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  <mods:titleInfo>
    <mods:title>Premal Dharia, class of 2000</mods:title>
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  <mods:name type="personal" authority="local">
    <mods:namePart>Dharia, Premal</mods:namePart>
    <mods:role>
      <mods:roleTerm type="text" authority="marcrelator">interviewee</mods:roleTerm>
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  <mods:name type="personal" authority="local">
    <mods:namePart>Knox, Amanda</mods:namePart>
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  <mods:abstract type="general" displayLabel="Scope and Contents note">In this interview on the eve of her 25th reunion, Premal Dharia, Brown University class of 2000, shares her memories of her time on campus and reflects on how she applied her education to affect change in people’s lives and the world. Dharia begins by discussing her childhood. She describes growing up in rural Appalachia with immigrant parents. She talks about how her early education was a mix of public and private Catholic schools, with her family moving several times to find the best educational opportunities. Dharia describes that although her parents were very committed to her education and her attending college they did not pressure her into a specific field of study. She felt an immediate connection to Brown, not only for its open curriculum and diverse student body, but also an unshakeable feeling that Brown is where she would find like minded people. Dharia describes her time at Brown as transformative. Dharia talks about how her courses at Brown provided her with critical thinking tools that opened her mind. She also found a supportive community that helped her contextualize her own experiences and background. Among her happiest memories are late night walks to buy candy with the friends she made her freshman year. Dharia’s explains that concentrating in History and African American Studies allowed her to explore post-colonial histories and power structures as well as critical race theory. She adds that a summer internship at a public defender's office solidified her decision to attend law school and pursue a career in public defense. Dharia notes that after completing law school she worked for 15 years as a public defender, representing children and adults in various courts, which she describes as some of the most important work of her career. She talks about transitioning to civil rights litigation, focusing on challenging the criminalization of poverty and financial penalties within the criminal legal system. Through that work she was invited to co-found the Institute to End Mass Incarceration at Harvard Law School, which aims to bridge the gap between public defenders and broader reform efforts in the criminal justice system. She concludes her interview by emphasizing that being able to engage with the diversity of Brown students has been the most impactful experience, and one she has carried with her beyond Brown.</mods:abstract>
  <mods:note type="biographical/historical" displayLabel="Biographical/historical note">Premal Dharia is the Executive Director of the Institute to End Mass Incarceration at Harvard Law School, where she also serves as a lecturer on law and clinical instructor. She graduated from Brown University in 2000 where she concentrated in History and African-American Studies and was especially interested in comparative post-colonial power structures. She later earned her law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Dharia spent nearly 15 years as a public defender in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Currently, Dharia works to encourage broader systemic change within the criminal legal system. Dharia co-edited Dismantling Mass Incarceration: A Handbook for Change with Maria Hawilo and James Forman Jr., published in 2024. She was recognized with the 2024 Albert J. Krieger Champion of Liberty Award from the American Bar Association's Criminal Justice Section for her advocacy work. Before joining Harvard Law School in 2021, she founded and directed the Defender Impact Initiative.</mods:note>
  <mods:note type="biographical/historical" displayLabel="Class year">2000</mods:note>
  <mods:note type="preferredcitation">Premal Dharia, class of 2000, Brown University Library</mods:note>
  <mods:originInfo>
    <mods:dateCreated keyDate="yes">2025 May 14</mods:dateCreated>
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  <mods:language>
    <mods:languageTerm type="code" authority="iso639">eng</mods:languageTerm>
    <mods:languageTerm type="text">eng</mods:languageTerm>
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    <mods:extent>mp4 (46:14)</mods:extent>
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  <mods:accessCondition type="restriction on access">Collection is open for research.</mods:accessCondition>
  <mods:subject authority="local">
    <mods:topic>Academics</mods:topic>
  </mods:subject>
  <mods:subject authority="local">
    <mods:topic>Dormitories</mods:topic>
  </mods:subject>
  <mods:subject authority="local">
    <mods:topic>Economics - Social Aspects</mods:topic>
  </mods:subject>
  <mods:subject authority="local">
    <mods:topic>Law</mods:topic>
  </mods:subject>
  <mods:subject authority="local">
    <mods:topic>Students of Color</mods:topic>
  </mods:subject>
  <mods:subject authority="local">
    <mods:temporal>2000s</mods:temporal>
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  <mods:identifier type="local" displayLabel="BDR_PID">bdr:1110074</mods:identifier>
  <mods:note displayLabel="Digital object made available by">Brown University Library, John Hay Library, University Archives and Manuscripts, Box A, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02912, U.S.A., (http://library.brown.edu/)</mods:note>
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