News:
The PDHRP will receive a Human Rights Award from Alternative Chance/Chanc Alternativ, a New York based organization that works with Haitian deportees. This award recognizes the increasing impact of the project as well as the great work done by Rachel Rosenbloom, Mary Holper, and many of our students in this challenging, newly-developing legal arena.
The full transcript and supplemental materials from Attorney Rachel Rosenbloom's February 13, 2008 Congressional testimony are now available online. View the PDF file here.
An article in the Boston Globe discusses the recent visit of Bishop Alvaro Ramazzini Imeri to both the Most Holy Redeemer parish in East Boston and to Boston College for his lecture, "Immigration and Deportation Today and Tomorrow: Human Rights for Migrant Workers." View a PDF of the article by clicking here.
An article entitled "Traveling Souls" by Abebe Feyissa with Rebecca Horn was featured in the UTNE Reader September and October 2008 issue. The article was previously published in Boston College Magazine, and discusses "life in a refugee camp, where hearts wander as minds deteriorate." Click here to view a PDF.
Video recordings of two events sponsored by the Center were recently posted on Front Row. The first was a lecture given by Former U.N. adviser Thomas Weiss, discussing the circumstances under which countries should intervene in the internal affairs of other nations to prevent human rights abuses. The second was a talk given by Susan Aaronson, an associate research profesor of international relations at George Washington University, declaring that most modern nations have failed to coordinate trade policies with human rights policies.
Ray Schroth of NJ Voices has written a review and response to the book "Refugee Rights," edited by Professor David Hollenbach. Read the blog post at NJ.com, the website of the New Jersey Star Ledger, by clicking here.
Attorney Rachel Rosenbloom of the Post-Deportation Human Rights Project was cited in an article by the Washington Post dealing with the issue of federal arrests of legal immigrants during raids. Click here to read the article.
One of the many Guatemalan women detained in a federal raid on a New Bedford factory last year has won the right to stay and work in the United States, thanks to the work the Professor Brinton Lykes and the Post-Deportation Human Rights Project. Read the blurb and listen to the news story here.
With the help of BC's Post-Deportation Human Rights Project, a deportee has received what supervising attorney Rachel Rosenbloom cites as an 'extremely rare' permission to return to the US to visit her family. Read the press release here.
The video of "Peace from Africa: The Mozambique Story," with presentations by Archbishop Jaime Pedro Gonçalves, one of the mediators who brokered peace in Mozambique, and Andrea Bartoli, professor of conflict studies at George Mason University, is now available online. The session was sponsored by the CHRIJ on February 7, 2008.
Prof. Daniel Kanstroom, Prof. Kalina Brabeck of Rhode Island College, and Briton Lykes of the Linch School of Education are featured in a recent article in "El Latino Expreso" about their trip to Guatamala as part of the Post-Deportation Human Rights Project. Click here to read the article in Spanish.
The Summer 2008 issue of the CHRIJ newsletter, "The Center Review" is now available to read here.
Prof. Daniel Kanstroom, Attorney Mary Holper, and Attorney Rachel Rosenbloom were all featured in the Spring 2008 issue of BC Law magazine. Click here to view the articles.
Professor David Hollenbach's presentation at the "Speak Truth to Power" conference has been made available online. To view it, click here, select "Workshop 3" and scroll forward to the 5 minute, 30 second mark.
Attorney Rachel Rosenbloom of the Center's Post-Deportation Human Rights Project was cited in an article titled "Thin ICE" from The Nation. America, the national Catholic weekly, has described David Hollenbach, director of the Center in its June 9, 2008, issue as an “action intellectual” whose work exemplifies Catholic higher learning in service to the poor. The article highlights Hollenbach’s recently edited book Refugee Rights: Ethics, Advocacy, and Africa. Click here for the article.
Associate Director Dan Kanstroom published an article on the illegality of waterboarding. Click here to read more.
In a Center program this past fall, Guatemalan Youth: Migration and Return, Anthropologist Ricardo Falla, SJ, and educator Ana Gutiérrez Castro described the social and individual consequences when young people in Guatemala emigrate to take advantage of economic opportunities abroad. http://frontrow.bc.edu/program/castro/
The Center was featured on the cover of Boston College Magazine in an article about a conference that it co-sponsored in Nairobi, Kenya, on the rights of forced migrants. Click here for the full story.
