We were pleased to have collaborated with After They Arrive to present the film, Las Abogadas, with an informative panel discussion that followed the screening at the Askew Student Life Center (ASLC). Coffee and donuts were provided at the event!
After they Arrive is an organization on Florida State University's campus that aims to support the immigrant and refugee community in the Tallahassee area through community service and educational events.
Doors at 6:30 p.m. | Films at 7:00 p.m. | Panel at 8:30 p.m.
October 8th, 2024 Las Abogadas
Las Abogadas is a documentary film that highlights the remarkable work of women immigration attorneys and their clients, as heartbreaking and heartwarming refugee stories unfold. By centering the film around brave women attorneys often working for non-profits or completely pro-bono, they show true modern-day heroes standing up to insurmountable odds. Women who were trained to use the law to protect the most vulnerable were having their tools systematically twisted, canceled and pulled out from under their critical work.
We are pleased to have been involved with and share information about the Human Trafficking Prevention Film Series at the Askew Student Life Center through the Student Life Cinema.
Each screening was followed by an informative panel discussion led by Associate Professor Terry Coonan, Executive Director of the FSU Center for the Advancement of Human Rights
Doors at 6:00 p.m. | Films at 6:30 p.m.
March 27, 2024 True Cost
True Cost is a story about clothing and Fast Fashion. It's about the clothes we wear, the people who make them, and the impact the industry is having on our world. The price of clothing has been decreasing for decades, while the human and environmental costs have grown dramatically. The True Cost is a feature-length documentary exploring the impact of fashion on people and the planet. The film highlights the untold story behind the clothing we wear each day and challenges viewers to ask, who pays the price for our clothing?April 3, 2024 Tricked: The Documentary
Tricked: The Documentary is a 2013 American documentary film directed by John-Keith Wasson and Jane Wells. It documents human sex trafficking, and its presence within the United States. It covers perspectives from the victims involved in sex trafficking, and those that pay for the sex as well as the pimps responsible for instigating the illegal business. The film also follows law enforcement agencies and their efforts to crack down on this activity. The film is meant not only to educate people on trafficking, but to help them understand and recognize the recruiting and manipulating techniques commonly used by traffickers.
April 8, 2024 Invisible HandsJoin us for a reception beginning at 5:30 p.m.
Invisible Hands is the first feature documentary that exposes child labor and child trafficking within the supply chains of the world's biggest corporations. Filmed across six countries, the documentary offers a harrowing account of children as young as five years old making the products we buy and consume every day. The film digs deep into a modern slavery system quietly supported by some of the world’s largest companies, demanding to know why top stakeholders continue to engage in this unlawful and deadly practice.
This event featured a talk on U.S. Immigration Policy and National Security, given by the Honorable Emilio T. González and co-sponsored by the FSU Center for Global Engagement and the College of Social Science and Public Policy, on Tuesday, March 5th, 2024 at 5:30 pm. There was a reception at 5 pm, and a discussion afterward. You could join in person at the Center for Global Engagement on FSU Main Campus, or online at the live stream YouTube link below. At this time, there is no recording available.
Emilio T. González, Ph.D, served as Director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), an Under Secretary position within the Department of Homeland Security during the George W. Bush Administration. He also served as Director for Western Hemisphere Affairs at the National Security Council where he was a key National Security and Foreign Policy advisor to President Bush and Dr. Condoleeza Rice.
Dr. González retired as a colonel after a distinguished career in the U.S. Army that spanned twenty-six years. During this time, he served as a military attaché to U.S. Embassies in El Salvador and Mexico, taught at the United States Military Academy at West Point, and headed the Office of Special Assistants for the Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Southern Command.
An international affairs specialist, Dr. González has spent most of his professional career involved in foreign affairs and international security policy issues. He has been awarded numerous decorations from the United States and has also been decorated by the governments of El Salvador, Mexico, Colombia, Guatemala, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Spain.
Florida State University News published an article outlining the collaboration of the FSU Innovation Hub and FSU Center for the Advancement of human rights to bring the third rendition of the 24-hour design sprint to develop solutions for combatting human trafficking. Check out the article HERE and see the excerpt below.
Florida State University students from various disciplines gathered Friday, Jan. 26, and Saturday, Jan. 27, at the Innovation Hub for a 24-hour design sprint, an intensive problem-solving session where students work in teams to develop solutions to real-world problems.
