Amy Valor Meselson
COMPASSIONATE. PUBLIC-SPIRITED. RELENTLESS.
Valor Together was established in memory of Amy Valor Meselson to acknowledge her contributions to humanity and to continue to effect positive change in her spirit of selflessness. Amy held degrees from Brown, Harvard, and Yale, and spent most of her professional life as a Legal Aid immigration attorney. She represented hundreds of detained immigrants facing deportation and successfully lobbied for a special juvenile section in immigration court. Amy's sharp intellect and tenacious spirit made her an indefatigable force for justice both in and out of the courtroom.
When she was born with "blue baby syndrome" and underwent emergency heart surgery, Amy's parents gave her the middle name Valor in honor of her fight for life. The Oxford English Dictionary defines valor as "great courage in the face of danger, especially in battle.” Amy later fought her battle with depression with relentless courage and grace. Valor Together is honored to carry on in Amy's name.
Click here to read Amy’s obituary in the New York Times.
Memories of AVM
“I was able to stay in this country, I was able to live my dream and grow up and feed my family and help out others because she helped me and she did it with open arms. She was my hero.”
– Amadou Ly, former client
“What Amy did was to give hope to immigrants and their families, to make it possible for dreams for a better life to be realized, for despair to be transformed into hope." "(She was) a life saver and life giver.”
- Chief Judge Robert Katzmann, United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
“Through her deeply committed and caring advocacy on behalf of those most vulnerable, she set a standard of character that we can all strive for.”
– Jim Martorano, Colleague & Friend
