Stein Scholars organized and participated in three different alternative spring break trips this year, each of which aimed to provide assistance to vulnerable individuals and communities in the US and abroad.
Hailey Flynn ’16 took a group of students to New Orleans with Law Students for Reproductive Justice; Razeen Zaman ’16 and Katherine Demartini ’16 went to Dilley, Texas, in conjunction with the Immigration Advocacy Project and Feerick Center for Social Justice; and Herbie Rosen ’17 participated in a trip to the Philippines with Universal Justice organized by fellow Stein Scholar Rodrigo Bacus ‘16.
The Stein Center spoke to Hailey, Razeen, Katherine, and Herbie in April to learn from them about the goals and impact of the three trips.
Briefly describe the trip.
Hailey: The Fordham chapter of Law Students for Reproductive Justice organized a trip to New Orleans to work with Tulane Law School on the Louisiana Judicial Bypass Project. I organized the trip because I am concerned about the impact that parental consent and notification laws have on young women. Girls and adolescents under the age of 18 who need an abortion but cannot obtain parental consent can appear before a judge to get an order to bypass this parental consent requirement, which is known as a judicial bypass. A majority of states have some parental consent or notification law in place, but New York State does not. At the LSRJ Leadership Institute that I attended in July 2015, I met the president of Tulane’s LSRJ chapter and learned about their nascent initiative to match teens in need of judicial bypasses with attorneys. They were working to get a hotline off the ground and develop other materials to assist young women seeking abortion services.
Hailey Flynn (third from left) with other members of Students for Reproductive Justice, in New Orleans.
While we were in New Orleans, we met with pro bono attorneys and with the coordinator of the Louisiana Judicial Bypass Project. We conducted most of our legal research and developed materials and a hotline volunteer training manual around the dining room table of the Airbnb where we were staying for the week. A couple of us volunteer for Jane’s Due Process, a Texas-based hotline that helps girls and adolescents in Texas to navigate the judicial bypass process, so we knew what types of questions to expect. A few of us had also developed and delivered a human rights training through the International Human Rights Clinic in the fall 2015. As a result, we were able to draw on our previous hotline knowledge and our training development experience.
Katherine: We went to Texas with the Immigration Advocacy Project and the Feerick Center for Social Justice to support the asylum cases of women and children detained at the Immigration Detention Center. We spent the bulk of our time conducting intake and preparing the women one on one for their “credible fear” interviews, which are often the first step in the asylum process. We also ran orientations for groups of women about how to fill in the required paperwork and prepare for the credible fear interviews. Sometimes we helped women communicate with other family members and deal with bond-related issues. We generally worked from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Herbie: Universal Justice goes on an alternative spring break trip every year. It is usually a service and/or fact-finding trip. This year, we went to the Philippines with the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers, a human rights and advocacy organization. While there, we researched the 
Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, which allows the United States to have military bases in the Philippines in exchange for money. The U.S. has free range of areas of the country. We were trying to figure out if this arrangement is legal under international law. The bases have resulted in the proliferation of sex trafficking and prostitution in area neighborhoods, along with significant displacement. We also learned about different human rights battles, such as the murder of local lawyers. Finally, we gained an understanding of urban communities that have been displaced without compensation and prisoners who have been locked up without charges or a trial. We are in the process of writing a white paper based on our findings in order to give voice to the disenfranchised.
Why did you decide to organize and/or participate in an alternative spring break trip this year?
Hailey: Judicial bypass is an issue of intersectional discrimination, and youth are particularly marginalized when looking at abortion access issues. There are so many reasons why a young woman may not be able to get a parent’s consent—for example, a parent is incarcerated, is undocumented, or does not live in the United States. Additionally, being required to appear before a judge to tell him/her why an abortion is in your best interest is incredibly daunting for most young people. These requirements can make it difficult to prevail even if the minor can demonstrate that she is mature, well-informed, and an abortion is in her best interest. While we were in New Orleans, we developed pamphlets to distribute at the clinics, a web-based graphic to direct web traffic to the Louisiana Judicial Bypass Project, and a training for hotline volunteers, which were concrete ways that we could make the judicial bypass process more accessible to girls and adolescents in Louisiana.
