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Firstgen FellowsWASHINGTON, D.C., January 22, 2015 – The Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC), the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (Lawyers’ Committee), and the National Immigration Law Center (NILC) welcome Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC (Advancing Justice | AAJC) as a new partner, to expand the First Generation Civil Rights Fellowship (FirstGEN) program.

FirstGEN is a 10-week summer program for undergraduate students who are the first in their immediate families to attend an institution of higher education and who are passionate about pursuing careers in social justice.  Fellows gain hands-on experience working on civil rights matters as full time Public Policy and Advocacy interns while also participating in a parallel training program.  FirstGEN creates a greater community of advocates by linking emerging leaders with existing ones and by creating a FirstGEN alumni network.

As partners, Advancing Justice | AAJC, CLINIC, the Lawyers’ Committee, and NILC will host up to six undergraduate fellows this summer.  Each Fellow will receive a $1,500 stipend.  On Fridays, for ten weeks, all six FirstGEN Fellows will meet to take part in FirstGEN’s advocacy training program with sessions led by social justice leaders.  FirstGEN is actively recruiting 2015 summer fellows, to apply go to www.firstgenfellows.org.

Mee Moua, President and Executive Director of Advancing Justice | AAJC, said, “Advancing Justice | AAJC has benefited from the skills, talents, energy, and enthusiasm of students, and we are proud to engage them in our policy advocacy.  We are very excited about partnering with the Lawyers’ Committee and other civil rights organizations to bring first generation college students into our work and support them at the start of their careers in social justice.”

Jeanne M. Atkinson, Executive Director of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc., said “We are pleased to welcome Advancing Justice | AAJC to FirstGen. Advancing Justice | AAJC’s mission to advance civil and human rights for Asian Americans and to build and promote a fair and equitable society for all is a natural fit for this exciting program for young leaders working for social justice.”

Barbara R. Arnwine, Lawyers’ Committee’s President and Executive Director, noted “By working together we are able to create new opportunities for aspiring social justice advocates.  We have worked with Advancing Justice | AAJC on many issues over the years and we look forward to beginning a new chapter, as we team-up on the FirstGEN program.”

Marielena Hincapié, Executive Director of the National Immigration Law Center stated, “Advancing Justice | AAJC  has been an important partner on many key issues for the immigrant community — from civil rights battles to advocating for access to affordable health care, and economic justice. Their partnership in this program to develop new civil rights leaders is vital and we, at NILC, are thrilled to have Advancing Justice | AAJC on board.”

Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC, the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc., the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and the National Immigration Law Center look forward to this new partnership and are excited to expand FirstGEN in 2015 and beyond.

You may learn more about FirstGEN by liking us at facebook.com/FirstGENFellows and following @FirstGENFellows on Twitter and Instagram.