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Duke Human Rights Advocates,
Spring is here - a time of new beginnings and renewed hope. Here at the Duke Human Rights Center at the Franklin Humanities Institute, we are focusing this spring on the pride that can be found in human rights work. We proudly featured three Duke alums to speak at our annual Global Ideas, Local Impact event to hear how their academic and professional careers are affecting the field of human rights. You can read our interviews with each panelist below or on our website.
We also assisted Duke Disability Alliance in honoring Duke Disability Pride Month, a monthly series of events that recognizes disability and challenges the assumption of ableism in our society. Our screening of the documentary I Didn't See You There and panel discussion with two Duke disability activists celebrated the experiences of blind and wheelchair-using people and encouraged audience members to advocate for accessibility on Duke's campus and beyond.
Our final event of the semester, a film screening of The Legend of the Underground, features Micheal Ighodaro, LGBTQ activist, who will speak about the work he has done in the U.S. and in his native Nigeria. Micheal's queer pride is sure to inspire anyone working for LGBTQ rights, and we hope you join us for this event as we conclude another busy academic year.
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Global Ideas, Local Impact | |
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On March 27th, the Duke Human Rights Student Advisory Board invited three alumni to speak at their annual event: Global Ideas, Local Impact (GILI). GILI brings together current students and alumni working in human rights. Through their experiences, the alumni share local realizations of broad, global ideologies of human rights. This year’s panelists included Dr. Christine Ryan, Director of Religion and Reproductive Rights at Columbia Law School, Erin Edmiston, Education Program Officer at Church World Service, and Laura Webb, Staff Attorney at the North Carolina Justice Center. They shared lessons learned as they navigated through their careers. Edmiston framed human rights work in general by saying “Being in human rights doesn’t have to be a career path per say, it can be how you interact in the world.” Her words were echoed by Webb and Ryan’s responses that encouraged students to explore with an open mind and heart, ensuring the prioritization of the community you work with.
The event concluded with a student research slam where students present research that spans a wide variety of human rights applications. This year, we were joined by John Sabogal Venegas, Taylor Glatt, Hareth Yousef, Andrew McCallum, Selena Collins, Nancy Garcia Villa, Durga Sreenivasan, and Alex Penne. They presented projects ranging from sustainable development work with marginalized castes in India, the ethical implications of drone technology, the mapping of Maplewood Cemetery from a human rights lens, and so much more.
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Duke Disability
Pride Month
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This spring, disability justice advocates at Duke celebrated Duke Disability Pride Month. The DHRC@FHI partnered with Duke Disability Alliance to screen the documentary "I Didn't See You There" as part of our Rights! Camera! Action! film series. After the film, we hosted a panel discussion with Duke graduate students Bryan Rusch and Tatum Tricarico. Read our interviews with Bryan and Tatum below. | |
Bryan Rusch is a PhD Candidate in Art History studying the history of North Carolina’s state-run medical system through design. Bryan has been active in disability community and organizing at Duke since 2018 as both an undergrad and PhD student. He currently holds a Disability Rights and Culture Fellowship through the DHRC. Click here to read our interview with Bryan. | |
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Tatum Tricarico is a student at Duke Divinity and a Disability rights activist on Instagram (@blind_person_in_area) where she shares her Disability Culture Calendar. Tatum is an author who writes on Disability History, Justice, and Culture, and the ways that they intersect with the Church and theology.
Click here to read our interview with Tatum.
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Duke Disability Alliance (DDA) is a student organization whose mission is to make Duke more inclusive and accessible by fostering conversations about disability issues, expanding accessibility on campus and in the community, encouraging positive perceptions and full appreciations of people with disabilities, and promoting their legal rights.
This Monday, April 8, from 7 to 9 p.m., the DDA, partners and alumni are cordially invited to discuss the challenges of disability rights advocacy at Duke. We look forward to this meeting!
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Rights! Camera! Action!:
The Legend of the Underground
| Created in 2009, the Rights! Camera! Action! film series features documentaries that focus on human rights related themes across the globe. Each year, there are four film screenings, followed by panel discussions with Duke faculty or students, community activists, and occasionally the filmmakers themselves. | |
Exposing the punitive laws in Nigeria that have put an already beleaguered community at increased risk of extortion and violence, the documentary "The Legend of the Underground" follows a group of young, non-conforming Nigerians who have created safe houses in Lagos and Harlem. The film toggles between the two cities as daily threats endanger the health and safety of a community united across continents. Please join us for a post-screening discussion with Micheal Ighodaro, LGBTQI advocate and global human rights champion featured in "The Legend of the Underground." He will be in conversation with Dr. Chris Beyrer, Director of the Duke Global Health Institute. | |
Duke Refugee Advocacy Programm Volunteering | |
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We are excited to share this volunteer opportunity with Duke students! Through collaboration with Church World Service (CWS), students will participate in community work directly with refugees on a weekly basis, either assisting a partner with English conversation practice, or by teaching digital literacy skills to a number of clients. Students will be provided conversation prompts, digital literacy curriculum, and lesson plans, as well as training in how to work with English Language Learners.
In addition to regular community work with CWS clients, volunteers will learn about policy issues in immigration, workforce development, education, housing, and youth development that affect refugee communities at the city, state, and national level. Students will listen to refugee leaders and work to advocate for positive change in our communities.
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Requirements
- Attend mandatory one-day DRAP Retreat in September
- Meet once a week with a refugee partner, either in person or virtually
- Complete required case notes after weekly meetings with partner
- Meet twice a month in person with program director and other interns for regular reflection, training, and advocacy efforts
- Complete program reflections and evaluation surveys
Eligibility
- Applicants must be current Duke University undergraduate students.
- Preference will be given to Human Rights Certificate students, Student Advisory Board members, and former Citizenship Lab participants.
- Applicants must be able to regularly meet all program requirements for both the fall and spring semesters.
Deadline
Applicants should submit a complete program application by 11:59 pm on April 10, 2024.
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