This year’s event was in partnership with the FSU Center for the Advancement of Human Rights and focused on human trafficking prevention in recognition of Human Trafficking Awareness Month.
Through teamwork and design thinking, a process taught by the FSU Innovation Hub, students created innovative solutions to answer, “How might we raise awareness of the human trafficking problem, call attention to the victims, and place pressure on offenders to reduce the incidents of human trafficking?”
You are invited to the World Premiere of the film
“Two Regimes
A Mother’s Memoir of
the Holodomor and the Holocaust”
Directed by Douglas Darlington of Winding Road Films
Starring:
Elena Shkvarkina
Eman Vovsi
Irina Tsvetkova
Featuring the music CREATED in labor camps and concentration camps in the years 1933-1945.
Music conserved, restored, and performed by Maestro Francesco Lotoro of Italy.
Permission was also granted for the famous Ukrainian piece “Melody” by Myroslav Skoryk
by Duma Music, Inc.
Hosted by
Florida State University
Center for the Advancement of Human Rights
FSU/CAHR senior program director Mark Schlakman observed the following in an op-ed the Tallahassee Democrat invited him to write that was published on Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021. “It’s unusual when lesson planning involving compelling issues of national importance can encompass the imminent release of a major motion picture like “The Mauritanian.” It’s even more unusual when the film boasts A-list actors like Jodie Foster and Benedict Cumberbatch and an acclaimed director like Kevin Macdonald.
That was the reality this week when the production company supported an advanced virtual screening of the film for the FSU community Wednesday, February 10, two days before the national release date.
Prior to the screening, Marine Corps Lt. Col Stuart Couch (Ret.) met with two classes at FSU which Mark Schlakman developed and is teaching during the Spring 2021 semester via Zoom– a Human Rights & National Security class at the College of Law, and an interdisciplinary National Security Transformation class offered jointly by the College of Social Work, and the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy that is cross-listed for undergrads, grads, and honors students.
Couch, portrayed by Cumberbatch in the film, is integral to the story — a story everyone should know. He first shared his experience with the FSU and Tallahassee communities at the College of Law Rotunda in 2008 as a featured speaker within the context of FSU/CAHR’s Human Rights & National Security in the 21st Century lecture series.
Couch portrayed by Cumberbatch in the film, is integral to the story–a story everyone should know. He first shared his experience with the FSU and Tallahassee communities at the College of Law Rotunda in 2008 as a featured speaker within the context of FSU/CAHR’s Human Rights & National Security in the 21st Century lecture series. Couch also supported a Zoom discussion following the special virtual screening. In the aftermath of 9/11, as a lawyer in the Office of Military Commissions, he was assigned to prosecute Mohamedou Ould Slahi, from Mauritania, an alleged 9/11 operative detained indefinitely at Guantanamo Bay. He ultimately determined Slahi had been subjected to “Enhanced Interrogation Techniques” (aka torture), and declined to prosecute.
It took courage to do what was right for legal, ethical, and moral reasons. Some challenged his patriotism, saying things like, ‘Wear the jersey or get off of the team.’
Apart from the film, he bristles when characterized as a hero. ‘I was doing my job,’ he says. Couch explained the “Enhanced Interrogation Techniques” had been “approved” by the George W. Bush administration relying upon what ultimately proved to be spurious legal analysis. Simply put, torture is prohibited by both U.S. and international law – no exceptions. Nevertheless, these issues continue to generate controversy.
Although it is not a documentary, the film is based on a true story, so despite taking certain editorial license, it’s an excellent vehicle to explore the implications of the United States government — or any government — taking an “any means necessary” approach in furtherance of purported national security imperatives, without reconciling human rights considerations.
FSU’s Center for the Advancement of Human Rights extended a limited allocations of special invitations to all 18 academic deans, select centers including FSU’s Student Veterans Center and the Center of Global Engagement, the Honors and other programs. The invitations also included Presidential Scholars, Social Science Scholars, the Student Government Association, FSU’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and senior university officials, while keeping President Thrasher and Provost McRorie apprised, underscoring both the importance and wide-ranging nature of these issues.
Schlakman observes, “At some point, all of us might confront situations and circumstances requiring courage to do what’s right, when merely going along would be so much easier.”
Couch often quotes from Alexis DeToqueville’s “Democracy in America,” written about 200 years ago, but with lessons, which we are still repeating:
“One of the things that DeToqueville said was, ‘America is great because America is good. And when America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.'”
