Ehsan Zaffar

Ehsan Zaffar
Occupation(s)Educator, advocate, policymaker

Ehsan Zaffar is a civil rights advocate,[1][2] educator and policymaker[3][4] and the founder of the Los Angeles Mobile Legal Aid Clinic (LAMLAC), which helped to pioneer the delivery of mobile legal care to vulnerable populations in California and across the nation.[5]

Zaffar primarily studies issues related to inequality and equity, and most recently the disparate impact of national and homeland security laws and policies on protected classes and other minority communities with a particular emphasis on Establishment Clause and First Amendment (religious freedom)[6][7] limitations surrounding security,[8] privacy, and law enforcement.[9] He served as Senior Advisor on civil rights at the United States Department of Homeland Security.[10][11] He is a member of the faculty at George Washington University's Graduate School of Political Management and author of Understanding Homeland Security: Foundations of Security Policy.[12][13]

In 2016, he joined General (Ret.) David Petraeus as a member of the board of Team Rubicon.[14] Zaffar serves on the board of ACLU California[15] is a Council Member of Chatham House at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, the Council on Foreign Relations,[16] and the Pacific Council on International Policy.[17][18] He is the recipient of the U.S. State Department's Benjamin Franklin Award for Public Diplomacy and the Department of Homeland Security Secretary's Award for Excellence.[19]

Zaffar serves as a visiting fellow at the University of Southern California’s Sol Price School of Public Policy where his scholarly work focuses on social, political and economic inequality and he is also a Senior Scholar (non-resident) at the University of California, Berkeley.[20]

In 2021 he was appointed by Arizona State University President Michael M. Crow to found The Difference Engine, an initiative to study practical ways to reduce social, political and economic inequality in the United States.[21] In 2024, The Difference Engine received investment from Bob Pozen and NBA Hall of Famer Earvin “Magic” Johnson to support its work in addressing inequality.[22][23] He has teaching appointments at ASU's Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law and the School of Social Transformation at ASU.[24]

He hosts UnfairNation, a podcast on inequality. Notable guests have included Dr. Thomas Nolan of the Boston Police Department and Nick Martin of TechChange, Jamie Harrison - Chair of the Democratic National Committee and Dr. Erroll Southers among others.[25]

References

  1. ^ "Toward a Freer, More Secure Nation – Interview with a DHS Civil Rights Official | Defense Media Network". Retrieved 2016-09-29.
  2. ^ Hanif, Intikhab (2012-09-06). "'US security officials respect people's sensitivities'". Retrieved 2016-10-21.
  3. ^ "Profiles in Security – Ehsan Zaffar". Security Debrief. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
  4. ^ "Justice For All - Pepperdine Magazine | Pepperdine University". 2015-05-02. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
  5. ^ "Zaffar, Ehsan. The Need for a Self-Sustaining Mobile Legal Clinic in Widespread Urban Centers, 3 J. Bus. Entrepreneurship & L. 195 (2009-2010)". heinonline.org. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
  6. ^ "Combating Intolerance and Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief | HumanRights.gov is the official United States Government website for international human rights related information". www.humanrights.gov. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
  7. ^ DRLVideo (2014-09-05), Combating Intolerance and Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief, retrieved 2016-10-01
  8. ^ "Ehsan Zaffar | C-SPAN.org". www.c-span.org. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
  9. ^ ktnnews.tv (2012-09-09), Discussion 08th September 01, retrieved 2016-10-01
  10. ^ "Sharing strategies: Strengthen institutions, US policy aide tells Pakistanis - The Express Tribune". 2012-09-08. Retrieved 2016-10-01.
  11. ^ "Episode 15: One-on-One with Ehsan Zaffar". Retrieved 2016-10-01.
  12. ^ "Ehsan Zaffar". American University Washington College of Law. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
  13. ^ "Ehsan Zaffar, Esq. | The Graduate School of Political Management | The George Washington University". gspm.gwu.edu. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
  14. ^ "Get to Know Ehsan Zaffar on Our Board of Advisors | Team Rubicon". 2016-09-15. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
  15. ^ "2023 Centennial Report" (PDF). December 2023.
  16. ^ "Membership Roster". Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved 2017-07-08.
  17. ^ "Member Directory | Pacific Council on International Policy". www.pacificcouncil.org. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
  18. ^ "Do Syrian Refugees Really Pose a National Security Risk? | Pacific Council on International Policy". www.pacificcouncil.org. 19 September 2016. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
  19. ^ "The Secretary's Excellence Award 2015 - Community Engagement Section Team | Homeland Security". www.dhs.gov. Retrieved 2016-12-28.
  20. ^ "Ehsan Zaffar, J.D. | Bedrosian Center". Retrieved 2019-12-15.
  21. ^ University, Arizona State. "Arizona State University Announces New Initiative to Address Inequality". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  22. ^ Rankin, Duane. "Magic Johnson is a product of Martin Luther King Jr. through inspiration, opportunities". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  23. ^ "New fellowship to help older adults prepare for 'third stage' of life after retirement | ASU News". news.asu.edu. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  24. ^ "Ehsan Zaffar | iSearch". isearch.asu.edu. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  25. ^ "UnfairNation on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Apple Inc. Retrieved 23 March 2020.