At noon on Wednesday, Feb. 22, attorney Bharathi Pillai from the ACLU of Illinois will speak and answer questions about anti-Muslim discrimination. Her presentation will take place in the Blackhawk Annex in the Holmes Student Center.
Pillai grew up in Peru, Illinois, a small town two hours southwest of Chicago, and studied psychology at the University of Illinois. Her background in counseling and interest in helping marginalized people navigate the legal system led her to obtain her law degree from New York University School of Law. She worked with a human rights organization in India on issues relating to the caste system, gender violence and criminal justice. Upon returning to New York, she worked for the legal firm Ropes & Gray as a litigation associate, representing individuals in family law and asylum cases.
Future events planned in the “Know Your Rights” series include NIU alum and immigration attorney Omar Salguero speaking Wednesday, March 1, on the rights of undocumented immigrants, and Kristen Myers of the Center for the Study of Women, Gender and Sexuality presenting Wednesday, March 8, on sexual harassment and sexual assault.
“Know Your Rights” events are co-sponsored by the Office of Academic Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, the Center for Black Studies, the Latino Resource Center and the Center for the Study of Women, Gender and Sexuality.