This unusual opportunity for the FSU community was also noted in in the Limelight section of the Tallahassee Democrat on the margins of an Associate Press review of the film that coincided with its national release on Friday, Feb. 10, 2021. In addition, WFSU aired a story a few days prior to virtual screening. Here is the link WFSU Article.
Description: This conversation will be directed to students in local universities and high schools to educate these young members of the community about human trafficking, its prevalence, and how to protect themselves and their peers. This event will be hosted in partnership with Leon County Schools and other student groups to ensure age-appropriate content.
Contact: Kristina Bailey, Kristina.Bailey@rescue.org or JC Torres, Juan.torres@rescue.org
Zoom link: https://rescue.zoom.us/j/97634823330?pwd=RmNMTVBWU0pKUXFKU2NuaW56NkNYUT09
Meeting ID: 976 3482 3330 – Passcode: 775175
OR on Facebook Live: https://www.facebook.com/ircinflorida/
Description: The IRC and STAC provide services to domestic and foreign-born survivors of human trafficking. The IRC’s unique experience in working with diverse immigrant and refugee communities provides the context for this conversation to explore the many ways immigrants are victimized by human trafficking. This program will explore the specific subject of labor trafficking and its prevalence in the rural regions of the state and discuss issues surrounding supply chains and consumer support for trafficking-free goods and services.
Cost: Free
Contacts: Kristina Bailey, Kristina.Bailey@rescue.org or JC Torres, Juan.torres@rescue.org
Join Here: https://rescue.zoom.us/j/93361623151?pwd=QjJ3dlFBNjF4OE10TWRPeGtKNFpnZz09
Meeting ID: 933 6162 3151 – Passcode: 33148
OR on Facebook Live: https://www.facebook.com/ircinflorida/
Description: This event will feature a human trafficking survivor-centered discussion and highlight the challenges faced by survivors across the greater Tallahassee area. Due to its complexity and the harm caused by trafficking, survivors face a multitude of barriers as they work to rebuild their lives. Members of the community will learn about these issues and ways they can engage in solutions to prevent human trafficking and support survivors.
Cost: Free
Contacts: Kristina Bailey, Kristina.Bailey@rescue.org or JC Torres, Juan.torres@rescue.org
Join Zoom-Link: https://rescue.zoom.us/j/92894349722?pwd=a2dxUkFtRlcyZjZMMWxOd3c4cklOdz09
(Meeting ID: 928 9434 9722 – Passcode: 657729) OR on Facebook Live: https://www.facebook.com/ircinflorida/
Come out to the Immigration Symposium taking place all day on November 7th in the Bradley Reading Room in Strozier. Quite a few professors will be there speaking on various immigration topics including our very own Director of CAHR Terry Coonan! If you are interested in coming out to this great event please follow https://www.lib.fsu.edu/immigration to learn more!
Come out to Walk A Mile in My Shoes a discussion about the lives of DACA students with Juan Escalante. With an interactive immigration activity in The Globe with a dialogue following afterwards in the ASLC.
Registration required for the interactive activity at bit.ly/DACAactivity
Join us for A Sister’s Embrace next GBM on Monday in SSB 201 from 8PM-9PM! We’ll be discussing some upcoming projects and more things come up this year!
We will be tabling at this year’s Hispanic Resource Festival located at TCC on October 12th from 10:00 AM-2:00 PM, come out and see us!
Amnesty International 2019 Southern Regional Conference registration is here! The evening reception will take place on 10/18 with the conference continuing on 10/19 from 9:00 AM-6:00 PM. This year’s conference theme is “Be Bold, Act Now, Organize for Human Rights!” Follow https://tinyurl.com/y6jd9agg to register now!
Do you want to go into the medical field in the future? Learn efficient ways to identify and help human trafficking survivors at LIFT on October 19 from 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM at the FSU College of Medicine.
Registration is available at http://iu.cloud-cme.com/LIFT-Tall
Come and join the Survive and Thrive Advocacy Center for their September training focusing on the civil and legal needs of survivors and victims of human trafficking. Rebecca Zoeller will be coming in to discuss her experience with family law and how we can better understand legal resources for those impacted by human trafficking here in Tallahassee.
