Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law
Human Rights News & Events

WCL Events

1. KATRINA/RITA AWARENESS WEEK AT AU/WCL FEATURING THE KATRINARITAVILLE EXPRESS
Monday, November 10 - Friday, November 14
Beginning the week of November 10th, the 9th Annual Human Rights Film Series will shift its focus to the human rights concerns still plaguing the Gulf Coast area three years after Hurricane Katrina. Local New Orleans filmmaker Broderick Webb will screen his new film “Cut Off,” dealing with the massive public housing demolitions that followed Hurricane Katrina and will lead a discussion about ongoing access to housing issues.  On Thursday, AU’s Center for Social Media will screen the third part of When the Levees Broke and host a discussion with Oscar-nominated producer Sam Pollard at the AU Weschler Theater. 

Throughout the week, the KatrinaRitaVille FEMA trailer will be on campus to educate the campus community as well as the larger DC community about ongoing housing issues on the gulf - brought by Gulf Coast activist Derrick Evans, founder and executive director of Turkey Creek Community Initiatives (TCCI), an organization serving the Mississippi Gulf Coast community settled by freed African-American ancestors in 1866.  More than 150,000 Americans lived in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) trailers following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.  Today, more than 36,000 remain in them three years later.  The tiny 8 ft x 30 ft (240 sq ft) trailers - found to have elevated and dangerous amounts of the cancer causing gas Formaldehyde - were intended to house families of up to 6.

We hope that you will be able to join us for this important week of activities.  All screenings are free and open to the public and will feature post-screening discussions with award-winning filmmakers and human rights advocates.  Co-sponsored by the WCL Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, SAKS - Student Activists for Katrina/Rita Survivors, Action for Human Rights, and the Center for American Progress/Campus Progress. For more information contact Amelia Parker at aparker@wcl.american.edu or visit the Center's website at www.wclcenterforhr.org.  

• KatrinaRitaVille FEMA Trailer
  Wednesday, November 12, 8am - 6pm, Starbucks Parking Lot Across from WCL
  Thursday, November 13 and Friday November 14, 8am - 6pm, AU Quad
  Visit this trailer to learn about housing issues facing hurricane survivors on the Gulf Coast.
  
• Human Rights, Housing and Education: A Panel Discussion Exploring New Orleans 3 Years After Katrina
  Wednesday, November 12, 12pm - 1:20pm, WCL Room 603
  How is the Gulf Coast dealing with the devastation Hurricane Katrina wrought on the Gulf Coast three years ago?  Join us for a discussion about the ongoing human rights concerns plaguing the Gulf Coast with Derrick Evans, founder and executive director of Turkey Creek Community Initiatives (TCCI), an organization serving the Mississippi Gulf Coast community settled by freed African-American ancestors in 1866; New Orleans filmmaker and community activist Broderick Webb; and others.
  
• Alternative Winter Break Info Session
  Wednesday, November 12, 4:30pm, WCL Room TBA
  Join us for an information session on ways in which you can get involved with this year's trip. For additional info, email ahr@wcl.american.edu.
  

• Cut Off (runtime - 45 minutes)
  Wednesday, November 12, 6pm, WCL Room 603
  Public hospitals, schools, and housing in New Orleans are being eliminated and radically redefined.  How will this shape the “New City” and affect those who live there?  Special visit with filmmaker Broderick Webb.  Dinner will be served.
  
• When the Levees Broke (runtime - 64 minutes)
  Thursday, November 13, 5:30pm, AU Weschler Theatre
  Join Oscar-nominated producer Sam Pollard for Part 3 of When the Levees Broke, an examination of the U.S. government’s role in the response to Hurricane Katrina and the disastrous series of events that devastated the city and its people. 
  
  

2. SEEKING REFUGE FROM CLIMATE CHANGE
Tuesday, November 11, 12pm, Room 101
Kicking off the IRC's efforts to raise money for the displaced victims of the four hurricanes that passed through Haiti this past August, the Environmental Law Society and the IRC will be hosting a lunch panel on climate change's role in forced migration. Featured speakers include David Hunter and Marcos Orellana. For more information, please contact Cori Alonso-Marsden at cori.alonsomarsden@gmail.com.

