Long before graduating from New England School of Law, Glenn D. Magpantay was an established community organizer and lobbyist for students, people of color, and the lesbian/gay/bisexual communities. But as he walked the halls of state legislatures, he was disturbed that he was often the only Asian American there.

Glenn found it unacceptable that his community was not being represented as it should be. He decided to take action.

Glenn paired his passion for grassroots organizing with a law degree as a 1998 Equal Justice Works Fellow at the Asian American Legal Defense & Education Fund (AALDEF). There, Glenn directed The Democracy Project for New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts. Using a combination of litigation, legislative efforts, community education and grassroots organizing The Democracy Project worked to promote an accurate count of people of color in Census 2000; to expand the availability of bilingual ballots; and to ensure that city council, state legislative, and congressional districts were reapportioned and redrawn to maximize Asian American influence and representation.

Based in New York City and founded in 1974, AALDEF is the first organization on the East Coast dedicated to protecting the legal rights of Asian Americans.

Glen Magpantay
1998 Equal Justice Works Fellow
Asian American Legal Defense & Education Fund, New York, NY
Sponsor: NAPIL
New England School of Law, 1998