Come and join our very own Vania Aguilar at United Church in Tallahassee for a training focusing on how to address the issue surrounding immigrant populations and their vulnerability to human trafficking. Learn how to best support these women and children for free on August 16th from 1:00 to 3:00 PM.
Come out and watch a screening for the documentary Mariana Pa’Lante with a panel discussion following the show at the Askew Student Life Center. This documentary shines a light on the impact of Hurricane Maria on the Puerto Rican community of Mariana and how they actively working together to rebuild. After the film, there will be a panel discussion with creators of the documentary, Xabier Climent Belda an FSU alumni and Rafael Romo of CNN.
https://filmfreeway.com/MarianaPaLante
In a world where violence forces thousands of families to flee for their lives each day, the time is now to show that the global public stands with refugees. On World Refugee Day, held every year on June 20th, we commemorate the strength, courage and perseverance of millions of refugees. This year, World Refugee Day also marks a key moment for the public to show support for families forced to flee.
In Tallahassee, we have resettled over 300 refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Syria since 2016. On June 20th, we hope to not only celebrate our refugee clients but to show the Tallahassee community their strength and perseverance. This year we will focus on the employment journey of our clients as they integrate into the Tallahassee community. Our clients will speak on their first ever employment experiences in the USA. Local Tallahassee businesses will share what it was like for them hiring refugee clients and the positive impact it had on their business.
Discover who human trafficking impacts and how to combat it in our area by learning how to recognize and respond to suspected trafficking perpetrators. Receive a free certificate training if attending! Questions about registration? Email or call STAC at STAC@surviveandthriveadvocacy.org & 850.597.20
We will be hosting a screening, panel, and discussion of JFK The Last Speech at the FSU Globe Auditorium on April 24 from 5 to 7 PM. This film highlights the last speech given by President Kennedy and his relationship with poet Robert Frost. It discusses the importance of poetry, liberal arts, and power in serving the public good. This event is free and open to the public.
Hope to see you there!
Soil erosion remains a major environmental concern in Haiti and has been for decades. It is one of the key problems that continues to cripple Haiti’s economy. This lecture includes testimonies from scientists, students, lawyers, community and business leaders. The discussion will be led by members of the Haiti Grass project who are actively planting grass around houses and landscapes at-risk of mudslides. Please join the FSU Center for the Advancement of Human Rights in learning about the important work being done in Haiti.
Snacks and Refreshments will be provided starting at 6:00 p.m.
Join Bruce Grelle, Professor at the University of Chicago in the Department of Comparative Religion and Humanities and Director of the Religion and Public Education Project at California State University, for a discussion on religion, ecology and the question of sustainability.
Join us & Robin Thompson from STAC as she introduces a faith based response to human trafficking on Tuesday, April 2nd at the Grace Lutheran Church! The clergy and congregational leadership panel will discuss human trafficking as religious leaders in the community. Free breakfast and lunch will be provided!
Join us at our joint fundraising event with the Survive and Thrive Advocacy Center as we discuss the realities of labor trafficking within food production and enjoy food made outside of that cycle. Tickets are $75; all proceeds go towards supporting our joint mission to end this crime.
Join us at the Askew Student Life Cinema at Florida State University for our Human Rights Film Fest. We will be showing 3 different films from March 26th to the 28th each at 7:00 pm.
26th – The True Cost: Explores forced labor in the global fashion and clothing industry, asking “who really pays the price of our clothing?”
27th – 15 to Life Kenneth’s Story: Examines the case of a Florida minor given a life sentence for being an accessory to an armed robbery. It features the work of FSU Law School Professor Paolo Anino & FSU Children’s Law Clinic
28th – As We Forgive: Chronicles the experiences of people in a Rwandan village following the genocide who must decide how to interact with neighbors who murdered their families
Keynote speaker Adam Roberts will be giving a lecture on the Civilian Resistance against Authoritarian Rule: The Tragedy of the Arab Spring. Adam Roberts is a Senior Research Fellow at Oxford University. His research interests include international security, organizations and law. Adam Roberts has recently published two books about civil resistance and power politics. This event will be taking place at The Claude Pepper Center on Wednesday, February 20 from 5:00 – 7:00 pm, refreshments will be provided.
This is a recurring community certificate-based program that takes place on the third Friday of every month from 1:00 pm-3:00 pm at The Kearney Center. This month will feature our guest speaker Ashlee McCarter, the Regional Advocate for the Open Doors Outreach Network. She will be speaking about how to identify youth sex trafficking cases in the Big Bend and survivors’ needs and assistance.
