Human Rights: Conversations Across Generations

Elisa Massimino: Human Rights Advocacy in a Changing World

Today's guest is Elisa Massimino, one of the nation's leading human rights advocates and Executive Director of the Human Rights Institute at Georgetown University Law Center. For more than three decades, Elisa has worked at the intersection of human rights, national security, refugee protection, and U.S. foreign policy. Before joining Georgetown, she spent 27 years at Human Rights First, including a decade as President and CEO. Throughout her career, Elisa has testified before Congress dozens of times and helped shape some of the most consequential human rights debates in Washington. Following 9/11, she helped assemble an influential coalition of retired generals and admirals to challenge U.S. policies authorizing torture. In 2026, Washingtonian once again named Elisa among Washington, D.C.'s 500 Most Influential People, recognizing her work on torture and U.S. military assistance and human rights. Today, she brings those decades of experience into the classroom at Georgetown, helping prepare the next generation of human rights advocates. In this conversation, we begin with Elisa's own path into human rights, from philosophy and refugee advocacy to discovering what she describes as her calling. We explore the two qualities she believes effective advocates need: chutzpah and humility. Elisa takes us inside her Georgetown classroom, where students learn not simply to care about injustice, but to develop practical strategies for changing it, including listening to those who disagree, building unlikely coalitions, understanding power, and knowing when compromise can move an issue forward. We also examine the challenges facing democracy and human rights today, the importance of civic engagement beyond elections, and the rapidly evolving promise and danger of artificial intelligence. Elisa reflects on one of the defining campaigns of her career, the effort to end U.S. torture after 9/11, and why successful advocacy sometimes requires asking whether we want to make a point or actually make a difference. Throughout this episode, we return to an idea that has shaped both Elisa's work and ours: human rights begin in the places closest to us. Even amid rising authoritarianism and increasing challenges to democratic institutions, Elisa sees an opportunity to rebuild a broader movement for freedom, democracy, and human rights rooted in our homes, schools, communities, and everyday lives. SHOW NOTES Episode Transcript PDF Elisa Massimino: Georgetown Law, Visiting Professor of Law; Executive Director, Human Rights Institute Human Rights Institute: Georgetown Law Washingtonian: Washington DC's 500 Most Influential People of 2026 Chutzpah and Humility: Twin Virtues for Changing the World - Watch Elisa Massimino's Robert F. Drinan Chair Lecture at Georgetown Law Religion and Human Rights: A Conversation with Elisa Massimino - Read Elisa's conversation with Georgetown University's Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs. Global South World: Interview "Don’t wait for the UN to act" Sara Kehaulani Goo: Her new book, Kuleana

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Alice Achan: The School of Restoration & Te-Kworo Foundation

Alice Achan is the Founder and Executive Director of the Te-Kworo Foundation, a community-based organization providing education, maternal and child healthcare, and social protection to girls, women, and children in northern Uganda. Founded in 2002, Te-Kworo has grown to include three boarding schools and has educated more than 4,000 girls, while its healthcare programs have expanded from mobile clinics and maternal care to a new hospital in Agago. Alice’s commitment to educating girls is rooted in her own extraordinary story. She was 13 when the Lord’s Resistance Army first terrorized her village, beginning years in which war repeatedly forced her from school and sent her family running and hiding to escape rebel abduction. Through those years, her father remained unwavering in his belief in his daughter’s education. Alice eventually completed her education and trained in social work before returning to northern Uganda to work with girls coming home from LRA captivity, many of whom returned with children of their own. They faced stigma and rejection within their own communities. Alice shares how gatherings with women beneath a kworo tree became the beginning of what she calls a “School of Restoration.” By listening to the needs of girls and young mothers, she developed an approach to healing and education that extended far beyond the classroom. Today, that vision extends from education into maternal and child healthcare. In this episode, we discuss the remarkable full-circle story of former students who became nurses and midwives and are now caring for women in their own communities. SHOW NOTES Episode Transcript Te-Kworo Foundation Support and Donate: Te-Kworo Foundation 2025 Annual Impact Report: Te-Kworo Foundation Book: Alice Achan & Philippa Tyndale: The School of Restoration Resources & Podcast Episodes: Fix The News Podcast: How Education Is Rebuilding Northern Uganda: Girls, Hope & Healing featuring Alice Achan UC Berkeley Human Rights Center: Pader Girls Academy Human Rights: Conversations Across Generations Podcast, Professor Eric Stover

