Tag Archives: human rights

EVENT
“Where Should the Birds Fly?” Screening + Discussion with Director Fida Qishta

From the lovely Tedra James ’18:

As a part of Israeli Apartheid Week (Feb. 26th – Mar. 5th), come join Wesleyan Students For Justice in Palestine in welcoming Palestinian Filmmaker Fida Qishda.

Wesleyan Students For Justice in Palestine will be hosting a screening and post-discussion of “Where Should the Birds Fly?”, a film that documents the separate stories and shared experiences of two women who survived Israel’s Operation Cast Lead: 11-year-old Mona Al Samouni who spends the film trying to make sense of her intense experiences and Fida Qishta who began her film making as a wedding videographer before quickly moving to work with international human rights observers in Gaza.

In addition to following the lives of these two women, “Where Should the Birds Fly?” visually tells the story of the efforts of Gazans to live and work under conditions of siege, and to maintain their humanity amidst the impact of military attack.

Watch the trailer here.

Date: TONIGHT! February 27
Time: 8-10 PM
Place: PAC 001

EVENT
Students for Sayaxché FIRST MEETING

From Rachael Metz ’16:

Interested in public and/or global health, medicine, or human rights issues? Come to Students for Sayaxché’s first meeting!

Students for Sayaxché is a new student group on campus that, along with some local physicians at Middlesex Hospital, serves as a partner and advocate for a group of rural hospitals and clinics in Sayaxché, Guatemala. As student volunteers, our primary responsibility is to facilitate this partnership between the hospitals in Middletown and Sayaxché. You can expect to do everything from helping to arrange the shipment of medical supplies to even having the opportunity to travel to Guatemala yourself and work at the Sayaxché clinic.

Students for Sayaxché has been an on/off kind of group for a few years now, and this year we’re looking to make it a serious group with concrete goals. While we do have an overarching philosophy and angle to our work, we are looking to further define the group with new ideas. So if you are at all interested in public and/or global health, medicine, or human rights issues, PLEASE come and share your thoughts and ideas with us!

Date: Wednesday, October 8th
Time: 9-10 PM
Place: 11 Vine St.

EVENT
WEStimonials: Student Experiences with Human Rights in the Middle East

120315-checkpoint-protest

Joe Ringoen ’14 of WesAmnesty writes in:

Five Wesleyan students from a variety of backgrounds will share first-hand experiences with human rights issues in the Middle East. The testimonial-style presentation will be followed by informal discussion over Middle Eastern food.

The presentation will end by 8pm, so if you’re planning to go to Wes Thinks Big, fear not!

Date: November 20th, 2013
Time: 7pm
Place: World Music Hall
Cost: Freezies

FEATURED
Breaking: Middletown Woman Chains Herself to Courthouse in Civil Disobedience

April chained to tree

April Fawn Scheller, a Middletown woman, member of Wesleyan Students for Disability Rights, and former employee at the Red and Black Cafe, has chained herself to a tree in front of the Middletown courthouse in protest of human rights abuses against people with psychiatric disabilities  She seems to have a small gaggle of supporters surrounding her holding signs and chalking messages on the pavement. According to a press release, Scheller wants to “end mental apartheid.” Her grievances include “discrimination through the insane defense, involuntary detention, and forced electroshock therapy.” Some students might remember Scheller from her “madpride presentation” on campus last March, 2012.

Scheller’s full statement can be seen on her website.

UPDATE: Reports state that Scheller has now been surrounded by police.

UPDATE: Threats that she is on state property, subject to arrest.

UPDATE 2:01 pm: Eyewitness says, “A number of cops showed up, 10 or 15. They asked us to move off the property, and all of us agreed except for April. They brought out some huge bolt cutters, but they didn’t use them. For a while they mostly just milled around.  and talked. One of them was on the phone with a superior for a while. Then one of their superiors came out of the courthouse wearing a suit and spoke with the other cops, telling them to leave her. All the cops slowly left the area, we moved back onto the lawn, and April remains chained to the tree. It doesn’t seem like they are going to do anything more.

Continue reading →

EVENT
WesAmnesty Letter Writing for Immigration Reform

If you want to make your letter look super official and revolutionary-era, you can do this.

Some activism with your coffee in light of recent events, from Samara Ressler ’13:

Want to have a say in immigration reform? Want to make sure legislation passed takes into account human rights? Come write a letter to congress members on Thursday night outside Espwesso from 9-11 and let your voice be heard.