3. BETWEEN COMPROMISE & PRINCIPLE: DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES ON THE REFUGEE ISSUE IN THE ISRAELI/PALESTINIAN CONFLICT
Tuesday, November 11, 12pm, Room 528
Would you like to learn more about the challenges Palestinians face? Come listen to Palestinian LLM students speak about what Palestinians are experiencing. This is your opportunity to ask the questions that you've always wanted know more about. This is open to everyone. This lecture is part of a four-part series. Lunch will be provided. For more information, please email majd_bader@yahoo.com.

4. SUMMER LAW PROGRAM IN THE HAGUE INFO SESSION
Wednesday, November 12, 12pm - 1:20pm, Room 401
On Wednesday, November 12th the War Crimes Research Office (WCRO) is organizing an info session for prospective participants in the Summer 2009 Law Program in The Hague. WCRO staff, including Summer Program Director Susana SáCouto and past student participants will be available to answer your questions. Lunch will be served. For those of you not in DC, all relevant materials as well as the program application will be available shortly. Thank you for your patience!If you are planning to attend, please RSVP by emailing hagueprogram@wcl.american.edu..

5. HELP ROOTS & WINGS FUND GUATEMALAN SCHOOL CHILDREN
Thursday, November 6, 9am-5pm, WCL Lobby
Roots & Wings, an NGO started by WCL 3L Erik Swanson, brought in enough for 2 full-tuition university scholarships in the last three weeks by selling coffee.  Thank you to those of you who have volunteered!   Erik will be setting up a table again this Thursday to sell coffee for Roots & Wings Intl scholarships.  Please let him know if you would like to donate an hour of your time to help Guatemalan students raise themselves and their communities out of extreme poverty.   100% of the coffee sales go directly to the R&R university scholarship program which offers scholarships to students whose families' earn less than $2 per day. (learn about R&R work at www.rootsandwingsintl.org).   The table will be set up on Thursday from 9am to 5pm.  Please let Erik know if you are interested in volunteering and if so at what time by emailing him at erikwswanson@yahoo.com. You would just have to sit at the table and collect money.

6. JUSTICE AND THE NEW ADMINISTRATION
Monday, November 17, 11am - 3pm, Room 603
On the heels of the 2008 election, American University Washington College of Law will convene a High-level conference aimed at framing the agenda for the Department of Justice in the next administration. The conference will include two panels focusing on timely and critical issues: civil rights, including voting rights, affirmative action, education, and religion; and the Office of Legal Counsel, examining the Office’s role in formulating legal positions on issues ranging from the Second Amendment to torture. To register or ask questions, please email secle@wcl.american.edu.

7. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.'S IMPACT ON GLOBAL HUMAN AND CIVIL RIGHTS
Tuesday, November 18, 12pm - 2pm, Room 603
The Humanities Council of DC has created this year's International Symposium to directly explore how King's nonviolent vision continuously defied expectations and overcame countless odds to transform the lives of everyday people around the globe. King was a student of the international community and went on to become one its greatest teachers. Join us on November 18th as panelists discuss King's contribution to the advancement of civil and human rights. Please contact A. Tyra Fennell at tfennell@wdchumanities.org.

8. SAVE THE DATE:  REALIZING THE PROMISE OF HUMAN RIGHTS:  EXAMINING THE FIRST 60 YEARS AND BEYOND
Tuesday, December 2, 9a - -5pm, Room 603
As part of the global celebration of the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), WCL and the American Society for International Law will present a day-long conference examining the past, present, and future of this landmark document.  Yale Law School Dean Harold Koh will deliver the keynote address, The Politics of Implementation: The Role of Human Rights in Foreign Policy.  For more information and to register, please contact: WCL Office of Special Events & Continuing Legal Education, 202.274.4075 or www.wcl.american.edu/secle/.  

