Harjit Kaur
Managing Attorney, Direct Legal Services
Area of expertise: Education civil rights; Sexual violence, gender discrimination, and harassment in higher education; Civil/Human rights; Domestic violence, immigration and family law; Employment law; Trauma-informed legal services
“There is a fable that when the Sun was setting for the first time, … light was decreasing … and the signs of Darkness were appearing … Darkness set its foot on the Earth, but it is said — far away, in some hut, one little Lamp lifted his head. It proclaimed, ‘I challenge the Darkness. If nothing else, then at least around myself, I will not let it settle. Around myself I will establish Light.’” —
Shaheed Jaswant Singh Khalra
You want to get to know her because:
- Harjit has dedicated her legal and advocacy career to providing access to justice for underrepresented communities, and has conducted numerous civil/human rights and bullying prevention seminars at educational institutions, government agencies, and corporations.
- Joining ERA in 2018, Harjit leads our initiative to End Sexual Violence in Education (aka, ENOUGH) Pro Bono Program, which aims to close the access-to-justice gap for students facing sexual assault and other forms of gender-based violence in schools and universities. Harjit has built a network of trained pro bono attorneys to provide critically needed legal assistance and advocacy, providing students with access to high-quality, confidential, independent legal support and assistance. She also advocates for gender justice in the workplace, ensuring that victims of sexual assault, harassment, and discrimination have access to justice and legal resources.
- Harjit has more than seven years of professional community advocacy and organizing experience as a civil rights, human rights, employment, immigration, and family law attorney. She has deep experience providing extensive pro bono legal services to victims of domestic violence in immigration and family law proceedings.
- She successfully advocated before the California Department of Education and the California State Board of Education for the inclusion of Sikh history in K-12 curriculum. She also successfully co-drafted legislation addressing bullying prevention in California schools (Safe Pace to Learn Act; AB 2845 – Williams). Harjit is proud to have helped pass the nation’s strongest bill against religious discrimination for workers in California (California Workplace Religious Freedom Act; AB 1964 - Yamada).
- Harjit is a contributor to the novel American Hate: Survivors Speak Out (Edited by Arjun Singh Sethi).
- Harjit is currently appointed as a Commissioner for the Stanislaus County Equal Rights Commission.
Alumna of:
- She received her Juris Doctor from University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law (2011).
- Graduate of Santa Rosa Junior College where she graduated cum laude with an Associate of Arts in Political Science (2003) and a graduate of Sonoma State University where she graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science (2005).
Outside of work:
Harjit is an avid artist whose work has been displayed in museums in the U.S. and Europe, as well as on social media as @KaurArts. When she is not advocating for the community, or painting a new piece inspired by her activism, you can find Harjit curled up with a good book and an exceptionally large cup of coffee next to her rescued foster dogs.