There will be a 25-cent drink discount for the first 50 people who write letters!

Date: Tonight, February 28th
Time: 9-11pm
Place: Outside Espwesso
Cost: -25 cents, possibly

EVENT
Independant Journalism, Israeli Politics, and Human Rights: Lunch Discussion

Noam Sandweiss-Back ’15 is really excited and not just because someone also named Noam is coming to speak: 

Exciting News. This Thursday, from 12 to 1, J Street U at Wes is bringing Noam Sheizaf, the leading progressive Israeli blogger today, and Libby Lenkinski, a prominent voice for human rights in Israel, to campus. They’re kick-ass and ready to have a little discussion.

They have an hour to talk and are happy to discuss anything from alternative media, to the political implications of Obama’s re-election in Israel, to the state of human rights in Israel and the Occupied Territories. They are at the forefront of Israeli progressive politics, have a lot to share, and we are thrilled that they are coming to Wes. So come by in-between classes. We promise you won’t be disappointed.

Oh, and of course, a delicious lunch will be provided.

Date: Thursday, November 15
Time: 12:00-1:00 PM
Place: 41 Wyllys Room 114
Facebook: Here

EVENT
The House I Live In: Film Screening and Discussion

In a world where Roxie Pell ’15 wasn’t an intern for the Wesleyan Center for Prison Education, this post was never submitted submitted by a different intern:

The War on Drugs has never been about drugs.

Join the Wesleyan Center for Prison Education this Thursday for a
screening of the film “The House I Live In,” followed by a discussion
with the filmmaker, Eugene Jarecki.

About the film:

In forty years, the War on Drugs has accounted for more than 45
million arrests, made America the world’s largest jailer, and damaged
poor communities at home and abroad. Yet for all that, drugs are
cheaper, purer, and more available today than ever before. Filmed in
more than twenty states, THE HOUSE I LIVE IN captures heart-wrenching
stories from individuals at all levels of America’s War on Drugs,
offering a definitive portrait revealing its profound human rights
implications and examining the extent to which it has been fueled by
political and economic corruption.

Date: Tomorrow, Thursday, the 11th
Time: Tomorrow, Thursday, 4:15, the PM
Place: Tomorrow, Thursday, the CFA Hall

EVENT
Liberty in North Korea Film Screening: The People’s Crisis

Know what’s going on in North Korea post-Kim Jong-il? Me neither, but Michelle Kae ’12 has you covered:

The unexpected death of Kim Jong-il last December spurred much speculation regarding North Korea’s political relationships and human rights issues. Liberty in North Korea will be hosting a documentary screening of “The People’s Crisis” to facilitate awareness and discussion regarding the 24 million people living in North Korea today.

If you’d like to learn more about LiNK and how you can become involved, check out our op-ed published in the Argus last semester!

Date: Tuesday, March 27
Time: 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Place: PAC 002
Cost:Free. Bring $$ for awesome merchandise, though.

D.C. Council Gives Final Passage to Same-Sex Marriage Bill

Woo! From the Human Rights Campaign:

The D.C. Council voted today 11 to 2 to give final approval to the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Equality Amendment Act of 2009.  The vote recognizing same-sex marriage was the second in two weeks for the Council, which approved the bill in an initial vote on December 1, 2009 by the same margin.  Since last July, D.C. law has recognized marriages by same-sex couples from other jurisdictions, including foreign countries.  The new legislation would permit same-sex couples to marry in D.C. itself while ensuring that clergy and religious organizations would not be required to provide services, accommodations, facilities or goods for the solemnization of a same-sex marriage.

The legislation now goes to the desk of Mayor Fenty, who has said he will sign it.  The law would take effect at the conclusion of the Congressional review period, which lasts for 30 legislative days following the Mayor’s signature.

As a retrospective, here is a 1950s PSA about the roaming homosexuals:

"A YouTube for human rights"

Brandi over at House of Procrastination (it’s in the sidebar, to the right) sends us this, from Influx Insights:

The coverage of the recent and continued protests in Burma, shows just how powerful amateur footage can be. In a country closed to most journalists and censoring news, the amateur is often only way people in the outside world can see what’s going on.

Witness is a human rights organization dedicated to helping people use technology to record and document human rights abuses. They do a ton of work making sure the equipment gets out to the people who need it and make sure the footage is seen. It therefore seems a logical next step that Witness would bring all this content together in one central location. To do this, Witness just launched The Hub, which is kind of a YouTube for human rights.

Looks interesting.