Professor Paul Hunt: Reimagining the Future of Human Rights

Professor Paul Hunt is a British-New Zealand human rights lawyer and Emeritus Professor at the University of Essex. His work has been particularly influential in advancing social rights and establishing the right to health as a practical human rights framework. Paul served on the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights before becoming the first UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health. He later advised the World Health Organization and served as Chief Human Rights Commissioner of New Zealand. His experiences in Palestine and The Gambia shaped that work from its earliest years. Paul and our co-host, Professor Bert B. Lockwood, also share more than thirty years of friendship through Human Rights Quarterly and the University of Essex. “Human rights are meant to control states, but states control human rights,” Paul writes in his 2026 Human Rights Quarterly article, “Empowering Human Rights for Revolutionary Change.” Paul argues for strengthening human rights from the ground up and placing greater power in the hands of people and communities. At a time when the movement is confronting renewed authoritarianism, Paul continues to look ahead. His vision is not to abandon the human rights framework, but to rethink where power sits within it. It is a call to build on decades of progress while making human rights more responsive to the people they are meant to serve. SHOW NOTES Episode Transcript Here Professor Paul Hunt, University of Essex Human Rights Quarterly Articles: Empowering Human Rights for Revolutionary Change, Human Rights Quarterly Children’s Rights in West Africa: The Case of The Gambia’s Almudos, Human Rights Quarterly Configuring the UN Human Rights System in the “Era of Implementation”: Mainland and Archipelago, Human Rights Quarterly Resources: Articles, Reports, and Media Right to the Highest Attainable Standard of Health, The Lancet Equality: The Road Less Travelled, TEDx University of Essex In Conversation with Professor Paul Hunt, RightsCast Podcast Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health: Mission to Sweden, Uganda, the World Bank and the IMF, United Nations Maranga Mai! Te Kāhui Tika Tangata Human Rights Commission

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Professor Ryan Thoreson: Protecting LGBTQIA+ Rights and Human Dignity

Across the United States and around the world, legal protections for LGBTQIA+ communities are being tested in ways that would have been difficult to imagine just a decade ago. Courtrooms have become battlegrounds over gender identity, conversion therapy, marriage equality, and the recognition of queer families. At the same time, governments in dozens of countries continue to criminalize same-sex relationships and, in some cases, impose the death penalty. In this episode of Human Rights: Conversations Across Generations, we welcome Professor Ryan Thoreson, Associate Professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Law, Deputy Editor of Human Rights Quarterly, and colleague of our co-host, Professor Bert B. Lockwood. Before joining UC, Ryan served as Senior Researcher in the LGBT Rights Program at Human Rights Watch, where he spent more than a decade documenting human rights abuses and advancing LGBTQIA+ rights around the world. He is the author of Transnational LGBT Activism: Working for Sexual Rights Worldwide and co-editor of The SAGE Handbook of Global Sexualities. Today, Ryan's scholarship and teaching focus on constitutional law, international human rights law, and the evolving legal landscape surrounding LGBTQIA+ rights. Ryan reflects on the experiences that first drew him to human rights, from growing up in North Dakota to witnessing the fight for marriage equality as a college student. Those early moments continue to shape how he approaches constitutional law, scholarship, and the classroom today. Together, we examine the rapidly changing legal landscape surrounding conversion therapy, marriage equality, anti-trans legislation, and the criminalization of same-sex relationships. Drawing on years of documenting human rights abuses, Ryan reflects on the power of listening. Behind every court decision is a person, a family, and a lived experience that deserves to be seen with dignity. The discussion also turns to Human Rights Quarterly, where Ryan serves as Deputy Editor alongside Professor Lockwood. Together, they reflect on the journal's enduring role in advancing global human rights. SHOW NOTES EPISODE TRANSCRIPT PDF Ryan Thoreson: Website University of Cincinnati College of Law: Ryan Thoreson Faculty Profile Human Rights Quarterly, Johns Hopkins University Press Human Rights Watch: Ryan Thoreson Transnational LGBT Activism: Working for Sexual Rights Worldwide, University of Minnesota Press The Dream of a Common Movement: Selected Writings of Urvashi Vaid, Human Rights Quarterly Book Review The SAGE Handbook of Global Sexualities Can Global LGBTQ Rights Jurisprudence Survive the Authoritarian Turn? Jotwell: Equality Newsweek: Supreme Court to Hear New Case Tied to Same-Sex Couples Newsweek: Map Shows States Banning Transgender Athletes as Supreme Court Rules Cincinnati Edition, WVXU: What Impact Could a SCOTUS Decision Have on Cincinnati's Conversion Therapy Ban? Matthew Shepard Foundation | Our Story Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Act, 2023 - Human Dignity Trust

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Ruth Kimani: Head of Programs for Africa, Freedom Fund

