Newsletter | September 2025

Upcoming Events - DHRC News - From the Blog - News From Our Partners

OUR UPCOMING EVENTS

September 25 @ 7pm: Plan 75 Film Screening & Discussion (Human Rights for the Dying and Dead Initiative*), Rubenstein Arts Center Film Theater

October 6: When I Say Africa Film Screening & Discussion, 7pm @ Smith Warehouse Bay 4

*co-sponsored by Duke Human Rights Center

DHRC NEWS

PLAN 75 Film Screening & Discussion

Rights! Camera! Action! Film Series

Thursday, September 25 @ 7pm

Rubenstein Art Center, Film Theater

"Plan 75" (Chie Hayakawa, 2022, 112 min, Japan, Japanese with English Subtitles, DCP)

In a dystopian future, Japan's government launches Plan 75, a program encouraging the elderly to terminate their own lives to relieve its rapidly aging population's social and economic burdens.

Discussion to follow with Robin Kirk, Director of the Human Rights Certificate, and Anne Allison, Cultural Anthropologist and author of 'Being Dead Otherwise' (Duke Univ. Press, 2023) about new death practices in Japan.

More event info ->

Get a sneak peek at the film and discussion in our recent interview with Dr. Anne Allison! ->

WHEN I SAY AFRICA Screening & Discussion

Rights! Camera! Action! Film Series

Monday, October 6 @ 7pm

Ahmadieh Family Lecture Hall, Smith Warehouse Bay 4

Duke Human Rights Center’s Rights! Camera! Action! Series presents a screening of When I Say Africa, a documentary which “turns the lens on the West’s stereotypes of Africa from the first European adventurers’ sketches to pop culture today.” The screening will be followed by a discussion with Associate Professor of the Practice in International Comparative Studies and Cultural Anthropology Kathryn Mathers (co-producer of the film) and Associate Professor of English Christopher Ouma about the film’s continued relevance at our university, in our contemporary moment, and amidst upheavals such as the destruction of USAID.

Refreshments provided.

More event info ->

VIDEO: DHRC Fall Info Session

Did you miss our Virtual Fall Info Session early this month? No worries, you can watch it now! We covered the Human Rights Certificate, student groups, our Summer Research Grant, Koonz Prize, and other ways to get involved in human rights work at Duke!

Watch now ->

EXHIBIT: Rooted in Shared Soil: Refugees & the Triangle Grow Together

Have you spotted our educational exhibit out in the community? These informative banners were recently displayed at UNC by the Students United for Immigrant Equality. The exhibit is currently setup at Durham City Hall, now through mid-October!

A group of six college students posing in front of four vertical educational banners

Three vertical banners with photos and text on each set up in the lobby of a building.

Learn more about this exhibit and how to bring it to your community space ->

From the Duke Human Rights Blog

STUDENT STORIES: SUMMER RESEARCH SERIES

Seven students received our Human Rights Summer Research Grant this year, and they've been sharing their experiences from the field on our Duke Human Rights Blog!

This month, the series has continued with student posts on steps to resistance from the Lavender Scare, learnings from researching sapphic online communities in China, and a two-part series on navigating authority and marginalization in Itaewon.

Explore the full Student Stories: Summer Research Series ->

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

Luis Legal Defense and Support Fund

Organized by Duke students and Siembra NC

Luis has helped thousands of Duke University students, faculty and staff get where they need to know – now we’re helping him get set for his next steps. The Trump Administration has told Duke his work permit, and that of 50,000 other Hondurans, will expire September 8, which means he can no longer be legally employed by his employer of 19 years. We’re raising money to help him with his expected sudden loss of all income and for his future legal defense fund, should it become necessary. Support Luis here ->

2025 Human Rights Digital Storytelling Award Winner: "Inside Kabul"

Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Duke University

The 2025 Human Rights Digital Storytelling Award, presented by the Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Duke University, has been awarded to the podcast Inside Kabul .

Produced and originally broadcast by FRANCE INTER (French Public Radio) Inside Kabul was created and directed by Caroline Gillet in collaboration with Marwa and Raha. Inside Kabul tells the story of two young friends whose lives were upended when the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in the summer of 2021. Read more ->

24 Moons Over Gaza: An Art Journal by THE WITNESS

Northstar Church of the Arts

October 3-5

A rare invitation into the witnessing of the events of the past two years through the eyes of a Palestinian artist. Every piece of art is a reflection on a photograph taken in Gaza since October 7th, 2023. All are welcome. Join us as we witness together with a clear intention of making the world safer for everyone. More event info ->

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If you'd like to reach out directly to the Duke Human Rights Center team, email us at dhrc.fhi@duke.edu.