Human Rights Cities Webinar Series 2024

Upcoming Webinars

Using United Nations Tools to Challenge U.S. Racism: Commemorating the International Day to End Racism
Wednesday March 21, 6:00-7:15PM EST/ 3:00-4:15 PST
Panelists will report on the work of recent international investigations of racial disparities and discrimination in the United States, including the International Expert Mechanism on Racial Discrimination in the Context of Law Enforcement (EMLER) and the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD). We will hear about some of the key findings and recommendations in these reports and learn how grassroots activists and policy makers can use them to hold U.S. officials accountable to global human rights and improve conditions in local communities. We will also learn about the upcoming Third session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, which will develop the Draft United Nations Declaration on the Promotion, Protection and full Respect of the Human Rights of People of African Descent, addressing themes of reparations, sustainable development, economic justice, and education and culture. Panel participants include: Kerry McLean, J.D., Director, Human Rights and Public International Law, Columbia University Law School and Lisa Borden, Senior Policy Counsel for International Advocacy, Southern Poverty Law Center.

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Past Webinars

• January 17 2024: A Tale of Two Cities: Atlanta & Birmingham During the Civil Rights Movement--Join us for a conversation about how cities can facilitate or hinder human rights movements. By discussing the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham, Alabama and Atlanta, Georgia, our speakers will shed light on how city governments, civil society leaders, and urban geographies can advance or obstruct racial justice and human rights. Speakers: Dr. Falechiondro Karcheik Sims-Alvarado, Morehouse College, Barry McNealy, Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, & Ajanet Rountree PhD candidate, George Mason University. This event is part of the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s King Week activities and is hosted by University of Alabama Birmingham’s Institute for Human Rights and the Human Rights Cities Alliance.

• February 2024: Strategies for Advancing Human Rights & Racial Justice in Cities & Communities --Amid unprecedented threats to basic human rights many people once took for granted–including the right to vote, enjoy access to housing and other basic needs, and to have hope for our collective future, how can globally recognized human rights be a tool for change in our communities? How can movements for racial justice benefit from human rights strategies? Why are communities around the world organizing to demand the right to the city? This panel presents lessons from the work of human rights advocates across different U.S. cities and communities about how to organize communities and build political and popular support for human rights in local settings. Panel presentations: Human Rights Cities Alliance (Molefi Askari & Eric Macadangdang); Dayton United for Human Rights (Stephanie Van Hoose); Dr. Catherine Adams, Claflin University (on organizing in small cities and rural areas and at HBCUs).

[Recording link]

Presentation slides: Introduction to Human Rights Cities-Human Rights Cities Alliance; Dayton United for Human Rights Slide presentation, Dayton United for Human Rights Organizing Flier