Ruth Kimani has spent more than two decades working alongside communities across Africa to address some of the world's most complex human rights challenges. Today, as Head of Programs for Africa at the Freedom Fund, she leads initiatives across Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Nigeria that have invested more than $26 million in frontline partners and directly impacted more than 223,000 people through locally led efforts to combat modern slavery. In this episode, Ruth joins us to discuss one of the world's most widespread yet least visible forms of modern slavery: child domestic work. Hidden behind closed doors, at least 10 million children, many of them girls, spend their days cooking, cleaning, and caring for households instead of attending school, often isolated from their families and vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. Together, we explore why community-led solutions are essential to protecting children's rights, how trust-based philanthropy is reshaping international development, and what it takes to create lasting, systemic change. Ruth also shares how the Freedom Fund's hotspot model is transforming communities across Africa. We discuss the impact of international funding cuts and why ending child domestic work requires long-term investment, stronger protections, and communities working together. SHOW NOTES Ruth Kimani | Head of Programs for Africa, Freedom Fund Freedom Fund Donate to the Freedom Fund Reports, Articles, and Resources 2025–2026: Freedom Fund Impact Report What Is Modern Slavery? Understanding Child Domestic Work Freedom Fund's African Hotspots: Kenya Hotspot: Ending Child Domestic Work Nigeria Hotspot: Ending Child Domestic Work Ethiopia Hotspot: Ending Child Domestic Work Behind Closed Doors: Millions of Girls Are Working Instead of Learning | More to Her Story by Ruth Kimani What Three Years of Listening Have Taught Us About Child Domestic Work | Global Peer Learning Group Ideas in Action: Pilot Program Evaluation in Nigeria | NORC at the University of Chicago, The Khana Group & The Freedom Fund

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Hans Thoolen: True Heroes Films and Protecting Human Rights Defenders

Human rights defenders are often the first to expose injustice, challenge those in power, and protect the rights of the world's most vulnerable communities. They also face extraordinary risks for doing so. For more than five decades, Hans Thoolen has worked to ensure these courageous individuals are recognized, protected, and never forgotten. Today, Hans focuses much of his work on advancing the protection of human rights defenders around the world. In 2006, he established True Heroes Films, a nonprofit organization that partners with human rights defenders and organizations to produce films, strengthen communications, and bring their stories to audiences that can inspire action. Through his blog, Human Rights Defenders, Hans shares news, analysis, and resources from across the global human rights movement while advocating for greater recognition and protection of those on the frontlines. He also serves on the Board of the Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders, one of the world's most prestigious awards recognizing individuals who have demonstrated exceptional courage in defending human rights. Hans' commitment to human rights spans more than fifty years. He founded the Netherlands Lawyers' Committee for Human Rights, served as Executive Secretary of the International Commission of Jurists, was the first Director of the Netherlands Institute of Human Rights, and spent fifteen years with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. He also co-founded HURIDOCS and International Alert, helping build institutions that continue to strengthen the global human rights movement today. In this conversation, Hans reflects on the experiences that shaped his remarkable career, from his early involvement in the anti-apartheid movement to helping build institutions, documentation systems, and storytelling initiatives that have strengthened the protection of human rights defenders. We explore the power of documentation and film, the stories of courageous defenders on the frontlines of justice, and the challenges facing the global human rights movement today. SHOW NOTES Show Episode Transcript True Heroes Films Website True Heroes Films Trailer Video Human Rights Defenders Blog Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders HURIDOCS International Commission of Jurists UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) True Heroes Films Featured: Huda Al-Sarari Story Ana Paula Gomes de Oliveira | Martin Ennals Award

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Guadalupe Marengo: Amnesty International, Head of the Global Human Rights Defenders Programme and Head of the Global Relief Programme

Human rights defenders are essential to every movement for justice. They expose abuses, defend their communities, challenge those in power, and help advance the rights many of us rely on every day. Yet across the globe, the space for this work is rapidly shrinking, making the defense of human rights itself an increasingly dangerous act. Our guest is Guadalupe Marengo, Head of Amnesty International's Global Human Rights Defenders Team and Head of the Global Relief Programme. Amnesty International is one of the world's most respected human rights organizations, with a movement of more than 10 million people across the globe. She leads the efforts to protect and support human rights defenders around the world while overseeing emergency assistance for those facing persecution because of their peaceful work. With more than two decades of experience spanning research, advocacy, and campaigning, Guadalupe has worked alongside defenders across Latin America and beyond, helping ensure they are not left to face these risks alone. In this conversation, she introduces us to the remarkable people behind the title "human rights defender." We discuss why attacks against defenders are increasing across the globe, the communities most at risk, Amnesty International's work to protect them, and why safeguarding those who defend the rights of others is essential to protecting human rights for us all. SHOW NOTES Episode Transcript Here Amnesty International Get Involved with Amnesty International Instagram: Amnesty International Facebook: Amnesty International TikTok: Amnesty International LinkedIn: Amnesty International Human Rights Defenders Memorial Rainforest Alliance Front Line Defenders Declaration on Human Rights Defenders +25 Report & Article Amnesty International: State of the World's Human Rights Report (2025) Why Protecting Human Rights Defenders Must Be a Priority for Us All by Guadalupe Marengo

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Professor Terry Coonan: Immigration Advocacy, Human Trafficking, and Interdisciplinary Human Rights