Details
Tuesday January 29th Dr. Vishanthie Sewpaul will be giving a lecture in the Broad Auditorium at the Claude Pepper Center. The event is open to the public and we will be holding a reception at 5:00 p.m. with refreshments and the lecture will promptly begin at 5:30 p.m.
About the Lecturer
Vishanthie Sewpaul is an eminent scholar in the field of policy and social work education in post-apartheid South Africa. A Professor Emeritus at the University of KwaZulu-Natal South Africa, she has exercised leadership positions at the national, regional, and global levels. In 2013, the Ministry of Science and Technology in South Africa honored Professor Sewpaul as a Distinguished Women in Science Award recipient, recognizing her outstanding work.
Topics Covered
Defining human trafficking and what it looks like in the Big Bend area. Recognizing and responding to suspected human trafficking victims. Understanding who human trafficking impacts and how to respond to those impacted.
Certificate-Based Program
This is a recurring community certificate-based program which occurs on the third Friday of every month from 1-3 pm at the Kearney Center.
January’s Feature
Vania Llovera, M.S, Program Director with the FSU Center for the Advancement of Human Rights. Vania will discuss the trafficking of immigrant adults and children in addition to labor trafficking.
Suggestions:
Please watch the Frontline documentary, “Trafficked in America,” here: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/traffickied-in-america/
OR on the air at WFSU PBS on January 14, 2019 at 10 pm
Contact and Registration
Please register by January 17th by emailing your name and contact information to: STAC@surviveandthriveadvocacy.org
Questions? Email or call STAC at 850-597-2080
Topics Covered
Expert panel discussions will cover local cases, survivor needs, relevant laws, legal rights/remedies, and human trafficking responses post-Hurricane Michael. Participants will leave knowing what they and the community can do to bring justice to trafficking survivors.
Cost
The cost is free to attend and $75 for lawyers seeking CLE credit.
To Register
Space is limited; please register online at https://www.surviveandthriveadvocacy.org/finding-justice-for-human-traffickingsurvivors-labor-trafficking/
Need More Information?
For any and all questions regarding the program and CLE scholarships, please contact Robin Hassler Thompson, Exec. Director, STAC: 850-597-2080 robin@surviveandthriveadvocacy.org
Discussion with Experts featuring Nadine Strossen, and moderated by President Sandy D’Alemberte.
Please come out and join us for the Leon County Sheriff’s Office’s first Hispanic Resource Festival on Saturday September 29th! This event will provide information on resources available to the community and work to build the relationships between the Sheriff’s Office and the Hispanic community. There will be live entertainment provided by the TallyMix Latin Orchestra, DJ Suave and DJ Rudy Max, Poquito de Mexico, Simply Panama, and more. There will also be Hispanic food available for purchase.
Por favor venga y únase con nosotros para el primer Festival de Recursos Hispanos de la Oficina del Sheriff del Condado de Leon. Este evento proporcionará información sobre los recursos disponibles para la comunidad y trabajará para construir las relaciones entre la Oficina del Sheriff y la comunidad hispana. Habrá entretenimiento en vivo proporcionado por la Orquesta Latina TallyMix, DJ Suave y DJ Rudy Max, Poquito de México, Simply Panama, y más. También habrá comida hispana disponible para comprar.
This is a live discussion that will take place on Twitter about immigration reform.
First, be sure to sign up for a Twitter account. By simply searching #FWDFL at http://tweetchat.com/ you can see the running conversations around our topic. You can then Tweet within http://tweetchat.com/ and it will automatically add #FWDFL for you.
FWD.us along with US Rural Health will be hosting. Participants will include subject matter experts, coalition members, legislators, and individuals looking to learn more about immigration.
“40 Years Searching For Truth” recounts the decades-long odyssey of Joyce Horman to identify those responsible for the 1973 murder of her husband Charles in Pinochet’s Chile. The documentary examines how her search has become a testimony to her own resolve and to the persistence of the modern human rights movement.
