Remembering Valerie Anne Zukin

• Citation: Vol. 4 No. 1
• Publication year: 2022

Remembering Valerie Anne Zukin

Friends and Colleagues of Valerie

Beloved colleague, mentor, and friend to many, Valerie Anne Zukin passed away peacefully at home on September 25, 2021, at the age of 41. She was surrounded by her family and her two giant dogs, Baxter and Sadie.

Valerie dedicated her life to pursuing justice for the most marginalized immigrants, especially those who were detained. She dedicated the latter part of her career to collaborative-building, mentorship, and training new immigration advocates. Valerie waged a fierce battle with metastatic breast cancer for 7.5 years, and despite illness and constant treatments, she both lived life to its fullest and remained a tenacious advocate, sharing her vast knowledge with others as she built and strengthened the immigration bar and fought for countless immigrants herself and through programs she built.

Valerie's impact on her community and the detained representation space in California and beyond was immense. Shortly after she passed, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors adjourned its October 19, 2021, meeting out of respect to her memory.

Most recently, Valerie was a Special Projects Attorney at Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) from June 2020, where she led implementation and training...