Professor Terry Coonan is the Founder and Executive Director of the Florida State University Center for the Advancement of Human Rights and Associate Professor of Criminology at Florida State University. Terry has created an interdisciplinary home for students and faculty working across law, film, social work, religion, and public service. Before he founded the FSU Center, Terry was one of Professor Bert B. Lockwood's students at the University of Cincinnati College of Law. He was also an Urban Morgan Fellow and the Managing Editor of Human Rights Quarterly, for which he was selected as the first UMI Fellow for the U.S. Department of Justice Honors Program. Over the decades, their relationship evolved from professor and student to colleagues and lifelong friends. Growing up, Meredith always knew Terry for his warmth, humility, and one of the most contagious laughs you'll ever hear. His work has taken him from Chile during the Pinochet dictatorship to immigration courts in the United States. Today, he continues to represent refugee and immigrant families facing immense challenges within the U.S. legal system. Along the way, he has trained judges, partnered with journalists, and worked with filmmakers to expand how human rights are taught and practiced. This conversation explores the experiences that shaped Terry's life and career. We discuss why he believes human rights are too important to be left to lawyers alone. This is an important episode that highlights the ongoing hardships facing refugees and asylum seekers in a rapidly changing world. SHOW NOTES Episode Transcript Here Professor Terry Coonan: Executive Director, Florida State University Center for the Advancement of Human Rights Florida State University Center for the Advancement of Human Rights Threshold: A Dance Film: Produced by Professor Malia Bruker and choreographed by Professor Ilana Goldman, Threshold is a 360-degree dance film commissioned by the Florida State University Center for the Advancement of Human Rights. Drawing on the experiences of survivors of wartime sexual violence, sex trafficking, and other gender-based human rights violations, the film explores trauma, resilience, and healing through movement. Interdisciplinary Human Rights Major, FSU: Florida State University's interdisciplinary undergraduate major brings together courses across multiple disciplines and reflects the Center's belief that human rights are too important to be left to lawyers alone. Human Rights Quarterly Urban Morgan Institute for Human Rights, University of Cincinnati College of Law

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Professor Manfred Nowak: Children Deprived of Liberty, Human Dignity & the Future of Human Rights

Professor Manfred Nowak has helped shape international human rights law for more than four decades. An Austrian human rights lawyer, academic, and former United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture, Manfred has spent his career investigating some of the world's most hidden human rights violations. His work has taken him into prisons, detention centers, and conflict zones across the globe. Along the way, he has listened to the stories of torture survivors, families searching for disappeared loved ones, and children living without freedom. Those experiences would go on to shape both his scholarship and advocacy, including his leadership of the landmark United Nations Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty. Today, he serves as Secretary General of the Global Campus of Human Rights. Their longstanding connection extends to the University of Pennsylvania Press. Manfred is the author of Human Rights or Global Capitalism: The Limits of Privatization, published in the Pennsylvania Studies in Human Rights series, where Professor Bert B. Lockwood serves as Series Editor. In this conversation, Manfred reflects on the moments and people that shaped his understanding of justice, dignity, and human rights. We discuss what it means to deprive a child of liberty and why those systems often remain hidden from public view. You'll hear us explore the role of human rights education and the importance of artistic freedom. We focus on the challenges facing the international human rights movement at a time of growing global instability. We are especially grateful to Manfred for sharing personal reflections from his decades of human rights work, including his firsthand experiences interviewing torture survivors and children deprived of liberty. His insights offer a rare window into both the progress that has been made and the work that still lies ahead. SHOW NOTES Episode Transcript Here Professor Manfred Nowak, Global Campus of Human Rights Manfred Nowak, Independent Expert for the United Nations Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty Report & Books Report: United Nations Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty Human Rights or Global Capitalism: The Limits of Privatization Torture: An Expert's Confrontation with an Everyday Evil The Routledge Companion to Music and Human Rights

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Brian Derrick: Political Strategist and Founder of Oath

We are so lucky to welcome Brian Derrick, Founder of Oath, to the show. Oath is a data-driven political giving platform designed to help donors make more strategic decisions about where to direct their contributions. By analyzing thousands of races across the country, Oath helps donors identify candidates and campaigns to support. Brian is one of Meredith's favorite go-to political strategists, helping people navigate complex political issues and election cycles through his trusted whiteboard breakdowns. Our conversation begins with shared Ohio roots, from the University of Cincinnati to Ohio State University, before turning to some of the most pressing political questions facing the United States today. We explore the continued dismantling of the Voting Rights Act and the growing impact of gerrymandering across the South. Together, we examine Trump’s escalating corruption, the influence of billionaire money in politics, and the role media algorithms increasingly play in shaping public opinion. The conversation also explores voter engagement, Latino voting trends, the future of the Democratic Party, and why helping people believe politics can improve their lives remains one of the most important challenges facing American democracy today. SHOW NOTES Episode Transcript Here Brian Derrick & Oath Oath Website - Become a Donor Follow Brian Derrick on Instagram: @brianderrick Follow Oath on Instagram: oath.vote Politico Magazine featuring Brian Derrick's Interview, “Democrats Have a Billionaire Problem. This App Is Trying to Fix It." Voting Rights & Democracy The New York Times Editorial Board, “There Has Never Been an Example of Presidential Corruption Like This” Business Insider,“Viral ‘Last Breath of the Confederacy’ Speech Puts Louisiana Man on Political Map” Podcasts The Right for Your Vote to Count Podcast: Featuring Brian Derrick Stacey Abrams' Podcast, Assembly Required: Episode: “How SCOTUS Is Erasing Black Voters” featuring Abby Phillip Episode: “What’s Next for Voting Rights and Why Activism Matters” featuring Jane Fonda

