WALS Honors Representative Grace Meng with Pioneer of Justice Award

On April 16, WALS held its annual Pioneer of Justice Awards Ceremony. This year’s honoree was United States Congresswoman Grace Meng. The virtual Ceremony featured remarks by Professors Crawford and Waldman, WALS president Juliana Palmieri, and Representative Meng. The Ceremony was attended by faculty, staff, students, and alumni – many of which were past WALS presidents and members. Congratulations to all involved on a successful event!

This year’s honoree, United States Congresswoman Grace Meng, is currently serving her fifth term in the United States House of Representatives.  Representative Meng is the first and only Asian American Member of Congress from New York State and the first female Congressmember from Queens since former Vice Presidential nominee Geraldine Ferraro. Representative Meng has been responsible for several pieces of legislation including bills protecting religious freedom, making Queens historic sites part of the National Park Service, striking “Oriental” from federal law, and protecting public housing residents from insufficient heat. Parts of her Menstrual Equity for All Act have led to legislation making menstrual products available for incarcerated and detained individuals, allowing FEMA funds to be used to purchase menstrual products for those in need after natural disasters, and making menstrual products eligible for Flexible Spending Account purchases.