Global, national and local human rights issues will be discussed throughout the fall semester at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in series of events offered by the UAB Institute for Human Rights.
The UAB Institute for Human Rights 2018 events include:
- A Human Rights approach to Transgender Issues: The right to live freely, safely and without fear, Thursday, Sept. 13, from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Hill Student Center Ballroom D. A panel discussion featuring Joan Rater and Tony Phelan, screen writers and TV producers, who will talk about having a transgender son and her family’s journey to understanding, acceptance and how this experience transformed them, alongside Brianna Patterson, transgender activist, military veteran and UAB graduate student, who will talk about her story. The event is co-sponsored with UAB Students for Human Rights Club.
- For Freedoms Alabama, Thursday, Sept. 20, from 6-8 p.m. at the Hill Student Center Ballrooms C and D. A town hall highlighting the significance of four important freedoms in today’s world: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear. The event is co-sponsored with For Freedom 50 State Coalition and the UAB Students for Human Rights Club.
- Alabama Inclusive, Healthy Communities, Monday, Sept. 24, from noon-4 p.m. and Tuesday, Sept. 25, from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at the UAB Alumni House. This conference will address the fundamentals of walkability and what it takes to create connected, inclusive and healthy communities that are safe for all ages and abilities. This two-day event will feature renowned walkability expert Mark Fenton along with a walk audit community-level training on day one and statewide conference on day two.
- Human Rights and the City: Shaping Urban Spaces for Access, Inclusion, and Empowerment for All, Friday, Sept. 28, from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at Heritage Hall, Room 126. This lecture is part of the College of Arts and Sciences Haddin Forum series.
- Addressing the Global Refugee Crisis – Part I: Focus on Europe, Monday, Oct. 1, from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Hill Student Center, Ballrooms C and D. A screening and discussion of the film “Non-Assistance” that focus on the thousands of refugees and migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe. It discusses how private citizens became active in the absence of government responses and general indifference. The event is co-sponsored with the Consulate of Switzerland in Atlanta, Georgia, Birmingham Southern College, Birmingham Islamic Society, the Refugee Interest Group, and UAB Students for Human Rights.
- Lecture Series Presents Tarana Burke: The Power of Me Too, Tuesday, Oct. 9, from 6-9 p.m. at the UAB Alys Stephens Center. Tarana Burke, founder of Me Too, will speak about her journey founding Me Too, which developed into a major movement over the past year. The event is co-sponsored with UAB Student Affairs, UAB Wellness Promotion, UAB Title IX Office and UAB Counseling Services.
- How Germany Has Come to Terms with Its Past, Thursday, Oct. 18, at 6 p.m. at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Woolfolk Gallery with a reception starting at 5:30 p.m. Stefan Schlüter, retired German diplomat, will be the featured lecturer. The event is co-sponsored with the Birmingham Holocaust Education Center and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.
- Sidewalk Talk, Monday, Nov. 5, from 5-9 p.m., location to be determined. SidewalkTalk is a community listening project raising awareness for mental health. Co-sponsored with the Birmingham Anxiety and Trauma Center.
- Addressing the Global Refugee Crisis – Part II: Focus on the United States, Monday, Nov. 12, from 6-8 p.m. at the Birmingham Southern College Norton Theater. April Jackson-McLennan, an attorney in the International Immigration Law Office of John Charles Bell; Jessica Vosburgh, Adelante Alabama Worker Center; Sarai Portillo, Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice will address the United States’ response to the refugee and immigrant crisis, including immigration law, detention centers, and human rights violations against immigrants and refugees. Co-sponsors of the event include Birmingham Southern College, Birmingham Islamic Society, the Refugee Interest Group, Adelante, The Law Office of John Charles Bell, and the Alabama Coalition of Immigrant Justice.
- Screening of “Sonita,” Tuesday, Nov. 13, from 6-8 p.m. at the UAB Edge of Chaos. Sonita, an 18-year-old female, is an undocumented Afghan illegal immigrant living in the poor suburbs of Tehran. She is a feisty, spirited young woman who fights to live the way she wants, as an artist, singer and musician, in spite of all of the obstacles she confronts in Iran and her conservative patriarchal family. In harsh contrast to her goal is the plan of her family — strongly advanced by her mother — to make her a bride and sell her to a new family. The price right now is about $9,000 U.S. dollars. The event is co-sponsored with the Consulate General of Switzerland, Atlanta.
For more information on events, visit the UAB Institute for Human Rights.