- FSU Community Dialogue on Immigration Issues (co-sponsored with FSU Center for Global Engagement and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties)
- Presentation by Assistant Director Vania Llovera to Faith Presbyterian Church members on the impact of The Rescission of DACA
- Presentation by Assistant Director Vania Llovera on “Debunking Immigration Myths” organized by FSU College of Law Advocates of Immigrants and Refugee Rights
- Guest Lecture by Michael Deibert, “Haiti Will Not Perish,” (co-sponsored with the FSU Winthrop King Institute for Contemporary French and Francophone Studies)
- Invited Presentation by Professor Terry Coonan, Upcoming Human Rights Issues in the 2017 Florida Legislature (co-sponsored with the Florida Democratic Women’s Club)
- “Road Scholars” Lecture by Professor Silvio Torres-Saillant, “Why Is Slavery in the Americas So Hard to Forget?” (co-sponsored with the FSU Faculty Senate and the FSU Winthrop King Institute for Contemporary French and Francophone Studies)
- Presentation by Professor Terry Coonan on “Know Your Immigration Rights” (co-sponsored with the FSU Center for Global Engagement)
- Amnesty International Spring Conference on Current Human Rights Issues (co-sponsored with the FSU Amnesty International Student Group)
- Guest Lecture by Visiting Professor Joe Duffy, “Culture and Identity in Northern Ireland,” (co-sponsored with the FSU School of Social Work)
- Public Lecture by Nobel Peace Prize Winner Shirin Abadi (co-sponsored with FSU Peace Jam Organization)
- Film screening of Une Autre Justice (co-sponsored with the FSU Winthrop King Institute for Contemporary French and Francophone Studies)
- Guest Lecture by Professor Fabio Rojas, “Does an ‘Open Borders’ Immigration Policy Make Sense for the U.S.? Assessing the Evidence” (co-sponsored with the FSU DeVoe L. Moore Center)
- Keynote Address by Professor Terry Coonan, “Human Rights and Trauma in the Aftermath of War,” Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota, Florida
- “Military Ethics Conference: China in Dialogue with the West” (co-sponsored with the Centre for Applied Ethics at Hong Kong Baptist University)
- “Human Rights Spring Conference” (co-sponsored with FSU Amnesty International Student Group)
- Film screening of In Plain Sight: Stories of Hope and Freedom (co-sponsored with the Big Bend Coalition Against Human Trafficking)
- Public Lecture by Nobel Peace Prize Winner Rigoberta Menchu Tum (co-sponsored with the FSU Peace Jam Organization)
- “Universal Jurisdiction Initiative & Conference” (co-sponsored with the Charles Horman Truth Foundation)
- Sponsored university screening of the film Documented
- Public Lecture by Nobel Peace Prize Winner Adolfo Perez Esquivel (co-sponsored with the FSU Peace Jam Organization)
- Sponsored the screening of the film Missing
- Public Lecture by Nobel Peace Prize Winner Leymah Gbowee (co-sponsored with FSU Peace Jam Organization)
- “Human Trafficking Community Training” in Tallahassee, Florida (co-sponsored with Florida with Capital City Youth Services)
- Lecture on “Iran: Nuclear Negotiations, Human Rights and other emerging Regional Priorities” by John C. Bradshaw, J.D., Executive Director of the National Security Network
- Public Lecture by Nobel Peace Prize Winner Oscar Arias (co-sponsored with the FSU Peace Jam Organization)
- “Human Trafficking Summit” in Tallahassee, Florida (co-sponsored with the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice)
- Sponsored the screening of the film S.O.S. – State of Security
- Public Lecture by Nobel Peace Prize Winner Jody Williams (co-sponsored with the FSU Peace Jam Organization)
Human Rights & National Security Lectures
- “Security and humanitarian issues within the Caribbean, Central and South America, and Haiti two years after its devastating earthquake” by United States Coast Guard Rear Admiral Steven Ratti, the United States Southern Command’s director of Plans and Operations, an FSU alumnus
- “Behind the rhetoric of presidential politics — placing recent events in the Middle East and North Africa in context” by Ms. Leila Hilal is director of the Washington, D.C.-based New America Foundation’s Middle East Task Force, an element of the highly respected think tank that develops in-depth analysis and commentary on the Middle East and North Africa.
