Gallatin Global Human Rights Fellows

Shaquille Romblay applied for the Gallatin Global Fellowship to learn how to start fighting for equal human rights, with a particular focus on the LGBTQ community. Hoping to shine a light on the problems that members of the LGBTQ community face world- wide, Romblay interned in Kingston, Jamaica at Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays to investigate what has been called “the most homophobic place on Earth.” Romblay hopes to be a talk show host and to use his platform to be an advocate for others.

Robert Ascherman first got involved in human rights by joining Students for Economic Justice and advocating for NYU to cut its support of banks who led New York’s foreclosure crisis. From this, Ascherman found an interest in housing as a human right and is continuing to work towards a society that is no longer wage- based. Ascherman worked with Abahlali base Mjondolo (Shack Dwellers) Movement South Africa to help impoverished people living in post-Apartheid South Africa.

Tammy Kremer has always felt a responsibility to get involved in human rights, inspired by her family’s persecution as Jews. Taking to heart the words, “think globally, act locally,” Kremer worked with Zochrot in Tel Aviv to educate Israeli Jews on the plight of the Palestinian people. Kremer continues to work with the organization and helps organize short film screenings at NYU.

Growing up in a conservative Sikh family in India, Karanjit Singh never really considered fighting for the rights of others due to his family’s own safety and security. After attending a protest in New Delhi that quickly became violent, Singh became interested in learning more about the plight of Tibetan exiles and the human rights violations they face. Working with Gu Chu Sum, he set out to photograph the problem in Tibet after realizing there was very little documentation of the problem there. Singh hopes to continue telling the stories of those who often get swept under the rug.

A long-time lover of Arab prison literature, Nadeen Shaker set out to gather prison narratives from Egypt, especially given the timing of Egypt’s turmoil. She worked with the Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights on her thesis reporting project and hopes to become a human rights reporter.

After getting involved in journalism in high school, Olivia Martin discovered an interest in learning to question everything around her. For over a year, she has promoted human rights in the digital world through her work with human rights organization Access, and after working with them in Brussels, Belgium over the summer, she hopes to translate her work with them to a more global level.

Carly Krakow was moved and shocked by the Palestinian water crisis that stems from denying resources to Palestinian refugees, so she used her project to look at the intersection of environmental concerns and human rights violations, with a particular focus on the Middle East and Northern Africa. She worked with NGO Mada al-Carmel to examine water quality and access in Palestine. She plans on pursuing a career in international law.

For Ayanna Legros, human rights have always been a topic of conversation in her home. Having two parents who immigrated to the United States after the Duvalier dictatorship in Haiti, it was important that Legros understood Latin American and Caribbean history. Now a student of Africana Studies in the Graduate School of Arts and Science, Legros has always been surrounded by issues of race and police brutality as a result of growing up in New York City. She interned with Foundation for the Development and Ethno-cultural Vindication of Afro-Descended Communities to inform young adults about racial discrimination.

Ed Shevlin has always been interested in his ancestral homeland of Ireland and remembers watching his people struggle under the atrocities the British government committed against them. After working with the Pat Finucane Centre in Belfast, Ireland, Shevlin is continuing his work in New York City to look at the judicial transgressions committed by the British government in Ireland.

Working to translate the right and wrong he’d been taught in school to the real world, Benjamin Talarico turned his attention to human rights while traveling abroad before starting college. Talarico explored how political-economic changes in Burma affected the sense of hu- manity among its citizens while working with LGBTQ advocacy group Colours Rainbow. He is considering pursuing legal theory to look at human rights from a more critical perspective.

Min-Wei Lee found inspiration for her project about as close to home as it gets. Her documentary is about a Filipina domestic worker who has lived and worked in her home for over 15 years. Working with Transient Workers Count Too, Lee’s goal was to show how important and worthy of respect foreign domestic migrant workers are, despite the constant discrimination they face. Lee can see herself becoming involved in more documentary work or nongovernmental organization work in the future.