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Professor Tara Van Ho: Business, Human Rights, and International Law

Today we are joined by Professor Tara Van Ho, a leading scholar in the field of business and human rights whose work examines the growing intersection of corporate power, economic inequality, international law, and human dignity. Tara is a Professor of Law and Director of the International Legal Studies Program at St. Mary’s University School of Law. Prior to joining St. Mary’s, she taught at the University of Essex School of Law and worked closely with the Essex Human Rights Centre, one of the most influential institutions in the development of modern international human rights law. Her scholarship and advocacy have focused on corporate accountability, climate justice, investor-state dispute settlement, and the responsibilities of multinational corporations under international law. This conversation also carries a special connection for us personally. Tara is a fellow Ohioan from Cleveland, a graduate of the University of Cincinnati College of Law, and a former fellow of the Urban Morgan Institute for Human Rights. Throughout the episode, we reflect not only on the evolution of the business and human rights movement, but also on the importance of mentorship, community, and the shaping the next generation of human rights scholars and advocates. We dive into growing legal and moral questions surrounding climate accountability, and why business and human rights has become one of the most important and rapidly evolving areas of international law today. Tara also shares insights into her own path into the field, her experience studying under pioneers of human rights law, and how legal education can help students think critically about systems of power, governance, and justice in an increasingly interconnected world. SHOW NOTES Episode Transcript Here Professor Tara Van Ho: St. Mary’s University School of Law Faculty Profile Academic Journal Article George, E., Martin, J. and Van Ho, T., (2021). Reckoning: A Dialogue about Racism, AntiRacists, and Business & Human Rights Human Rights Quarterly: Defining the Relationships: "Cause, Contribute, and Directly Linked to" in the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights by Tara Van Ho Resources Business and Human Rights Resource Centre Essex University: Human Rights Centre UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights The Nathaniel R. Jones Center for Race, Gender, and Social Justice - University of Cincinnati

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Iain Guest: The Advocacy Project, Transitional Justice, and Disappearances

Iain Guest is a journalist, human rights advocate, founder of The Advocacy Project, and former adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, where he taught human rights after decades of work across international media, the United Nations, and grassroots advocacy movements around the world. From documenting disappearances in Argentina and producing BBC documentaries, to working with the United Nations in Cambodia and Haiti, Iain’s career has consistently focused on amplifying the voices of communities directly affected by violence, repression, and conflict. Iain and Professor Bert Lockwood first came to know one another through Iain’s early manuscript on Argentina’s Dirty War, which became the first book published in the University of Pennsylvania Press Human Rights Series edited by Professor Bert Lockwood. Their friendship and shared commitment to international human rights work continues throughout this conversation. In this episode, we reflect on disappearances from Argentina to Nepal, the evolution of international accountability mechanisms, the role of the United Nations, and the importance of survivor-led advocacy rooted in local communities and historical memory. This conversation was recorded on April 1st, 2026, several weeks before we lost Theo van Boven on May 9th at the age of 91. Theo, the pioneering Dutch human rights scholar and former UN official, was a dear friend and colleague to both Iain and Bert, and his work and influence are reflected throughout much of this episode. He will be deeply missed. SHOW NOTES Episode Transcript PDF The Advocacy Project Founded by Iain Guest in 1998, The Advocacy Project partners directly with grassroots organizations and survivor-led movements around the world, supporting community-driven initiatives focused on transitional justice, storytelling, reparations, education, advocacy, and historical memory. The Advocacy Project: Grassroots Grants Campaign Behind the Disappearances: Argentina’s Dirty War Against Human Rights and the United Nations: University of Pennsylvania Press Theo van Boven: A former Director of the United Nations Division of Human Rights, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, and one of the central architects of modern international human rights accountability mechanisms. International Commission of Jurists — Tribute to Theo van Boven Professor Cees Flinterman: Maastricht University

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Professor Richard Ashby Wilson of Princeton on Anthropology, Hate Crimes, and Human Rights