Of the over 33 million refugees and internally displaced people in the world today, a disproportionate percentage are found in Africa. Refugee Rights: Ethics, Advocacy, and Africa, edited by Center director David Hollenbach, provides an analytical framework for vigorous advocacy on behalf of the human rights of these displaced people. Representing both religious and secular perspectives, the contributors are scholars, practitioners, and refugee advocates—all of whom have spent time "on the ground" in Africa.
An alumna of Boston College Law School, Debra Brown Steinberg, has been working to obtain legal immigration status for some of the noncitizen
victims of the 9/11 attacks and their families. She was recently featured in a New York Times article, Steps Set for Kin of 9/11 Victims to Stay in U.S.
Center Director David Hollenbach, S.J. took part in the the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning program on Responding to International Conflict: Challenges for Christian Jewish Dialogue. Hollenbach was featured in a panel on Jewish and Christian Responses to Peacemaking and War This two part program is now available on the Center for Christian-Jewis Learning webpage under Streaming Videos or on Boston College Frontrow.
Two Center-related events were recently featured on BC's Front Row:
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Educator and activist Kalamu ya Salaam discusses the plight of New Orleans schools in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and reads works by students who attend a writing workshop he established for the city's children.
http://frontrow.bc.edu/program/salaam/ -
In his second lecture Kalamu ya Salaam engages the audience in interactive poetry and songs. He is joined by students from his writing workshop, who present their poetry and fiction. http://frontrow.bc.edu/program/salaam1/
Rachel Rosenbloom, of the Center's Post Deportation Human Rights Project was recently quoted in an article entitled "Deportation of U.S. citizens: 'It's just the tip of the Iceberg'" in which she addresses the problem of US citizens being mistakenly deported by authorities.
This year's first issue of the Boston College Third World Law Journal is now available online. The Third World Law Journal is committed to bringing a voice to the legal concerns of underrepresented people in the United States and abroad. This issue includes articles such as "Justice for the Forgotten: Saving the Women of Darfur".
Rachel Rosenbloom, of the Center's Post Deportation Human Rights Project, was invited to testify before the Immigration Sub-committee of the House Judiciary Committee on February 13. Her testimony covered problems with ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) interrogation, detention and deportation practices. Read her written testimony here.
Center Director David Hollenbach, S.J. was quoted extensively in a recent article "Scholars say King still as relevant today as 40 years ago" in the Ocala, Florida, Star-Banner on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
Events
January 29 The Betrayal of Srebrenica: A Commemoration
Photographic exhibition presented by visiting professor Lisa DiCaprio (History Department), featuring photographs by Paula Allen. The exhibit comprises photographs of Srebrenica, Srebrenica survivors, and the July 11, 2005 commemoration of Srebrenica attended by over 30,000 survivors and their supporters. Opening Reception Tuesday, January 29, 4:30-7:00 p.m., Bapst Art Library Gallery. Opening Night Program Tuesday, January 29, 7:00 p.m., McGuinn 121. Speaker: Lisa DiCaprio, “The Betrayal of Srebrenica: A Commemoration.” Exhibit Viewing Hours: Monday – Thursday: 10:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m., Friday, 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Saturday, 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m., and Sunday, 1:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
January 29 The Moral Imperative to Act: Working for the Common Good of Humanity
Michelle Lyden '92, CSON, '97, CGSON, Founder and CEO, Global Action Michelle Lyden will speak about her experiences since graduation. She received a master's degree in international relations and global health from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. She founded her own "Global Action" consulting company. She receives funding from President Clinton’s Global Initiative for her program in Rwanda where she works on the “Micronutrient Malnutrition Program”, a project to address the state of vitamin and mineral deficiencies, as well as AIDS, in East Africa. 4:00 p.m. Murray Room, Yawkey Center.
February 1 Peter Uvin
Professor Uvin is Academic Dean of the Fletcher School of Diplomacy at Tufts University, and author of Aiding Violence: The Development Enterprise in Rwanda and of Human Rights and Development spoke at one of the Center's Conversations at Lunch. Read more here.
February 7 Peace From Africa: The Mozambique Story
A talk given by Archbishop Jaime Pedro Gonçalves, Archbishop of Beira, Mozambique and Professor Andrea Bartoli of the Community of Sant’Egidio and the Drucie French Cumbie Chair of Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University. The presenters will speak about the Mozambican peace process after the 16 year long bloody civil war. Thursday February 7, 2008. 7:30 p.m. lecture in Higgins 300, preceded by a 6:30 prayer at St. Mary’s Chapel.