- Screening of the civil rights documentary Beating Justice: The Martin Lee Anderson Story
- Screening of Sex and Money and book signing of This is Our Story by Professor Wendi Adelson
- A forum on “The Death Penalty: Evolving Issues”
- A lecture on “Democratic Transitions in the Middle East at the Globe Auditorium” (co-sponsored with The FSU Center for Global Engagement)
- Public Lecture by Nobel Peace Prize Winner Shirin Ebadi (co-sponsored with the FSU Peace Jam Organization)
Human Rights & National Security Lectures
- “Redefining America’s War on Drugs” by R. Gil Kerlikowske, Director, White House Office of National Drug Control Policy
- “Strengthening ties with the Muslim, Sikh and Arab-American communities in North Florida” by U.S. Attorney Pamela Marsh
- Screening of Playground, a documentary film focusing on the sexual exploitation of U.S. children
- Screening of Shed No Tears a documentary film about advocacy against child trafficking in Benin.
- Lecture on “Prisoner of Conscience from Cameroons” by Ebenezer Akwanga, National Chairman of the Southern Cameroons Youth League
- Public Lecture by Nobel Peace Prize Winner Rigoberta Menchu Tum (co-sponsored with the FSU Peace Jam Organization)
National Security Lectures
- “National Security in the Aftermath Of Sept. 11” by Former U.S. Senator Bob Graham
- “Implications Of Humanitarian Crisis On Global Stability” by Former U.S. Ambassador To Pakistan Wendy Chamberlin Military Leader
- “Restoring Stability In the Aftermath Of Haiti Earthquake” by U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Ken Keen, Military Deputy Commander Of U.S. Southern Command In Miami
- Sponsored the “International Criminal Tribunals: Problems And Prospects” conference
- Lecture on “Confucian Role Ethics: A Moral Foundation for Human Rights” by Henry Rosemont, Jr. George B. And Willma Reeves, Distinguished Professor Of The Liberal Arts Emeritus St. Mary’s College Of Maryland Senior Consulting Professor at Fudan University (Shanghai, China) Visiting Professor Of Religious Studies, Brown University
- Screening of Breaking the Silence: Torture Survivors Speak Out
- Forum titled “Beyond Guantanamo: Prosecuting Terrorists and Protecting America”
- Co-sponsored with American Bar Association a forum on the “Florida Death Penalty: A Retrospective on the ABA Assessment on Capital Punishment in Florida – What Has Changed and What Remains the Same?”
- Lecture on “Law and Morality: A Confucian Perspective on Freedom of Expression” by Jonathan Chan, a visiting scholar from Hong Kong Baptist University
- Public Lecture by Nobel Peace Prize Winner Betty Williams (co-sponsored with the FSU Peace Jam Organization)
National Security Lectures
- “Emerging U.S. Engagement Strategies In Iraq And Afghanistan” by Lawrence J. Korb, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and a principal adviser to the Obama presidential campaign
- “Beyond Guantanamo: Prosecuting Terrorists And Protecting America” by Maj. Gen. Paul D. Eaton, USA (Ret.); Elisa Massimino, Human Rights First’s chief executive officer and one of the nation’s foremost national security policy experts, and Harry K. Singletary Jr., a former Secretary of the Florida Department of Corrections
- “Changing Nature of the Threat” by Roger W. Cressey, who currently advises clients on homeland security and counterterrorism issues and is an on-air counter-terrorism analyst for NBC news
- “Climate Change and National Security” by Former Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs Frank Loy
- Lecture titled “Between Sentimentality and Cynicism: Forgiving Enemies in Ireland” by Nigel John Biggar
- Lecture on “Interrogation & Torture in U.S. Military Policy: A Forum With Retired U.S. Generals”
- “27th Annual Conference” (co-sponsored with the Sudan Studies Association)
National Security Lectures
- “Iraq and Afghanistan: Where Does the Obama Administration Go From Here?” by Dr. Lawrence Korb, a principal adviser to the Obama presidential campaign and a former assistant secretary of defense during the Reagan administration
- “U.S. Immigration Policy & National Security” by Dr. Emilio Gonzalez, Director, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
- “Chaos in Afghanistan” by Mark Schneider, Senior Vice-President, International Crisis Group and former Director of the Peace Corps
- “Guantanamo Bay: Lessons Learned by a Former Military Prosecutor”, Lt. Col. Stuart Couch USMC, former military prosecutor in the Office of Military Commissions
- “Intelligence, Trafficking, Counter-Terrorism & National Security within the Western Hemisphere and, the implications to Florida” by Rear Admiral Joseph L. Nimmich, U.S. Coast Guard Director, Joint Interagency Task Force (JIATF) South
- “U.S. Middle East policy and the presidential campaigns: Where to go from here?” by Daniel Benjamin, Director of the Center on the United States and Europe and a senior fellow in foreign policy studies at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C.
