Human Rights at UT: A Dialogue at the Intersection of Academics and Advocacy

Welcome

Daniel Brinks, Assistant Professor of Government, University of Texas at Austin; Associate Director for Academics, Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice

Karen Engle, Director, Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice; Professor of Law, University of Texas at Austin

Contemporary Challenges in and to Human Rights, and the Role of the University

David Kennedy, Vice President for International Affairs, University Professor of Law and David and Marianna Fisher University Professor of International Relations, Brown University

Kenneth I. Shine, Executive Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs, University of Texas System

Moderator: Karen Engle, Director, Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice; Professor of Law, University of Texas at Austin

Reception

Artists as Agents of Justice

Bringing awareness to human rights issues is key to achieving justice, particularly in democracies. Academic articles have a limited audience, but movies, plays, and other media are more accessible and are playing an increasing role in both advocacy and awareness.

Opening Remarks: Alvaro Restrepo, Founder and Co-Director of El Colegio Del Cuerpo in Cartagena, Colombia

La Americana, Film Screening

The award-winning documentary follows the life of Maria del Carmen Rojas, an illegal immigrant struggling to save the life of her ailing daughter in Bolivia. Carmen’s unforgettable story is the story of millions of illegal immigrants who risk their lives for their loved ones but must live with apathy and rejection from the American public.

Discussion: Nicholas Bruckman, Director and Producer, La Americana

Mary Ann Smothers Bruni, Filmmaker and Photographer

Alvaro Restrepo, Founder and Co-Director of El Colegio Del Cuerpo in Cartagena, Colombia

Moderator: Katrin MacMillan, Independent Producer

Continental Breakfast

Justiciability of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights: Achieving National Ideals

The expansion of social, economic, and cultural rights in constitutions and international legal institutions, particularly in Latin-America, raises complex questions of judicial implementation, judicial capacity, and the practical effect judicial intervention might have on shaping and realizing national economic and political goals.

Daniel Brinks, Assistant Professor of Government, University of Texas at Austin; Associate Director for Academics, Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice

Karen Engle, Director, Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice; Professor of Law, University of Texas at Austin

Anjela Jenkins, PhD and JD Student, Government and School of Law, University of Texas at Austin

Daniel Ryan, PhD Student, Government, University of Texas at Austin

Building Austin; Rebuilding Justice

An innovative and comprehensive study of Austin construction workers reveals widespread violations of workers’ rights.

Lauren Cox, Proyecto Defensa Laboral

Marleen Mar, Undergraduate Student, University of Texas at Austin

Juan Orozco, Proyecto Defensa Laboral

Shannon Speed, Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin

Break

Rwanda’s Memory: What Will Tomorrow’s Generation Know?

A genocide survivor’s story illustrates the importance of keeping and spreading memories. The panel’s other members will explore how current efforts and issues in archiving, securing, and disclosing records of the genocide create and perpetuate memory.

Shannon Sedgwick-Davis, Partner, Bridgeway Foundation

Amy Hamilton, Undergraduate Student, University of Texas at Austin

Christian Kelleher, Archivist, University of Texas at Austin Libraries

Henriette Mutegwaraba, Fellow, San Antonio College

James Smith, Director, Aegis Trust

Moderator: Fred Heath, Vice Provost and Director, University of Texas at Austin Libraries

Lunch & Poster Session

Ecuador’s Constitution and Quest for Afro-descendant Territorial Rights

Participants will discuss the history and development of Afro-Ecuadorians’ quest for equal citizenship, including through recognition of collective land title, and consider the extent to which the state has conformed to its obligations under Ecuadoran and international law. The panel will be based on preliminary findings from a 2009 Rapoport Center delegation to Ecuador.

Kaleema Al- Nur, Post Graduate Fellow, Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice

Ecuador Delegation Students: Lindsey Engelman, Mario Franke, Edmund Gordon, Emily Joiner, Desiree Ledet, Christopher Willett, Matthew Wooten

Commentator: Ariel Dulitzky, Director, Human Rights Clinic, University of Texas at Austin School of Law

UT’s Immigration Clinic and the Hutto Detention Center

UT Immigration Clinic discusses challenges and perspectives relating to imprisoned immigrant families, children, and asylum seekers.

Denise Gilman, Clinical Professor, University of Texas at Austin School of Law

Barbara Hines, Clinical Professor, University of Texas at Austin School of Law

Frances Valdez, Immigration Attorney

Liz Wagoner, Attorney

Break

The Academy at the Border’s Edge: Research, Teaching, Advocacy

From their unique position near the US-Mexico border, University of Texas at El Paso professors discuss the relationship between cross-border human rights issues, activism, and governmental policy.

Irasema Coronado, Associate Provost and Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Texas at El Paso

Josiah Heyman, Professor of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Texas at El Paso

Guillermina Núñez, Assistant Professor of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Texas at El Paso

Kathleen Staudt, Professor of Political Science, University of Texas at El Paso

Commentator: Alejandro Lugo, Associate Professor of Anthropology; Associate Head Director of Graduate Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Terror, Interrogation and Torture: Rhetorical Methods of De-humanization at Guantánamo Bay

How is the torture of individuals at Guantánamo Bay rationalized? The panel shows the ways that the language of location, citizenship, civilization and anarchy are used on and around the bodies of detainees.