February 13 Human Rights and a New U.N.: Academics, Practitioners, and NGOs
United Nations scholar Thomas G. Weiss is Presidential Professor of Political Science at The CUNY Graduate Center and Director of the Ralph Bunche Institute for International Studies, where he is co-director of the United Nations Intellectual History Project. 7:30 p.m., McGuinn 121, reception to follow 9 to 10:30 p.m. in the McGuinn 5th Floor Lounge.
February 27 Just Schools
Martha Minow, the Jeremiah Smith, Jr. Professor of Law, has taught at Harvard since 1981. She writes about human rights and advocacy for members of racial and religious minorities and for women, children, and persons with disabilities. Reservations required; please email Susan Richard at richarsh@bc.edu. 12:00 p.m. - 1:15 p.m., Boisi Center, 24 Quincy Road
February 29 Conversations at Lunch: Peggy Levitt
Professor Levitt is Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at Wellesley College. She codirects the Transnational Studies Initiative and is a Research Fellow at the Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations and the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University. Her latest book, God Needs No Passport, is about how immigrants are changing the American religious landscape. Reservations required (humanrights@bc.edu). McGuinn 5th Floor Lounge 12:30 to 2 p.m.
March 15 Franco Majok: Sudanese Refugee:
A refugee from Southern Sudan who is currently working on a school building project in his home country will be coming to BC to share his storywith us. Majok will be speaking on "Genocide Awareness in Darfur," highlighting the similarities between the current genocide in Darfur and the genocide in South Sudan that forced him to flee his village in 1983. Fulton 511, 7:00pm.
March 18 What Do We Owe the Iraqis?
Andrew Bacevich, Boston University, Rev. Bryan Hehir, Harvard University / Archdiocese of Boston, and Rev. Paul McNellis, S.J., Boston College will discuss America's moral responsibility to the Iraqi people. The fifth anniversary of American military action in Iraq is rapidly approaching, and discussion of troop withdrawal dominates presidential primary debates. But what do American citizens owe the Iraqis? What does continued American action, reconstruction or withdrawal mean for our moral responsibility to a country that we invaded and to which we introduced radical change? Three distinguished professors will discuss the religious and moral implications of the American presence in Iraq. 5:00-6:30pm Location TBA
March 18 Electing Faith: The Intersection of Law and Religion in Politics Around the World Symposium featuring international and domestic scholars who will discuss the ways in which law and religion have an impact on the politics of their countries. Panelists include Paul Horwitz of University of Alabama School of Law, Talip Kucukcan of the Center for Islamic Studies in Istanbul, Lloyd Mayer of the Notre Dame Law School, Gerhard Robbers of University of Trier, Mark Scarberry of Pepperdine University School of Law, and Michael Troper of the University of Paris-Nanterre. Keynote address by W. Cole Durham, Jr., Professor of Law at Brigham Young University and Director of BYU’s International Center for Law and Religion Studies. RSVP to bc.law.religion@gmail.com. Boston College Law School East Wing 120. 9:00 am–5:00 pm.
March 25 Boston College Law School's Annual Owen M. Kupferschmid Holocaust / Human Rights Project Lecture: Andrew Tarsy: Recognizing Genocide: Lessons from the Past and Present. From January 2000 until December of 2007 Andrew Tarsy worked for the Anti-Defamation League, serving as its New England Regional Director for two and a half years. Formerly he served as a Trial Attorney in the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice and as a lawyer in private practice focusing in civil rights litigation. Throughout a career built around advocacy and education, Andy has worked to achieve results within the law and in the public discourse about diversity, discrimination and democracy. 5pm, Boston College Law School East Wing 115A
March 28 Conversations at Lunch: Cutberto Garza
Dr. Garza is Provost of Boston College and researches child nutrition in the developing world as an issue of social and economic rights. Reservations required (humanrights@bc.edu). McGuinn 5th Floor Lounge 12:30 to 2 p.m.
April 2: Human Rights and the Catholic Tradition
Political Science Professor David Deese and Theology Professor Tom O’Meara will discuss Theology Professor Donald Dietrich’s New Book: Human Rights and the Catholic Tradition, 4:30 pm McGuinn 5th Floor Lounge. Reception to follow.
April 9: The Fourteenth Anniversary of the Genocide of Rwandan Tutsis
Panel Discussion with: Prof. Alexandre Dauge-Roth, Ph.D (Bates College): “Dealing with the Consequences of Genocide: The Tutsi Teen Orphans of the Genocide Responsible for Households”, Mr. Joseph Nsengimana(Human Rights Activist): “Denial of the Genocide of Tutsis”, Rev. Fr. Roman Rurangirwa (Brandeis University): “The Rwandan Process of
Reconciliation Reconsidered”, Moderator: Fr. Elisee Rutagambwa, SJ. Walsh Function Room at 7 pm.
