The Masiyiwa-Bernstein Fellowship provides two graduating NYU Law JD students with the opportunity to spend one year working with an innovative human rights organization.
Applications for 2023-2024 Masiyiwa-Bernstein fellowship with the Center for Business and Human Rights at NYU Stern School are being accepted on a rolling basis until January 9, 2023. The application is now open to LLMs and JDs.
Application Requirements
Applicants must submit the following materials:
1) a short personal statement (500 words maximum) describing the applicant’s relevant experience, interest in the work of the organization, and future aspirations;
2) two letters of recommendation, including one letter from a current or former professor or other person associated with NYU School of Law and one letter from a supervisor or employer familiar with the applicant’s human rights work or recent work experience;
3) a résumé
4) law school transcript
5) writing sample
Application Instructions
Submit all materials by e-mail to pilc.info@nyu.edu. Recommenders may email letters directly to this email address.
Qualifications
The Masiyiwa-Bernstein Fellowship Selection Committee will review applications and select finalists to be interviewed by the organizations. Factors the committee will consider include:
a) the applicant’s human rights experience (in law school courses, extracurricular activities, summer jobs, and full-time work);
b) the applicant’s leadership capabilities and likely future commitment to human rights work; and
c) the applicant’s interest in and commitment to the organization’s work.
About the Center for Business and Human Rights at NYU Stern School of Business
The Center for Business and Human Rights at the NYU Stern School of Business challenges and empowers companies to make practical progress on human rights. It is the first human rights center at a business school. The Center takes a sector-by-sector approach working with business leaders and other stakeholders to develop clear industry human rights standards and metrics. Current project areas include redefining the “S” in ESG (environmental, social and governance) investing through the lens of income inequality; examining the role of social media companies in the proliferation of disinformation, extremist content, and political propaganda online; labor and factor safety issues in apparel supply chains; the flow of migrant workers from South Asia to the Gulf in the construction industry; and advocating for racial and gender equity in the asset management industry.
The Center’s 2019 fellow supported several ongoing projects and took the lead on a new project focused on government procurement, which resulted in the publication of a report entitled Purchasing Power: How the U.S. Government can use Federal Procurement to Uphold Human Rights.
The 2023 Masiyiwa Bernstein fellow will support the Center’s cutting-edge initiatives under the supervision of the Center’s Director and Institute Advisory Board Member, Mike Posner. Mike served in the Obama Administration as Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor prior to founding the Center at NYU in 2013.
About RFK for Human Rights
Led by human rights activist and lawyer Kerry Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights has advocated for a more just and peaceful world since 1968. We work alongside local activists to ensure lasting positive change in governments and corporations. Our team includes leading attorneys, advocates, and leaders in business and government united by a commitment to social justice. The Fellow will be hosted within RFKHR's International Advocacy and Litigation team, which focuses on the protection of civic space and combatting social exclusion and discrimination, particularly in Africa, Latin America and some countries in Asia. The Fellow's responsibilities include: conducting international human rights legal research, assisting in preparation of documents in support of litigation before regional and international mechanisms, attending and reporting on briefings, monitoring sources of information on countries and issues of concern to RFKHR, among others.