Professor Richard Ashby Wilson joins us for a timely and important conversation on human rights, hate crime enforcement, authoritarianism, and the widening gap between laws written on paper and justice experienced in everyday life. A longtime colleague and friend of Professor Bert B. Lockwood, Richard is currently Professor of Anthropology and Co-Director of the Princeton University Human Rights Initiative. Prior to Princeton, he founded and directed the Human Rights Institute at the University of Connecticut, where Bert also serves on the board. One of the world’s leading legal anthropologists, Richard is the author of eleven books examining transitional justice, international criminal tribunals, incitement, and the failures and possibilities of legal systems. Richard’s journey into human rights began in 1983 when, as an 18-year-old pre-med student at Johns Hopkins University, he learned that U.S. tax dollars were funding death squads in Central America. That moment changed the course of his life and led him into anthropology, determined to document stories and communities too often ignored or erased from public view. Over the next four decades, his work would take him from Mayan communities rebuilding after genocide in Guatemala to South African townships navigating the aftermath of apartheid and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. In this episode, we discuss Richard’s groundbreaking research on hate crime enforcement in the United States and the alarming reality that, despite more than 150 years of hate crime legislation, only a small percentage of actual hate crimes are ever charged or prosecuted. We explore why targeted communities often do not trust the systems meant to protect them, how police discretion and prosecutorial practices shape outcomes, and what these failures reveal in America today. Also, we discuss Richard's work helping draft hate crime reform legislation in Connecticut, as well as the growing pressures facing democratic institutions around the world. SHOW NOTES Episode Transcript PDF Professor Richard Asby Wilson, Princeton University Department of Anthropology Princeton University Human Rights Initiative UConn Human Rights Institute Key Publications and Scholarship The (Non)Enforcement of Hate Crime Laws in the United States, Richard Ashby Wilson, Annual Review of Law and Social Science, 2025 New Legal Realism at 20: Rethinking Law in an Era of Populism and Social Movements Richard Ashby Wilson, Jeffrey Omari, and Pablo Rueda-Saiz, Connecticut Law Review, 2024 Incitement on Trial: Prosecuting International Speech Crimes Richard Ashby Wilson, Cambridge University Press, 2017 Writing History in International Criminal Trials Richard Ashby Wilson, Cambridge University Press, 2011 The Politics of Truth and Reconciliation in South Africa Richard Ashby Wilson, Cambridge University Press, 2001 Maya Resurgence in Guatemala: Q’eqchi’ Experiences Richard Ashby Wilson, University of Oklahoma Press, 1995 Hate Crime Laws & Reform House Bill 6872: An Act Revising and Consolidating the Hate Crimes Statutes UConn Today Law: UConn Law Professors Lead Drafting of New Proposed Hate Crimes Bill Organizations to Support Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) ACLU: Immigrants’ Rights National Immigration Law Center

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Dina Francesca Haynes: Refugee Protection, Immigration Law, and the Responsibility to Defend Democracy

We are thrilled to welcome Professor Dina Francesca Haynes, Executive Director of the Schell Center for International Human Rights at Yale Law School, and a nationally recognized expert in immigration and refugee law, human trafficking, and gender and conflict. Her work has taken her to some of the world’s most challenging environments, including Rwanda, Bosnia, and Afghanistan, where she worked alongside international institutions to support displaced communities and strengthen legal protections in fragile settings. She has clerked on the Constitutional Court of South Africa and represented hundreds of clients seeking asylum in the United States, bringing both legal rigor and compassion to her practice. Dina studied under Professor Bert Lockwood as both a student and an Urban Morgan Human Rights Fellow at the University of Cincinnati College of Law, a connection that makes this conversation especially meaningful across generations. Dina has spent her career showing up, in airports, in courtrooms, in conflict zones, and in classrooms, and the body of work she has built stands as a powerful testament to what conviction, courage, and compassion can achieve. In our conversation, she shares insight into the realities facing migrants and asylum seekers, the legal challenges shaping immigration policy today, and the responsibility lawyers carry when institutions are under strain. SHOW NOTES Episode Transcript PDF Professor Dina Francesca Haynes, Executive Director, Schell Center for International Human Rights, Yale Law School Schell Center for International Human Rights, Yale Law School Urban Morgan Institute for Human Rights, University of Cincinnati College of Law Books On the Frontlines: Gender, War, and the Post-Conflict Process, Oxford University Press Handbook on Gender and Conflict: Edited by Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, Naomi Cahn, Dina Francesca Haynes, and Nahla Valji, Oxford University Press Article Celebritizations of Human Rights: Dina Francesca Haynes: This article examines how celebrity advocacy can shape public attention, policy conversations, and funding priorities in the human rights field, while also raising important questions about representation, accountability, and the voices of affected communities.

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Joe Tomain: Energy, Infrastructure, and the Decisions Shaping Our Future

In this episode of Human Rights: Conversations Across Generations, we welcome Professor Joe Tomain, former Dean of the University of Cincinnati College of Law and the Wilbert and Helen Ziegler Professor of Law, a distinguished scholar in energy law and policy and a longtime colleague and supporter of the Urban Morgan Institute for Human Rights. Drawing on decades of leadership in higher education and public policy, Professor Tomain reflects on the evolving relationship between energy systems, climate policy, and democratic governance. Our conversation explores the increasing demands on energy infrastructure driven by emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and data centers, and the policy choices that will shape environmental sustainability and economic stability in the decades ahead. We also revisit a defining historical experience shared by Professor Tomain and Professor Bert Lockwood – traveling to South Africa in 1994 as legal observers during the country’s first democratic elections, when citizens, including hospital patients, waited patiently in long lines to cast their ballots in the country’s first democratic vote. Together, this conversation offers thoughtful reflection on leadership, public service, and the responsibilities of institutions navigating the interconnected challenges of energy, climate, and democracy. Show Notes Professor Joe Tomain: University of Cincinnati College of Law Books and Publications Referenced Energy Law and Policy (4th Edition, 2026) Joseph P. Tomain, Lincoln L. Davies, Alexandra B. Klass, Uma Outka, Hari M. Osofsky, Elizabeth J. Wilson Energy Law in a Nutshell (4th Edition, 2022) A foundational text examining the structure of modern energy systems and the transition toward clean and net-zero energy policy. Smart Energy Paths: How Willie Nelson Saved the Planet (2006) Joseph P. Tomain Institutions Referenced Urban Morgan Institute for Human Rights — University of Cincinnati College of Law International Commission of Jurists

