Tags Share Florida’s gulf coast is home to many natural wonders: diverse estuaries, lush mangrove forests, expansive beaches, and so much more. Having grown up surrounded by wetland ecosystems in St. Petersburg, Ava Thompson chose to dedicate her studies to preserving her home state’s ecology. Now a junior at Florida State University, Thompson is studying…
Tags Share From book bans to the potential shuttering of the Department of Education, what happens in schools has become a particularly hot-button political issue, prompting contention between political factions at the local and federal levels. Measures taken to resist interference from Washington have been varied, with some teachers quietly defying the bans while others…
Tags Share Five John Jay students attended the Young Women’s Leadership Summit at Manhattanville University, where they explored human rights, education inequality, and community action. RFK Human Rights President Kerry Kennedy gave a powerful keynote address, inspiring students to lead with purpose and make a difference in their communities. Students described the event as empowering…
What social problem moves you? At the 2025 Theater and Human Rights Institute, teachers will learn how they and their students can use theater to reflect, learn, speak up, and share stories to bring about change.
Tags Share A longtime advocate for immigrant, Latinx, and LGBTQ+ communities, Arely Westley works with numerous organizations in New Orleans to uplift LGBTQ+ youth, to stop abuses in ICE detention facilities, and to expand access to immigrant support services. Westley was recognized as this year’s RFK Human Rights Award laureate for her tireless efforts to…
Tags Share Directed by Sahra Mani, Bread and Roses is a documentary that captures the experiences of Afghanistan’s women under the Taliban since they took control of Kabul. Released in 2023, the film features footage from Sharifa, an ex-government employee forced indoors, Zahra, a woman organizing activists in her dentistry practice, and Taranom, who seeks refuge in Pakistan.…
Tags Share The origin of the phrase “Speak Truth to Power” has been attributed to a number of people and organizations. Most people recognize the American Society of Friends (ASF – Quakers) and one particular Quaker, Bayard Rustin, as the original source. In 1942, Rustin, a Black Quaker and the principal organizer of the March…
Share A longtime advocate for immigrant, Latinx, and LGBTQ+ communities, Arely Westley works with numerous organizations in New Orleans to uplift LGBTQ+ youth, to stop abuses in ICE detention facilities, and to expand access to immigrant support services. Westley was recognized as this year’s RFK Human Rights Award laureate for her tireless efforts to combat…
Share Pauline Arrillaga, a Professor of Journalism and Mass Communications at Arizona State University, and 2023 fellows Elise Gregg, Joseph Kual Zakaria, and Mingson Lau, were winners of this year’s Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Book and Journalism Grand Prize. In this panel, they will discuss their work documenting the far-reaching impact of the Supreme Court’s…
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