Herrin Fontenette

Herrin is currently a junior at Rutgers New-Brunswick, majoring in history (pre law with a black studies concentration) and public policy. On campus Herrin is a DEI leader, Black women centered organization vice president, on campus spoke word artist and student involvement leader whose racial justice work primarily focuses on the uplifting of black womens'/peoples voices and experiences through poetry.

Media Appearances/Speaking Engagements:

• 2024 MARK Conference

• Dr. Jewel Plummer Cobb STEAM Womens Empowerment Luncheon

• Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated A 1920 HARLEM RENAISSANCE AFFAIR Scholarship Brunch

Previous Organizations: 

• ISGRJ Racial Justice Fellow

• Paul Robeson Cultural Center

• Office of Student Involvement and Leadership

Accomplishments:

• STEAM Women's Empowerment Award Recipient

• 2nd Inaugural Dr. Jewel Plummer Cobb STEAM Initiatives Intern

• Douglass Divas Bloom and Brunch Award Recipient

Upcoming Projects:

• RAJU Social Action Project: The Humanities for Humanity Researching Black Self Determination: Archiving Black Student Stories at Rutgers University

I am a current Junior in the School of Arts and Sciences and The Douglass Residential College, majoring in history with a concentration in black studies and minoring in public policy on the pre-law track. As a student and activist, I strive to utilize community engagement/advocacy to create tangible change for vulnerable communities across the U.S. During the last three years, I have worked to develop my skills in communal engagement and advocacy by taking part in organizations, programs, and classes centered on historical analysis, public policy, and racial justice. One of these programs is the Dr. Jewel Plummer Cobb STEAM Initiatives Internship through the university Office of Student Involvement and Leadership. In this role, I merged my skills in planning and outreach to bridge the engagement gap between Rutgers University and the New Brunswick community by highlighting their voices, experiences, and resources. In academia, I have utilized my public policy courses to draft policy recommendations for prevalent issues in my hometown of Jersey City. These issues, merging my desire for experiential learning and my understanding of Black American history, culture, and local politics, focus on averting issues like food insecurity, improving education policy, and promoting cultural representation for my City’s Black residents. To me, experiential-based learning is quintessential to personal and professional development, especially when analyzing law and policy. In a course I took called Law and History, students were asked to analyze pivotal court cases like the 1954 Lucy v. Zeimer case, the 1857 Dred Scott case, Roe v. Wade, its overturn, and the more recent legal attack on affirmative action. Using history to contextualize and analyze these cases helped strengthen my understanding of the implications of these rulings on modern law. In the same year, I was granted the opportunity to intern through the Douglass Riley BOLD Pephram, I was in the New York State Supreme Court under Judge Andrea Masley. My role in the State Supreme Court was “to learn and experience the law” as stated by Judge Masley, who embodied that I explore different surrounding courts and sit in on criminal, commercial, and civil trials, and court proceedings. In a week, taking the advice of Judge Masley, I explored the different courts in the vicinity of my office in the NY State Appellate Courts. Civic Court and Thurgood Marshall Second Circuit court, where I sat in on a variety of trials, proceedings, and summonings, each one giving me a stronger and more cohesive underdosing of civil, criminal, and commercial law and the different processes with which judges, attorney and Special referees handle the nature of these cases. As I watched lengthy evidence base arrests in criminal courts to the speedy analysis and sentences of summonings for blue-collar crimes, I drew back to my acquired knowledge from my law and history course about case analysis, historical implication, and logical reasoning to help me familiarize myself with the case and subject matter. While my internship with the NY State Supreme Court was not solely based on experiential learning, I drew from quire knowledge and skill in my courses, coupled with my exploration drive and inquiry to gain practical, hands-on experience in a real-world work environment. This experience allowed me to apply theoretical knowledge gained in academic settings to actual legal case proceedings and tasks, ultimately helping me develop relevant skills for the legal field and strengthen my desire to pursue a law degree. In this internship, I seek to apply these same skills, fostered by curiosity and drive to expand my knowledge of New Jersey legislation, racial justice, history and politics. Additionally, I am a proud poet and spoken word artist from Jersey City, New Jersey. My pieces highlight the beauty, pain, and histories of Black femininity, Black American history, and inter-diasporic African culture, centering themes of unity, divinity, rebirth, and resistance against anti-blackness and white supremacy. Starting as a professional performer in my junior year of high school with NYC Spoken Word group Girl Be Heard, i have grown to develop my work as a cultural pan africanist and political nationalist, having performed at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center, the Paul Robeson Cultural Center, welcoming Rutgers Students at the Opening Convocation ceremony and winning first place in the Robeson Week Poetry Competition in 2022. Herrin currently serves as the Dr. Jewel Plummer Cobb STEAM Initiatives Intern in the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership, promoting the legacy of renowned professor, scientist, scholar, and first African American dean of the Douglass Residential College Dr. Jewel Plummer Cobb