2020 Peggy Browning Summer Fellows

2020 Peggy Browning Summer Fellows Michele Lucas-Narcisse JD’21 Wayne State University Law School Detroit, MI United Auto Workers (UAW) Detroit, MI Michele was raised in Metro Detroit and experienced her parents’ union involvement. As a first-year law student, Michele cultivated an interest in public service law and later pursued an internship with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Office in Detroit. After her experience and growth at the NLRB, Michele pursued a legal internship with DTE Energy in their Labor and Employment group.  In law school, Michele currently serves as treasurer for the Women’s Law Caucus, secretary for Wayne’s chapter of If/When/ How and is an active member of the Black Law Student Association. In the future, Michele hopes to use her law degree and passion to continue supporting workers’ rights. Jonathan Levitan JD’22 Harvard Law School Cambridge, MA American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Washington, DC Born and raised in the Philadelphia area, Jon became passionate about the labor movement and pursuing economic justice for working people. During his undergraduate years, he studied Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell. During his first year in law school, he helped organize law students to participate in the Harvard Graduate Students Union (UAW Local 5118) strike in December. He also works with the People’s Parity Project and is a research assistant for the Labor and Worklife Program. Jon is looking forward to a career as a union-side labor lawyer, and is excited to learn more about the field and to advocate on behalf of working people this summer. Rubayet Lasker JD’22 University of Alabama School of Law Tuscaloosa, AL Adelante Alabama Worker Center Birmingham, AL Rubayet’s passion for justice is strongly informed by her identity as a first generation Bangladeshi American. Throughout her childhood, her parents and grandparents would tell stories of their experiences living through the 1971 Bangladeshi Liberation War. Later in college, Rubayet learned that the Liberation War was also one of the worst instances of mass genocide in history. Over time, she realized that her people were still recovering from its bloody history, and that the Bengali diaspora constituted the poorest working class populations around the world. As such, Rubayet is drawn to work centered around empowering the Bengali community and increasing its visibility.   Abby Lawlor JD’22 University of California, Berkeley School of Law Berkeley, CA Partnership for Working Families Oakland, CA Abby came to law school after nearly a decade in the labor movement as a rank-and-file organizer and strategic researcher for UNITE HERE. She has twice organized her own workplace and seen the tremendous challenges that workers must overcome to form unions and build power. In 2016, Abby led a first-of-its-kind campaign to enact sexual harassment protections for hotel workers in Seattle. She studied labor law to learn how to craft legal strategies to protect worker organizing and enhance the effectiveness of worker-led campaigns. Abby currently serves as the community coordinator for the Berkeley Journal of Employment and Labor Law , a volunteer with the Berkeley Law and Organizing Collective, and a proud member of UAW Local 2865. She is also a research assistant at the Berkeley Labor Center.