Community Events

1. 25TH ANNUAL ROBERT F. KENNEDY HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD CEREMONY AND RECEPTION, FEATURING AMINTOU HAIDER
Thursday, November 13, 10:30am, Russell Senate Office Building, Room 325
Aminatou Haidar, 2008 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Laureate, is a Sahrawi human rights defender struggling for the right to self-determination of Western Sahara, the last colony in Africa. Ms. Haidar’s commitment to non-violence and peaceful demonstrations has led many to call her the “Sahrawi Gandhi.” Ms. Haidar plays a leading role in several human rights campaigns focusing on the release of Sahrawi prisoners of conscience and the right to self-determination of the Sahrawi people. Ms. Haidar supports local organizations that monitor the human rights situation in Western Sahara and the illegal exploitation of its natural resources. She is a member of the Collective of Sahrawi Human Rights Defenders (CODESA), which draws attention to abuses committed by Moroccan authorities. Please RSVP via e-mail to rsvp@rfkmemorial.org

2. PULITZER CENTER ON CRISIS REPORTING PRESENTS: "VIETNAM: WAR'S LASTING LEGACY"
Friday, November 14, 12pm-2pm, George Washington University, Elliott School of International Affairs, 6th Floor, Lindner Family Commons, E St. & 19th St. NW
This event is presented by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting  with sponsorship by The War Legacies Project and the Program for International Studies in Asia of the Elliott School of International Affairs. Join journalist Christie Aschwanden and Phung Tuu Boi, one of her Vietnamese interviewees,for a panel discussion on the unintended consequences of warfarein Vietnamand what is being done today to overcome thelingering toxinsofAgent Orange sprayed by the U.S. during the war. For more information, contactPulitzer Center George Washington Student Liaison, Paul Biba, atpaulbiba@gwmail.gwu.edu.

3. IMMIGRATION REMEDIES FOR SURVIVORS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Wednesday, November 19, 9am - 1pm, Mintz Levin, 701 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Suite 900
Registration begins at 8:45am; training begins at 9am. This training will provide attorneys with an overview of the different immigration remedies available for survivors of domestic violence. The training will prepare attorneys to represent clients in: VAWA self-petitions, Battered Spouse Waivers, U-visas, T-visas, and gender-based asylum claims. Trainers will also offer suggestions for cultural competency when working with immigrant survivors of domestic violence. Attorneys, paralegals and interns are encouraged to attend. Training participants are asked to commit to accept at least one pro bono immigration case referral from WEAVE in the course of a year. Breakfast and refreshments will be provided. There is no cost for this training.Registration form must be received by Wednesday, November 12, 2008. For a registration form or questions, please contact Anna Lifson at anna@weaveincorp.org.

4. HUMAN RIGHTS IN COLOMBIA: THE CONTINUING CRISIS IN PUTUMAYO
Thursday, November 20, 1pm - 3pm, 2255 Rayburn House Office Building
The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, formerly the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, presents this briefing on the continuing human rights crisis in Putumayo, Colombia. Nearly a year in preparation, this briefing brings to Washington, DC a stellar delegation of human rights defenders from the Department of Putumayo, Colombia. Professional simultaneous translation will be provided.Putumayo, in southern Colombia, has received large concentrations of U.S. military, counterdrug, and economic funding, as a focus of counterinsurgency, counternarcotics and armed conflict for the past decade. These human rights defenders will describe what has occurred in Putumayo during the 2000s and the current human rights situation. Their personal stories and descriptions of the human rights situation on the ground in Colombia will serve as a window into the reality of rural life in Colombia. For more information, please contact HansJ.Hogrefe@MAIL.HOUSE.GOV.

Announcements & Professional Development Opportunities

1. ALTERNATIVE WINTER BREAK APPLICATIONS ARE NOW AVAILABLE!!!!
Three years later - the Gulf Coast continues to deal with the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita  and now Hurricane Ike has dealt another similar blow to the region.  Your service is needed as much now as ever.   Last year's trip to the Gulf Coast saw WCL take the largest group of law students in the country.  Help make this year's trip even more successful!! The due date this year is NOVEMBER 14, by 12:00pm to allow people to sign-up throughout Katrina Week (Nov. 10th-14th), but priority will be given to the first 40 students to return the application! Please take completed and signed applications to Jarrod Shirk in the Office of Career and Professional Development, suite 122. Please contact ahr@wcl.american.edu if you have any questions. Alternative Winter Break is just around the corner and we're really excited to finalize the group for this year!  The application is attached to this e-mail and will also be posted on TWEN under the Action for Human Rights page.

