social justice, the rights of indigenous
peoples, the advancement of First Nations
governance, fair access to land and resources,
and improved education and health care
services. She is a descendant of the Musgamagw
Tsawataineuk and Laich-Kwil-Tach peoples, also
known as the Kwak’wala speaking peoples, and is
a member of the We Wai Kai Nation.
Anna Neistat
Anna Neistat is currently the Senior Director of
Research for Amnesty International, and was
previously Associate Director for Program and
Emergencies for Human Rights Watch. Anna has
undertaken over 60 investigations in areas such
as Afghanistan, Chechnya, China, Haiti, Kenya,
Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Syria, Yemen, and
Zimbabwe. She has been described as “a shining
example of total dedication to justice.”
Andrea Jenkins
Andrea Jenkins currently serves on the Minneapolis
City Council and is the first openly transgender
woman of color elected to public office in the United
States. Prior to serving on the City Council, she was the
curator of the Transgender Oral History Project at the
University of Minnesota where she sought to expand
the diversity of trans narratives archived in the
collection.
Photo credit: Tony Webster
Erika Andiola
Erika Andiola is an immigrant rights activist
and the former Press Secretary for Bernie
Sanders’ Campaign. As a DACA recipient
herself, she has fought relentlessly for the
rights of DREAMers and the wider immigrant
community. Her commitment to achieving
justice in the realm of immigration policy has
been described as an inspiration to all.
Ethel Branch
Ethel Branch is the Attorney General of the
Navajo Nation. Before serving as Attorney
General, she worked at a law firm dedicated to
advocating on behalf of Native Nations.
Additionally, she has served as an indigenous
human rights attorney dedicated to the
implementation of the U.N. Declaration of the
Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Hala Aldosari
Hala Aldosari is a women’s rights activist and blogger and is currently a researcher of health
and gender-based violence in Saudi Arabia at
the Radcliffe Institute. In 2013, she helped re- launch the Saudi Women’s Driver Campaign
and drafted the Saudi Women’s Petition to End
Male Guardianship. She has also been
recognized by Freedom House for her
courageous work to improve the rights of
women in Saudi Arabia.
ImeIme Umana
ImeIme Umana is the President of the 131st
Volume of the Harvard Law Review. She made
history when she was elected as the first black
female president of the Harvard Law Review.
Her fellow editors have described her as a
brilliant and inspiring leader. After graduating,
she will clerk on the D.C. Circuit for Judge
Robert Wilkins.
Jianmei Guo is the founder of The Center for
Women’s Law Studies and Legal Aid, China’s first
public interest NGO specifically aimed at legal aid
for women. In 2009, she established Beijing
Quianqian Law Firm, a public interest firm
dedicated to providing legal aid to vulnerable
groups in China. She has handled numerous legal
aid cases throughout her career and continues to
fight for the protection of women’s rights.
Losang Rabgey
Losang Rabgey is the co-founder of Machik, a
nonprofit dedicated to social innovation in Tibet
through educational development and capacity
building. She has been recognized by the
National Geographic Society for her work
promoting gender equality and bridging cultural
divides. She has been described as a zealous
advocate and an inspiration to those around her.
Lori Wallach
Lori Wallach is the Director and Founder of
Global Trade Watch, a division of Public Citizen.
As an expert in the field, she has testified
before Congress regarding international trade
agreements like NAFTA and the WTO.
Throughout her career, she has worked
tirelessly to fight undemocratic and unjust
international trade agreements.
Margaret Burnham
Margaret Burnham is a professor of law at
Northeastern University and she specializes in the
fields of civil and human rights, comparative
constitutional rights, and international criminal
law. She is the founder of the Civil Rights and
Restorative Justice Project. She has also worked for
the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund
and was appointed to serve on an international
human rights commission by President Nelson
Mandela.
Maura Barry Grinalds
Maura Barry Grinalds is a partner at Skadden in the
areas of complex trial litigation and international
litigation and arbitration and has received
numerous awards recognizing the excellence of
her work. In addition, she has been acknowledged
for her dedication to pro bono service. She is also
dedicated to the advancement of women,
currently co-chairing the New York Chapter of the
Harvard Law School Women’s Alliance.
Mary Bonauto
Mary Bonauto has served as the Civil Rights
Project Director at GLAD since 1990 and has
spent her career fighting discrimination on the
basis of sexuality and gender identity. She has
litigated numerous cases relating to
discrimination and recently, she successfully
argued in front of the Supreme Court in
Obergefell v. Hodges.