April 16: Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo
The Association of the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo is one of the most prominent human rights organizations in Argentina. Now in their 31st year, they have located 88 of the estimated 500 children disappeared by the dictatorship that ruled Argentina between 1976 and 1983. Guest speakers Estela Carlotto and Rosa Roisinblit will speak as representatives of this organization. McGuinn 121, 7:00pm
April 29: Boston College Law School's Alumni Association's Law Day
The Boston College Law School sponsors this event which honors BC Alumi with various public service awards, providing an opportunity to learn more about what BCLS alums are doing in the field of human rights and international justice. Honorees include Kerry Kennedy (class of '87), winner of the St. Thomas More Award for her activism in international human rights and the author of "Speak Truth to Power: Human Rights Defenders Who Are Changing Our World". 5:30-8:30pm, Seaport Hotel at the World Trade Center.
September 12-October 11: Let Me Down Easy. The first show of the season for the American Repertory Theatre in Harvard Square. This will be the premiere of a new play by Anna Deavere Smith, which addresses many human rights issues. More information can be found at www.amrep.org
September 16: Immigration and Deportation Today and Tomorrow: Human Rights for Migrant Workers? This presentation by Guatemalan Bishop Alvaro Ramazzini will be held in Gasson 100 at 7:30 PM on Tuesday, September 16.
September 17: Health and Human Rights: Creating an Open Forum to Advance Global Health and Social Justice. This panel discussion, celebrating Health and Human Rights: An International Journal, will be held from 3:00 to 5:00 PM at the American Repertory Theater, Loeb Drama Center. Click here for more information.
September 24: Global Trade Talks Breakdown? The Impact on Poor Nations. This panel will present an analysis of the apparent breakdown of the Doha Round at the WTO meetings in Geneva and its implications for justice toward the poor in the developing world. Speakers will include David Deese, author of World Trade Politics: Power, Principles, and Leadership, Frank Garcia, author of Justice, the Bretton Woods Institutions and the Problem in Inequality, and James Anderson, author of Borders, Trade, and Welfare. The panel will be held on Wednesday, September 24 at 7:30 PM, in Higgins 300. View the flyer here.
October 2: Kay Punku. Yuyachkani, a Peruvian theater group, will present a play about sexual violence during war at 7:00 PM in Gasson 100.
October 29: "The Pen, The Sword, and the Waterboard: Ethical lawyering in the 'Global War on Terrorism'." Speakers will explore how ethical judges and lawyers --within and outside of government-- ought to weigh the competing imperatives of national security, civil liberties, separation of powers, institutional morale, and human rights. The symposium will begin at 2:00 PM in Room 120 of the East Wing and continue until about 5:00 PM.
October 30: Why Do We Forget Women's Rights? Prosecuting Sexual Violence Crimes under International Law. Binaifer Nowrojee, professor at Harvard Law School and the director of the Open Society Initiative for East Africa, will deliver a lecture on the prosecution of gender-based violence at the international tribunals at 4:30 PM in McGuinn 121. A reception will follow immediately afterwards in the McGuinn 5th floor lounge.
November 7: Conversations at Lunch: Maryanne Loughry. Maryanne Loughry, Visiting Fellow at the CHRIJ and former executive Officer of Mercy Works and associate of the Jesuit Refugee Service, will be the guest speaker at November's installment in the Conversations at Lunch series. The lunch will be held in the McGuinn 5th Floor Lounge at 12:30.
November 13: American Secularism for American Muslims: Challenges and Prospects. Abdullahi An-Na'im, the Charles Howard Candler Professor of Law at Emory University and world-renound scholar of human rights and Islam, will give the 8th Annual Prophetic Voices Lecture in Devlin 101 from 4:30 to 6:00 PM.
November 20-22: Causes of Forced Migration and Systemic Responses Human Rights of the Displaced in Ethical, Religious, and Political Perspectives. A conference in collaboration with the Jesuit Refugee Service and Catholic Relief services. The keynote addresses on the evening of Thursday, November 20, will be open to the public. These addresses are: Walter Kälin, Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons, Human Rights and Key Issues Raised by Forced Migration Today; Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, Permanent Observer of the Holy See at the United Nations Office in Geneva, Human Rights as a Framework for Advocacy on Behalf of the Displaced The Approach of the Catholic Church. The keynote addresses will be in the Heights Room, Corcorcan Commons, at an evening time to be announced.