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Mark Gibney: Human Rights and Film

This week, we welcome Professor Mark Gibney to the show. Mark Gibney is the Carol G. Belk Distinguished Professor at UNC Asheville, longtime director of the Political Terror Scale, and one of the leading voices in international human rights scholarship. He is a longtime friend and colleague of Professor Bert Lockwood, marking more than 40 years of friendship this year. Meredith’s own friendship with Mark is rooted in a shared passion for storytelling through human rights film and documentary, which frames this conversation. In this episode, we explore the intersection of human rights, storytelling, and global accountability through the lens of Mark’s extraordinary career. We discuss the Political Terror Scale and the role of data in documenting torture, disappearances, political imprisonment, and extrajudicial killings, as well as his recent scholarship calling for a more nuanced system of graded responsibility in international law. We also examine the power of film as a human rights tool through Mark’s course on human rights cinema and a wide-ranging discussion of documentaries, including The Alabama Solution, Mr. Nobody Against Putin, Collective, and Darwin’s Nightmare. Together, we reflect on how film can expose hidden abuses, humanize legal frameworks, and expand public understanding in ways traditional institutions sometimes cannot. Grounding the conversation in the realities of this moment, we also discuss human rights challenges unfolding in the United States and around the world, from democratic backsliding and prison abuses to the crises in Iran and Palestine, and where Mark sees possibilities for accountability and change. We hope this discussion encourages our listeners to reflect on how one measures injustice, how we bear witness, and how law, storytelling, and civic engagement can work together in the pursuit of international human rights. Show Notes Episode Transcript PDF Professor Mark Gibney, UNC Asheville Political Terror Scale (PTS) “Taking Human Rights Obligations (More) Seriously,” Human Rights Quarterly (Vol. 47, 2025) Films & Documentaries The Alabama Solution Mr. Nobody Against Putin Collective Darwin’s Nightmare Put Your Soul in Your Hand and Walk The Lives of Others Flint’s Deadly Water, Frontline PBS Video Resources & Article AP News Article: Sonny Burton’s commutation Epstein Exposed

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Catherine Filloux: Award-winning Playwright and the Power of the Arts & Activism

"The theater places stories in front of hearts and minds as an experience that is living and transforming." These words from award-winning playwright and librettist Catherine Filloux capture the visceral power of the arts in the pursuit of human rights. For over 30 years, Catherine has used her creative compass to navigate the complexities of genocide, displacement, and environmental justice. An alumna of New Dramatists who received her M.F.A. at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Catherine has been honored with the 2019 Barry Lopez Visiting Writer in Ethics and Community Fellowship and the 2017 Otto René Castillo Award for Political Theatre. In this episode, the conversation explores Catherine’s prolific body of work, which spans from the history of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia to the urgent, present-day crisis of climate change. As a co-founder of Theatre Without Borders, Catherine has spent decades building bridges between artists in conflict zones, ensuring that dialogue survives even when legal and political structures fail. Having taught playwriting at institutions including Vassar, Wesleyan, and Bennington College, she brings a deep pedagogical perspective to how we witness history through performance. The discussion examines the three-dimensional prism of the stage and the unique chemistry of a live audience. Catherine also shares the inspiration behind her newest play, Olivia, which centers on a mother-daughter rift over fossil fuel dependency; a theme that resonates deeply with the intergenerational mission of this podcast. From the "oil spilled rainbows" of environmental destruction to the "psychosomatic blindness" of war survivors, Catherine’s work serves as a form of accountability and a source of hope. She transforms the stage to become more than a space for performance, but a vital instrument of accountability, transforming the most complex global crises into a shared, human experience. Show Notes Episode Transcript PDF Catherine Filloux Website Theatre Without Borders Catherine Filloux Archive, held at the Ohio State University Libraries Resources and References Fellow Travelers Opera: 10 year anniversary Sir Trevor McDonald Interview: A raw perspective on systemic issues through interviews with incarcerated women in America

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Lacey Stone: United Nations Refugee Agency, Building Futures for Refugee Women and Girls