2. AYUDA, INC.’S CHILDREN’S PROJECT SEEKS LEGAL INTERN FOR SPRING 2009
Ayuda, Inc. seeks a Spanish-speaking law student for Spring 2009 to work with the Children’s Project in providing immigration legal services to unaccompanied immigrant children. This is a part time position. The internship is unpaid, though Ayuda would happily support any efforts to secure outside funding or school credit. The Children’s Project represents both detained and non-detained unaccompanied immigrant children before the Immigration Service, the Immigration Courts and the Maryland Courts. Whenever possible, the Project assists children to obtain lawful immigration status in the United States by applying for asylum or for “green cards” or visas through special laws that protect victims of domestic violence, victims of child abuse, abandonment and neglect, victims of trafficking, and victims of serious crimes in the U.S. In addition to direct legal services, the Children’s Project attorneys regularly conducts trainings and outreach, and engages in national policy initiatives. Specifically, the law student would work with two Children’s Project attorneys on preparing a wide variety of immigration law cases for children, and would assist with screening interviews of potential clients, both in the office and at area detention centers. If interested, there may also be opportunities to give outreach presentations. Interested applicants should send a cover letter and resume to Jennifer Podkul, Esq. at jennifer@ayuda.com.

3. EXTERN AT A HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATION NEXT SPRING OR SUMMER!
There are many opportunities for students to earn academic credit working for human rights organizations this spring and next summer.  Among the organizations that recently responded to a query regarding spring externships were  Amnesty International, the Center on Conscience and War, the ABA Commission on Immigration, the Southern Center for Human Rights and the World Organization for Human Rights.  Information about these organizations is available on the Externship Program website by clicking on the database.   For students interested in international externships, pleas see the list of placements available on the international page of the Externship Program website.  In particular, please note that the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights has agreed to accept a qualified WCL student for the summer 2009 semester.  Applicants must be absolutely fluent in both oral and written Spanish and must have some work or academic background in international human rights. For more information, email Avis L. Sanders at alsander@wcl.american.edu.

4. SPEND YOUR SUMMER ASSISTING IMMIGRANTS IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA!
Do you want to get away from the hot and muggy DC summer? While you're sitting in class at WCL, do you daydream of doing direct service with immigrants? If you answered yes, then send in your application to spend this summer as a law clerk with the International Institute of the Bay Area (IIBA) -- Oakland office: www.iibayarea.org. Whether you decide to stay in Berkeley, Oakland, or San Francisco (less than 30 minutes across the Bay on the BART train), our office in downtown Oakland will be your grounds to make an enormous difference in the lives of our clients. Please go to the following link to learn more about the law clerkship with IIBA: www.iibayarea.org/images/pdf/Vlntr_Intern/oak_summer_09_law_clerk.pdf. While applications must be received by February 9, 2008 at 5:00p.m., we suggest submitting your application ASAP as we will hold interviews for selected candidates on a rolling basis and we will extend offers on a rolling basis.

5. EQUAL JUSTICE AMERICA FELLOWSHIPS AVAILABLE FOR SPRING SEMESTER
Equal Justice America provides fellowships of up to $1,500 to students who work during the Spring 2009 semester for organizations providing direct civil legal assistance for the poor. Students must secure a part-time (at least 120 hours) placement for Spring 2009 working for a legal services organization. Students may also apply for a fellowship if they are unable to work a full 120 hours. The grant would be reduced on a pro-rated basis. Visit the Equal Justice America website at http://www.equaljusticeamerica.org for more information.

6. ADVANCED GENEVA TRAINING COURSE ON INTERNATIONAL LAW AND ADVOCACY NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
The International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) is opening the call for applications for the Geneva Training Course on International Law and Advocacy to be held in Geneva from 16 to 27 March 2009.The call for applications and application form and be found at the ISHR website: http://www.ishr.ch/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=205&Itemid=280. The deadline for application is 1 December 2008.

7. CLINIC (INLUDING INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS LAW CLINIC) SEEKS VOLUNTEERS FOR TRANSLATION AND ROLE-PLAYING
The Clinical Program is seeking volunteers to assist student attorneys with interpretation/translation and simulation role-playing. If you would like to be available as a volunteer in the clinic, please contact Maribel Yamat at myamat@wcl.american.edu or you can see her in Room 417 to get more information and fill out the appropriate forms. You may be able to receive credit for pro bono service with the public interest program.