Razeen: During the school year, IAP primarily focused its efforts within the Law School community by, for example, organizing student panels. We wanted to shift our efforts outward and into action that would help detained women and families. We heard about the Immigration Detention Center in Texas and determined that an organization called CARA Family Detention Pro Bono Representation and Advocacy Project was working to help women detained at the IDC. The Feerick Center was already planning to lead a group to Texas to work with CARA, so we decided to join forces. For IAP it seemed like a great opportunity to gain practical experience while providing a critical service for very vulnerable individuals.
Herbie: The idea of going somewhere I had never been on a trip organized by fellow Stein Scholar Rodrigo Bacus ‘16 in order to learn about human rights issues that might make me uncomfortable seemed liked too good an opportunity to pass by. I wanted to be exposed to and learn about new situations and injustices. You can only learn and do so much in one week, so the challenge is figuring out next steps to continue the work. I wanted to be pushed out of my comfort zone and I was.
What was the most rewarding/challenging aspect of the trip?
Katherine: I love talking to people firsthand; one woman in particular bonded with me and requested my assistance throughout each step of the process, from the time she needed to phone her family to preparing for her credible fear interview. It was incredibly satisfying to experience multiple aspects of the asylum process with one woman. Most of the volunteer work was much more fragmented. I got to know her, her kids, and her case, and I was thrilled to learn that she was released from detention. Her story was heart-wrenching because she had to go through so many terrible experiences before getting to this point.
I am still working as a remote data-entry person on behalf of CARA and although it is very different than being on the ground at the detention center, I am glad to be able to continue to provide assistance from afar.
Hailey: On the last day of the trip, we visited one of four remaining clinics in the entire state of Louisiana. As we came up to the clinic, we saw about 15 protestors as well as a number of clinic escorts. The escorts greeted us and guided us past the throng of protestors that were trying to get us to take anti-abortion literature. Once we got inside the clinic, I was surprised to see so many people in the waiting room that needed health services while hearing all of the yelling outside. I was so impressed with the warm, caring clinic staff that continue to provide reproductive health care services despite being constantly under siege. I was really inspired by our conversation with the clinic administrator and felt even more committed to the judicial bypass work that we came to New Orleans to do.
How did the trip impact you?
Razeen: My admiration for direct service grew, and my resolve to be engaged professionally in policy advocacy strengthened. The trip left me trying to understand how I can be most effective now that I am back here and not at the detention center. What is our most effective role? Fundraising to pay the women’s bonds? Or lobbying to change the draconian policies? On the ground, help is desperately needed, but since the crisis is ongoing, I need to figure out what else I and students in general can do. Also, I think we are all still trying to process our experiences from the trip. We went to a jail for our spring break trip, a jail that houses women and babies. The situation confronting these women and children is so horrible that secondary trauma is part of the volunteer experience.
Katherine: I discovered that it takes tremendous skill to be an advocate for vulnerable individuals. I also learned how important but also how challenging it is to make vulnerable clients feel comfortable.
Hailey: It was amazing to have an opportunity to have an entire week to work on issues that I already felt so passionate about. It was great to be able to contribute to a nascent organization doing such important work for girls and adolescents in Louisiana. As the hotline gets off the ground, Fordham’s Law Students for Reproductive Justice is looking to continue our volunteer efforts with the Louisiana Judicial Bypass Project.
Herbie: I loved being able to witness a world that I had heard about but had never experienced. The trip really opened up my eyes. I learned so much and appreciated the opportunity to help as a law student. It prepared me for a life of advocacy in a way that most law school experiences don’t measure up. On the other hand, many of the experiences were very difficult. For example, visiting the prison and talking to men who haven’t been able to see their family in years. I witnessed one man who got to wave to his wife weekly across the way but to never get closer to her than that. It left a pit in my stomach when I boarded the plane to come home, knowing that their lives will continue under horrible and unjust conditions, while I get to return to a life of privilege. I wonder if I will be able to push myself to help now that I am back in my comfort zone. I felt guilty on my way back home but also energized to try to figure out how to make a difference.
Do you have any advice for students thinking about planning a trip next year?
Razeen: Block out time and identify funding sources early. The trip itself is tiring because you do not get a break, but if you care about the issue, then it is exhilarating and well worth it. It reminds you why you came to law school. Having those types of experiences keeps it all real.
Herbie: Do it! It pushes you out of your comfort zone. Don’t do it if you really want a break. Universal Justice wants people who are committed and care, not just tourists. Be prepared to show the communities on the ground that you are there for a reason. You will have to earn their trust. This opportunity is a secret gem. You are there to do something, to try to make a difference, so take full advantage of the opportunity.
