We are pleased to announce the 2024 Y-Lab Writing Program Lunch Talks. Each participant will present their research and writing project, and attendees will have the opportunity to provide feedback and suggestions. *Lunch will be available to those who RSVP.
![K. Gourrier headshot in black blazer with grass and buildings in background.]()
The Moynihan Debate: A Case for National Action in 2024
Discussion with Kristen Gourrier, Harvard Law School J.D. Candidate
Wednesday, April 10, 2024
12:15-1:15
23 Everett Street, 2nd Floor Conference Room
Please RSVP here for a lunch.
Paper Topic: In 1965, Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s internal research report “The Negro Family: The Case for National Action” leaked from the Johnson administration and was met with great public controversy. Public dissent quickly squashed the Presidential agenda on Black family stability, but the debate on the contents of the “Moynihan Report” has endured until the present. This paper examines dueling ideologies on policy targeting Black family stability, squaring the positions and proposing a path forward.
Biography: Kristen is a J.D. candidate at Harvard Law School (Class of 2024) and a Youth Advocacy and Policy Lab Fellow. Prior to attending law school, Kristen studied political science and child psychology at New York University while volunteering with community organizations focused on youth. At HLS, she has represented clients through the Family Law Clinic and worked for Children’s Rights, Inc. through the Child Advocacy Clinic. After law school, Kristen will join the matrimonial law firm of Cohen Clair Lans Greifer & Simpson LLP in New York City.
![L. Floyd headshot, wearing navy blazer in front of wood paneled wall.]()
The [Parental] Right to Gender-Affirming Care
Discussion with Luna Floyd, Harvard Law School J.D. Candidate
Wednesday, April 10, 2024
12:15-1:15
23 Everett Street, 2nd Floor Conference Room
Please RSVP here for a lunch.
Paper Topic: Recent bans on gender-affirming care for transgender youth are being challenged in courts across the country. Advocates often use the substantive due process right of parents to direct the upbringing of their children to establish a positive right to access gender-affirming care. However, using parental rights doctrine to assert a transgender child’s right to access healthcare undermines the child’s individual right to self-determination and furthers a regressive vision of family control rooted in common law coverture.
Biography: Luna Floyd (they/them) is a 3L in the Y-Lab Fellows Program focusing on the rights of LGBTQ+ youth. On campus, they have participated in the Child Advocacy Clinic and the LGBTQ+ Advocacy Clinic, and they are an active member of Lambda and DLSA. After graduation, they will begin an Equal Justice Works fellowship with Lambda Legal’s Youth in Out of Home Care Project.
![Fatema Jaffer headshot in black blazer with white background.]()
Eradicate School Fees to Eliminate Neocolonialism in Kenya
Discussion with Fatema Jaffer, Harvard Law School J.D. Candidate
Tuesday, April 16, 2024
12:15-1:15
WCC 4059
Please RSVP here for a lunch.
Paper Topic: Eradicating school fees is pivotal in providing children with educational opportunities and paving the path toward eliminating neocolonial barriers that exist in present-day Kenya. This paper argues how school fees impose more significant socioeconomic barriers on lower-income, indigenous Kenyans, fostering a continuous cycle of aid and dependency on foreign entities. By implementing legal strategies such as litigation and movement coalitions, activists can eradicate the barrier of school fees to establish access to an educational system that can be reimagined as free from colonization.
Biography: As the daughter of East African immigrants, Fatema grew up learning education to be the foundation of progress. Her interest in this area developed after traveling to her parents’ home region to pursue athletics. There, Fatema experienced how similar the education system in East Africa was to the United States. In both areas, the quality of education was primarily determined by a child’s race and economic status.
Shifting her focus from distance running to education, Fatema began combating these educational barriers by teaching mathematics and becoming a community organizer in Iten, Kenya, and her hometown, Orlando, Florida. In 2021, she enrolled at Harvard Law School to focus on how laws and policies influence access to equitable education.
Fatema plans to use her Juris Doctorate to help eliminate barriers preventing children from accessing quality education in the United States and Kenya.
![V. Agudelo headshot, standing in black blazer against windows.]()
Discussion with Vanessa Agudelo, Harvard Law School J.D. Candidate
Tuesday, April 16, 2024
12:15-1:15
WCC 4059
Please RSVP here for a lunch.
Paper Topic: Although the Supreme Court’s ruling in the SFFA case appeared to signal the end of race-conscious admissions, Justice Roberts included a paragraph in his opinion allowing consideration of an applicant’s racial or ethnic background as part of their life experiences. This exception was swiftly highlighted by universities, progressive organizations, and even the U.S. Department of Education, who encouraged students to discuss their racial identity in their college admissions essays. In her paper, Vanessa explores the flawed understanding of “diversity” in higher education Supreme Court jurisprudence and argues that encouraging students of color to craft compelling admissions essays focused on overcoming racial challenges contributes to a commodification of diversity and imposes an impractical burden on students of color. Vanessa calls for a reconceptualization of “diversity” rooted in principles of justice that will inform more equitable university admission policies.
Biography: Vanessa is a J.D. candidate at Harvard Law School (Class of 2024) and a Youth Advocacy and Policy Lab Fellow. Prior to attending law school, Vanessa served as a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Analyst at Goldman Sachs. At HLS, she has worked extensively in the Education Law Clinic, in addition to participating in the Child Advocacy Clinic, where she interned with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Outside of her clinic engagements, Vanessa has served on the executive boards of First Class, La Alianza, and Advocates for Education. After law school, Vanessa will be working in private practice within the education regulatory space.