8. WCL SUMMER LAW PROGRAM IN CHILE
May 31 - June 28, 2009
Are you interested in traveling to a foreign country and broadening your learning experience? Would you like to gain knowledge of another culture and network with individuals around the world? Enjoy your next summer in the beautiful cities of Santiago, Chile, and Buenos Aires, Argentina. The academic component of this program consists of two 3-credit courses. One of the courses (Comparative Legal Perspectives on Social Problems) introduces students to the civil law system and the role of legal institutions, both national and international, in transitions to democracy and the protection of human rights. The program also includes interesting academic activities such as a visit to the Supreme Court of Chile and a guided tour of Villa Grimaldi, a former detention center used during part of the military dictatorship. Contact: chileprogram@wcl.american.edu.

9. HUMAN RIGHTS ESSAY AWARD! CALL FOR PAPERS
2009 Topic in English: 60 years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: its contemporary normative impact
2009 Topic in Spanish: 60 anos de la Declaracion Americana de los Derechos y Deberes del Hombre: su impacto normativo actual
About the Award: This annual competition seeks to stimulate the production of scholarly work in international human rights law. Participants may choose any subject related to the assigned topic. The best articles may be published in the American University International Law Review. The Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law grants two awards, one for the best article in English and one for the best article in Spanish. Each award consists of a scholarship to the 2009 Specialized Human Rights Program, travel expenses, housing at the university dorms, and a per diem for living expenses.*

Eligibility and Requirements

• Candidates must hold a law degree.
• Submissions must be unpublished legal papers in English or Spanish, written solely by the candidate.
• Articles must not exceed 35 pages, including footnotes, and must be double-spaced using 12-point Times New Roman font.
• Articles must be submitted via e-mail to hracademy@wcl.american.edu in Microsoft Word format.
• The deadline to submit articles is February 3, 2009, by 10 a.m. (EST).
• Winners will be announced April 1, 2009, on our Web site.
• A comprehensive list of rules is available at: www.wcl.american.edu/hracademy/hraward.cfm.
  
  

10. PARTICIPATE IN NEW PRO BONO INITIATIVE!
WCL’s clinics are currently featured on www.internationalprobono.com.  This new website, developed by the International Bar Association and its Pro Bono and Access to Justice Committee, is intended to serve as a forum and resource for individuals and groups world-wide who are interested in pro bono legal work and broader matters of access to justice.  As its Welcome emphasizes, the site is designed to encourage submissions of material by and development of dialog among users.  Interested users can register on its Roster.  If you have any questions or comments, please contact Robin Westbrook (rwestbro@wcl.american.edu), Practitioner in Residence in the Janet Spragens Tax Clinic, who serves on the IBA’s Pro Bono and Access to Justice Committee.

11. APPLY FOR THE 2009 HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATES PROGRAM AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
The application for the 2009 session of the annual Human Rights Advocates Program (HRAP) at Columbia University is now available. HRAP is designed to prepare proven human rights leaders from the Global South and marginalized communities in the U.S. to participate in national and international policy debates on globalization by building their skills, knowledge, and contacts.  The Program features a four-month residency at Columbia University in New York City with a structured curriculum of advocacy, networking, skills-building, and academic coursework. Since 2004, HRAP has concentrated its support on individuals and organizations that address issues broadly related to globalization. The four-month intensive capacity building program based at Columbia University in New York focuses on the following key issue areas:

• Environmental injustice
• Labor rights violations
• Ramifications of resource extraction
• Public health crises
• Unsustainable development
• Intolerance, xenophobia, and social exclusion related to globalization

Special attention is given to the above issues and their intersection with gender, race, ethnicity, sexual identity, and/or other sources of marginalization. Participants are selected on the basis of their previous work experience on human rights and globalization, commitment to the human rights field, and demonstrated ability to complete graduate-level studies.  Advocates must originate from and reside in either the Global South or the United States.  Fluency in English is required.  Advocates must secure institutional endorsement from their organizations for their participation in the Program and must commit to returning to that organization upon completion of the Program.  If accepted, they must also commit to participating in the program fully. This extremely competitive Program will admit approximately six participants.  We make every effort to provide full fellowships to cover program costs as well as travel and living expenses for selected Advocates each year. 

Completed applications are due by December 19, 2008.  Incomplete applications will not be considered.  The 2009 HRAP will take place from the middle of August to the middle of December 2009.  For further information or to download the application, please refer to our website at: http://hrap.hrcolumbia.org/. Please contact cshr@cuvmc.ais.columbia.edu for more information.

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