Photo credit: John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Megan Davis
Megan Davis is a professor and the Pro-Vice
Chancellor Indigenous at the University of New
South Wales, Sydney Law School. She also
serves as an expert with the United Nations
Human Rights Council’s Expert Mechanism on
the Rights of Indigenous People, and formerly
chaired the UN Permanent Forum on
Indigenous Issues.
Photo credit: UN Photo by Loey Felipe
Michele Roberts
Michele Roberts is the executive director of
the National Basketball Players Association.
Her election made her the first woman to
head a major professional sports union in
North America. Previously, she was a highly
regarded litigation partner at Skadden Arps
and an attorney for the Public Defender
Service for the District of Columbia.
Nancy Perry
Nancy Perry is the Senior Vice President of
Government Relations for the American Society
for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. In this
role, she oversees legislative and regulatory
reform at the local, state and federal levels. Her
team works to prevent animal fighting, provide
access to spay/neuter resources, expand
housing for people with pets, and improve
general animal welfare, among many other
projects. Prior to joining the ASPCA, Nancy
served as Vice President of Government Affairs
for The Humane Society for 16 years.
Ruth Okediji
Ruth Okediji is the Jeremiah Smith, Jr. Professor
of Law at Harvard Law School and Co-Director
of the Berkman Klein Center. She is a renowned
scholar of international intellectual property
law and the role of IP in social and economic
development. She has been described by her
students as an inspirational advocate and a
masterful professor who excels at creating a
thoughtful and engaging academic
environment.
Sarah McBride
Sarah McBride is an LGBT rights activist and
currently serves as the National Press
Secretary for the Human Rights Campaign.
She made national news in 2012 when she
came out as transgender while serving as the
student body president of American
University. Largely because of her efforts,
Delaware incorporated gender identity and
expression into its nondiscrimination and
hate-crime laws.
Shadi Sadr
Shadi Sadr is a lawyer, human rights activist,
a women’s and LGBT rights advocate, and
the Founder and Executive Director of
Justice for Iran. As a practicing attorney in
Iran, she worked tirelessly to defend female
activists and journalists in court. Despite her
incarceration by the state and threats of
physical violence, she has always persevered
and demonstrated an unrelenting
commitment to justice.
Shirin Ebadi
Shirin Ebadi is a Nobel Peace Prize recipient
and a lawyer, former judge, human rights
activist, and founder of Defenders of Human
Rights Center in Iran. She was the first Iranian
and first Muslim woman to receive the Nobel
Peace Prize. She received the prize for her work
in human rights, particularly in advancing
women’s, children’s, and refugees’ rights.
Photo credit: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Susan Farbstein
Susan Farbstein is the Co-Director of the
International Human Rights Clinic where her work
has focused on economic, social, and cultural
rights, transitional justice, and community
lawyering. She has also fought for human rights
in the context of litigation, serving as co-counsel
in In re South African Apartheid Litigation, a suit against multinational corporations for aiding and
abetting human rights violations committed by
the apartheid state.
Tarana Burke
Tarana Burke is a civil rights activist and the creator of “Me Too,” a phrase invented to raise
awareness of the prevalence of sexual abuse in
society. Ms. Burke has said that the motto of “Me
Too” is “empowerment through empathy.” She
currently serves as the Senior Director of Girls for
Gender Equity, an organization dedicated to the
physical, psychological, social, and economic
development of girls and women.
Tashi Rabgey
Tashi Rabgey is the co-founder of Machik, a
nonprofit dedicated to social innovation in Tibet
through educational development and capacity
building. She is also a Research Professor of
International Affairs and Director of the Tibet
Governance Project at George Washington
University. She has been described as fiercely
committed to community service and the
empowerment of women and youth.
Thuli Madonsela
Thuli Madonsela served as Public Protector
of South Africa from 2009 to 2016 and has
been praised for her persistent and
courageous work tackling corruption. She
also contributed to the writing of the
Constitution of South Africa and has served
as a member of the South African Law
Reform Commission. She has been honored
by numerous international organizations
for her dedication and excellence.
Zainah Anwar
Zainah Anwar is a leading feminist activist and
scholar in Malaysia, a founder of Sisters in Islam,
and the current Director of Musawah. Through
Musawah, she seeks to bring women’s voices and
concerns into the production of religious
knowledge and legal reform in Muslim countries.
For the past 25 years, she has lobbied for justice
for women and pioneered a framework of
feminism from an Islamic perspective.