Let's Talk Human Rights

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

What an exciting spring it was for the HRC! The highlight of the semester was the Romero Human Rights Award Ceremony which celebrated the tireless efforts of David Morales from Cristosal, and Ovidio Mauricio Gonzalez and Wilfredo Medrano from Tutela Legal, to bring accountability and justice for current and past state sponsored violence in El Salvador. During the award symposium, a panel of eminent experts explored the links between this violence in the Northern Triangle, the migrant and refugee flow over the border with Mexico and the responses of human rights defenders on the border, across the nation and locally in Dayton. Topping off the night was an impressive opening of America the Borderland, the new multimedia exhibit of the Moral Courage Project, which confronts the polarized debate around threats to immigrant rights by centering the voices of the community on the frontline. 

Dayton was also confronted with a white supremacy rally and the University continues to face issues of hate on campus. In response, the HRC partnered with the Multi-Ethnic Education and Engagement Center and Campus Ministry to demonstrate that hate has no home here, through a series of impactful dialogues, statements and gatherings. Increasing diversity, equity and inclusion and addressing white supremacy remains a marker of our commitment to a human rights-friendly campus environment.

We ended the semester with a moving collaboration with the Theatre, Dance and Performance Technology Program  on the production of the Library, which tackles the devastating impact on survivors of gun violence in schools - a challenge which Amnesty International USA calls “a human rights crisis.” Further supporting student-led, human rights-based learning, over 200 students, faculty and staff delved into the Sustainable Development Goals and how the University can make progress on the global Agenda 2030 at the annual Stander Symposium.  

Upcoming in early fall is our biennial Social Practice of Human Rights Conference, which brings academics and practitioners together to tackle the transformations facing society and how the human rights community can respond. We hope you will join us here for the exciting conversations.  

Wishing you all a joyful and restful Independence Day!

Shelley Inglis
Executive Director
University of Dayton Human Rights Center
go.udayton.edu/hrc