Douglas Coulson, Graduate Student, English, University of Texas at Austin

Colleen Eils, Graduate Student, English, University of Texas at Austin

Connie Steel, Graduate Student, English, University of Texas at Austin

Commentators: Susan Sage Heinzelman, Interim Director, Center for Women's and Gender Studies, University of Texas at Austin
Jamil Dakwar, Director, ACLU Human Rights Program
Nancy Pearson, Program Manager, New Tactics in Human Rights

Dinner Keynote Address

The Neglected Human Rights?

The Honorable Frances T. ("Sissy") Farenthold, Rapoport Center Advisory Board Member, and other Center stakeholders

The Border Wall as a Human Rights Barrier

Research along the US-Mexico border reveals how marginalized populations are most likely to be affected by the border fence proposal from the Department of Homeland Security. This panel will consider the research that the University of Texas Working Group on the Border Wall brought before the Inter-American Commission, as well as consider strategies for challenging the wall under the Obama Administration.

Jude Benavides, Assistant Professor, University of Texas at Brownsville Chemistry and Environmental Sciences

Denise Gilman, Clinical Professor, University of Texas at Austin School of Law

Shannon Speed, Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin

Jeff Wilson, Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Environmental Sciences, University of Texas at Brownsville

Commentator: Jamil Dakwar, Director, ACLU Human Rights Program

Living Newspaper Workshop

Participants will experience sample activities from Living Newspaper project, which is designed to help secondary-school students gain a better understanding of the world around them through creative writing and performances.

Tessa Farmer, Program Coordinator, Humanities Institute, University of Texas at Austin

Rebecca Hewett, PhD Student, Performance as Public Practice University of Texas at Austin

Commentators: Katrin MacMillan, Independent Producer
Alvaro Restrepo, Founder and Co-Director of El Colegio Del Cuerpo in Cartagena, Colombia

Break

Recognizing Health Care as a Human Right and Humanizing Global Economic Policy

Global economic policies have imposed restrictions on developing countries that, with limited resources, have come to depend on aid from international agencies to provide domestic health care. Can the idea of access to health care as a human right trump these restrictions?

Chair: William Sage, Vice Provost for Health Affairs, James R. Dougherty Chair for Faculty Excellence, University of Texas School of Law

Neville Hoad, Associate Professor of English, University of Texas at Austin

Alejandro Moreno, Associate Director, Internal Medicine Program, University of Texas Medical Branch – Austin Programs

Alexandra B. Nolen, Acting Director of the Center to Eliminate Health Disparities, and Associate Director of the PAHO/WHO Collaborating Center for Training in International Health, University of Texas Medical Branch

James Wilson, Assistant Professor of History, University of Texas at Austin

Commentator: Susannah Sirkin, Deputy Director, Physicians for Human Rights

Literature and Social Justice

English honors undergraduates explore the importance of including human rights and social justice in an English literature curriculum and the contribution of literature to political history.

Barbara Harlow, Professor of English, University of Texas at Austin

Undergraduate students, English, University of Texas at Austin: Travis Bauer, Catherine Chiodo, Kate Clabby, Josh Cowan, Jennifer Dahlin, Andrew Durham, Alisa Holahan, Sarah Jenkins, Kitty Jordan, Andres Martinez, Nina Ochoa, Sarah Rush, Rebecca Wolff

Lunch & Poster Session

Death Penalty in the U.S. and International Human Rights

The Texas After Violence Project discusses the practice of the death penalty in Texas through a lens of international human rights norms.

Kimberly Bacon, Undergraduate Student, Communication, University of Texas at Austin; Texas After Violence Project

Antony Cherian, PhD Student, School of Information, University of Texas at Austin; Consultant, Texas After Violence Project

Papa Diallo, Graduate Student, LBJ School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin

Walter Long, Defense Attorney, Counsel, Texas After Violence Project

Sabina Hinz-Foley, Texas After Violence Project

Gabriel Solis, Associate Director, Texas After Violence Project

Eric Tang, Assistant Professor, Center for African and African American Studies, University of Texas at Austin

Student Activism

Nikishka Iyengar, Chief Operating Officer and International Projects Director, Nourish International-Austin

Jaclyn Markovich, Undergraduate Student, Communication, University of Texas at Austin

Abhishek Nakarmi, Vice President, OxfamUT

Charlotte Nunes, Graduate Student, English, University of Texas at Austin

Discussant: Alejandra Olivas-Davila, Graduate Student, Philosophy; Co-Leader, Amnesty International UTEP, University of Texas at El Paso

Break

Human Rights Work at UT—Where Should We Go From Here?

This closing roundtable brings together participants engaged in human rights work outside of UT to assist us in planning for the future. Based on their observations at the conference, they will comment critically on the work in which we are engaged.

Jamil Dakwar, Director, ACLU Human Rights Program

Nancy Pearson, Program Manager, New Tactics in Human Rights

Alvaro Restrepo, Founder and Co-Director of El Colegio Del Cuerpo in Cartagena, Colombia

Susannah Sirkin, Deputy Director, Physicians for Human Rights

James Smith, Director, Aegis Trust

Moderator: Ariel Dulitzky, Director, Human Rights Clinic, University of Texas at Austin School of Law