For as long as he could remember, Daniel Teixeira was always interested in human rights. Daniel looked to his mother, a Brazilian political activist, as a model for his future aspirations. "She drew me into her world. I admired her and her work and wanted to be apart of it."  The youth culture of Brazil perpetuated his interest in public interest law. "It was believed that the youth should do something different, they should give back in order to avoid an unwanted form of government from taking hold within the country."  Daniel believes possessing a dedication to improving human rights was something that was expected of him.

A 2007-2008 PILI Fellow, Daniel works for the Research Center on Labor Relations and Inequality (CEERT) for seven years. CEERT, an NGO in Brazil dedicated to racial and gender equality, is committed to improving access to the legal system, guaranteeing racial equality and freedom of religion, and promoting public policy in education, health, and labor relations. He started working for the organization first by teaching English and over time, he took on more and more responsibility. He now works at the NGO as its Juridical Consultant.     

The unique opportunities offered by PILI inspired Daniel. The fellowship program has allowed him to exchange ideas and cultural understanding with like-minded professionals from around the world. For him, the professional and academic networking possibilities fostered by the fellowship have been especially noteworthy. He recalls his shock when he was given the chance to meet the NAACP's Active Director after merely "mentioning that I was doing a lot of research with them."

Daniel is fascinated with the links between the United States and Brazil with regard to racial issues, especially affirmative action. "The history of affirmative action is much more developed in the United States than in Brazil. We are still back in the 1950s or 1960s [in Brazil]."  However, he does not believe that exchange is a one-way road. The U.S. can learn from Brazilian history as well. In the course of his study at Columbia University and Central European University (CEU), Daniel has expanded his interest in minority rights outside of the Americas.

The PILI Fellowship has allowed him to study how minority rights are addressed in other parts of the world, specifically in Central Europe. During his time in Budapest Daniel researched Roma rights and their role in European society. His studies in Budapest and New York led him to conclude that in any culture "there are more similarities than differences to be found."  Daniel firmly believes that leaders in all of these countries could learn a lot from working together on addressing minority rights.

As a PILI Fellow, Daniel was engaged in two projects. His first project involved studying law and discrimination within Brazil. His goal is to coordinate capacity building meetings for CEERT lawyers, students, prosecutors, and judges upon returning to Brazil. In addition, Daniel intends to strengthen CEERT's public outreach effort by writing publications that inform citizens about the status of minority rights in Brazil and its links with international human rights law. During the interview, Daniel asserted that international law relating to human rights was not "well known" in Brazil and he believes that a "dramatic change" is necessary.

Daniel's second project deals with diversity within large companies. The Banks Corporation, a well-known company within Brazil, was sued for failing to commit to diversity, and the case was taken up by CEERT. The organization is attempting to determine the different implications of gender, ethnic background, and race. The other tasks were to determine Banks' responsibility for ensuring social equality and to decide how Banks' existing efforts can be improved. After his fellowship, Daniel plans to continue working on strengthening human rights in Brazil, with the goal of implementing the strategies and policies he developed as a PILI Fellow.

Daniel is fully aware that his experience with PILI was a special one, and he foresees that collaborative, intercontinental academic pursuits like the one offered by PILI are destined to become the face of public interest law and human rights study throughout the world. "The opportunity to work together and to learn with some of the most influential lawyers and human rights leaders is the future of public interest."

For more information about the PILI Fellowship program, click here.

By Stacy Bertrand and David Smart, PILI Interns (2008)