I spent the last couple of days at the national workshop for immigration law professors and clinicians at Hofstra Law School. One of the real stars there was Karen Musalo, who ran a panel on political asylum protections. Karen was a young colleague working out in California on Central American immigrant defense back in the 1980s. I remember her as one of the people who introduced the idea of gender-based political asylum claims at a time when many immigration judges did not even think that something as heinous as rape could be an act of persecution. Since then, Karen has done more than just about anyone to front-burner the protection of women fleeing societies where their lives are degraded and threatened by embedded ideologies of male supremacy.
Karen received an honorary doctorate last month from Lehman College for her extraordinary scholarship, teaching, and advocacy. There are many women refugees alive today because of her work.
Long Island was honored by Doctor Musalo’s presence.