We are honored to welcome Lacey Stone to Human Rights: Conversations Across Generations. As the Chief Development Officer at USA for UNHCR, the U.S. partner of the United Nations Refugee Agency, she works at the intersection of philanthropy, partnerships, and global humanitarian impact. With more than two decades of experience across organizations, including UNICEF USA, PATH, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Lacey has built a career grounded in connecting people, resources, and ideas to create meaningful change. In this conversation, Lacey shares what it means to bear witness to the stories of refugee women and girls and to help translate those stories into action, visibility, and support. We discuss the DAFI scholarship program, the Building Better Futures campaign, and the urgent need to invest in higher education, mentorship, and wraparound support for refugee women and girls as they rebuild their lives and strengthen their communities. Lacey also reflects on the evolving nature of philanthropy, from transactional giving to transformational partnerships, and why storytelling must remain at the center of that shift. This episode is a powerful reminder that education is more than access. It is dignity, agency, leadership, and a pathway toward long-term change. From Lacey’s own journey as a first-generation college student to Bert’s perspective on the legal evolution of the 1951 Refugee Convention, this episode examines what happens when philanthropy becomes a relational partnership aimed at fueling the next generation of global leadership. We encourage our listeners to take action by supporting USA for UNHCR and the Building Better Futures initiative. By contributing, you are providing more than a scholarship; you are ensuring that courageous students have the resources to secure their human rights, reclaim their narratives, and build a more equitable future for displaced communities worldwide. Show Notes Show Transcript PDF USA for UNHCR USA for UNHCR Website UNHCR Donate Building Better Futures Building Better Futures Video DAFI Scholarship Program 2024 DAFI Annual Report Referenced in Conversation Article: Fundraising Wasn’t Built for Women. So We Built Something New, Inside Philanthropic Study Trust (UNHCR partner in South Africa)

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Dr. Xanthe Scharff of The Freedom Fund: Ending Modern Slavery and Supporting Frontline Communities

This week, we welcome Dr. Xanthe Scharff to the show. She is the Managing Director for External Affairs and Editor-at-Large at the Freedom Fund, where she works to strengthen global efforts to end modern slavery by supporting and investing in frontline partners who are closest to the problem and best positioned to drive lasting change within their own communities. With more than 20 years of experience across journalism, research, and nonprofit leadership, Xanthe brings a powerful perspective to this work, one grounded in storytelling, partnership, and systems change. At the Freedom Fund, she plays a critical role in advancing solutions that address the often hidden and disproportionate exploitation of women and girls, ensuring that local leaders have the resources, visibility, and support they need to prevent exploitation and help survivors rebuild their lives. In our conversation, Xanthe helps unpack the reality that modern slavery is not a thing of the past, but a growing global crisis, with an estimated 50 million people affected worldwide. From forced labor and domestic servitude to trafficking within the United States and the complexities of global supply chains, she brings clarity to both the scale of the issue and the pathways toward sustainable change. She also reflects on her earlier work as co-founder of the Fuller Project, where she helped reshape how stories about women are told and understood across the globe. This episode is an invitation to deepen awareness and to take meaningful action by supporting organizations like the Freedom Fund and the courageous frontline leaders working every day to prevent exploitation, protect human dignity, and build safer futures for women and girls around the world. Show Notes: Show Transcript PDF The Freedom Fund 2025–2030 Strategic Plan To Make a Donation Research Library Featured Article ‘Invisible’ children born in the brothels of Bangladesh finally get birth certificates, The Guardian National Human Trafficking Hotline Call: 1-888-373-7888 Text: 233733 Website Learn More U.S. National Human Trafficking Prevention Month 1926 Slavery Convention: 100th Anniversary The Fuller Project - Website Further Reading & Resources Women’s Empowerment and Child Labor in Cocoa: Ghana & Côte d’Ivoire Child Labor is Helping Power the Clean Energy Transition Voice of Change Podcast, “Empowering Change: The Syrian Women’s Political Movement” Bonded by Brick documentary, The Centrum Media

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Julie Leftwich: Peacebuilding and the International Peace and Security Initiative

In this episode of Human Rights: Conversations Across Generations, we are joined by Julie Leftwich, founder of the International Peace and Security Initiative at the University of Cincinnati College of Law and a deeply respected voice in peacebuilding, international law, and human rights. Julie brings to this conversation a remarkable body of work shaped by years of engagement with conflict, diplomacy, refugee and immigrant rights, and the urgent questions facing our world today. She speaks with extraordinary candor and moral clarity about the realities of this moment, from freedom to protest and immigration to the human stakes of conflict and peacebuilding. Our conversation also explores the vision behind the International Peace and Security Initiative, which is dedicated to preparing and mentoring the next generation of leaders committed to global justice, international cooperation, and conflict resolution. Julie reflects on the importance of education, dialogue, and principled leadership in a world that increasingly demands all three. This is a powerful and thoughtful episode, and we are grateful to Julie for the generosity, conviction, and firsthand insight she brought to the conversation. SHOW NOTES Transcript PDF Support and Donate to the International Peace and Security Initiative at the University of Cincinnati College of Law Click Here to Donate Julie Leftwich's Website Judge Thomas Buergenthal, memoir: A Lucky Child

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