- “What the Next U.S. President Needs to Know About Democracy and Islam” by Egyptian Ambassador Hamdi Saleh
- “Interrogation & Torture in U.S. Military Policy” by retired U.S. Generals including a former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency.
- “Talks and class visits on truth and reconciliation” (co-sponsored with Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley William O’Neill, S.J.)
- “Seminar on human rights theory” by Michael Perry from the School of Law at Emory University.
- Film Premiere of Breaking the Silence: Torture Survivors Speak Out
- Presentation on “Human Rights in the Catholic/Christian Faith Tradition” by Bishop John
- Ricard of the Pensacola – Tallahassee Diocese
“Richard Lillich International Lecture and Symposium” (co-sponsored with the FSU Law School)
- Provided technical assistance and subject matter expertise for the FSU Film School production and premiere of Fields of Mudan, a film examining sex trafficking in the United States. The film is currently being shown in Justice Department trainings nationwide to educate U.S. law enforcement officials about human trafficking.
- Screening of Staging Terazin, a dramatic production of an examination of how human rights atrocities such as the Holocaust can be appropriately and effectively commemorated through theater (co-sponsored with the FSU Theater School)
- Collaborated with the new FSU Middle Eastern Studies Center to bring Arab-American speakers to FSU.
- Lecture on Human Rights Issues in Colombia (co-sponsored with the FSU Colombian Students Organization)
- A visit and lecture by a Haitian human rights activist (co-sponsored with the FSU Student Amnesty International Group)
- Live televideo conference at FSU regarding international responses to human trafficking (co-sponsored with the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, India)
- A visit and presentation by a Ugandan human rights & theater activist on the topic of “child soldiers” (co-sponsored with the FSU Theater School)
- Panel discussion on Human Rights at Home and Abroad for the Global Gatherings television program broadcast through the FSU International Students Center
- Hosted a number of dignitaries and activists from around the world visiting FSU through the U.S. State Department International Visitors Program.
- A lecture on “Domestic human rights remedies under U.S. law” (co-sponsored with the FSU Law School)
- Human rights lecture and book signing of Breaking Silence: The Case That Changed The Face Of Human Rights. Breaking Silence is the inaugural publication of the Georgetown University Press Advancing Human Rights series. This series is co-edited by FSU professors Sumner Twiss, John Kelsay, and Terry Coonan. This lecture was by Richard White.
- Lecture on “Falun Gong: A Journey of Non-Violence” by Erping Zhang, Executive Director of the Association for Asian Research and an expert on human rights in China
- Presentation on “Recovering Childhoods: Combating Child Trafficking in Northern India” by Steven Lize, PhD and Pippin Whitaker, MSW
- Lecture on “The Origins Of The Final Solution: Hitler Launches Genocide” by Christopher Browning, University Of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
- Premiere of Rosenstrausee, a documentary film by Margarethe Von Trotta which recounts how in Berlin in 1943, a group of Aryan German women protested publicly to save the lives of their detained Jewish husbands.
- Presentation at a Town Hall Meeting on Homeland Security and the US Patriot Act
- Convened Human Rights Abroad and at Home: A Showcase of Human Rights Films by the FSU Film and Communication Schools and Local Human Rights Projects
- Sponsored “Not Part of My Sentence: A Discussion on the Human Rights of Women in Prison”
- Sponsored Teach-in on U.S. Intervention in Iraq as part of the Cutting Edge Discussion Series
- 1st FSU Human Rights Film Festival (co-sponsored the with the FSU Amnesty International Chapter (which included showings of The Pinochet Case and The Last Just Man)
- Lectures on “States of Denial” and “Human Rights in the Criminology Field” (co-sponsored with London School of Economics Professor Stan Cohen and with the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice)
- Premiere of Justice and the Generals, a PBS documentary film on the 1980 rape and murder of the U.S. church women in El Salvador and a 20 year search for justice
- Lecture on “Religion, National Security, and Human Rights” by David Little, T.J. Dermot Dunphy Professor of the Practice in Religion, Ethnicity, and International Conflict, Harvard University
- A lecture on “Human Rights Abuses in Turkey” by Merve Kavakci
- Sponsored a three day human rights conference at FSU