The people of Minnesota have played an outsized role in international human rights activism and scholarship since the 1970s. The story is also a complicated one. As Minnesota-based actors have made their international impact, the state remains the site of persistent human rights violations.
Fueled by the resources of the newly established Minnesota Human Rights Archive, “The Global Reach of Local Activism” recounts a compelling slice of local-to-global history, replete with triumphs, setbacks, and ongoing challenges. The exhibit is the first in an ongoing series highlighting unique and extensive archival resources that will soon be available to the public for the first time.
Join us as we explore Minnesotans’ contributions to the global movements to end gender-based violence, racial discrimination, and torture. A call to action offers hope for a better future while acknowledging the unfinished work of protecting human rights in Minnesota and globally.
The event will kick off with Minnesota human rights experts discussing the successes, challenges, and what is next for women’s rights, the struggle against torture, and racial justice. Panelists include: Loretta Frederick, former Senior Legal and Policy Advisor, Battered Women’s Justice Project (BWJP); Emily Hutchinson, Vice President for Global Programs at Center for Victims of Torture (CVT); and Angela Rose Myers, board chair Minnesota Freedom Fund Action and former President of Minneapolis NAACP.
World renowned human rights scholar, Kathryn Sikkink, will give the keynote address reflecting on the significance of Minnesota human rights activism to the international human rights movement and the importance of archives for human rights and justice work. Remarks will also be given by former Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie.
Full Schedule
2-3:30 p.m. – “Minnesota’s Complicated Human Rights History” Panel Discussion, Elmer L. Andersen Library, Room 120
4-4:45 p.m. – Unguided tours of the exhibit, “Global Reach of Local Activism: Minnesota’s Human Rights Stories,” Elmer L. Andersen Library, 2nd floor
5 p.m. – Keynote Address by Kathryn Sikkink, Ryan Family Professor of Human Rights Policy, Harvard University
6:15 p.m. – Reception and tours of the exhibit
All events are free and open to the public. However, registration is requested.
Kathryn Sikkinkworks on international norms and institutions, transnational advocacy networks, the impact of human rights law and policies, and transitional justice. Her publications include The Hidden Face of Rights: Toward a Politics of Responsibilities; Evidence for Hope:Making Human Rights Work in the 21st Century; The Justice Cascade: How Human Rights Prosecutions are Changing World Politics (awarded the Robert F. Kennedy Center Book Award, and the WOLA/Duke University Award); Mixed Signals: U.S. Human Rights Policy and Latin America; Activists Beyond Borders: Advocacy Networks in International Politics (co-authored with Margaret Keck and awarded the Grawemeyer Award for Ideas for Improving World Order, and the ISA Chadwick Alger Award for Best Book in the area of International Organizations); and The Persistent Power of Human Rights: From Commitment to Compliance, (co-edited with Thomas Risse and Stephen Ropp).
She holds an MA and Ph.D. from Columbia University. Sikkink has been a Fulbright Scholar in Argentina and a Guggenheim fellow. She is a fellow of the American Philosophical Society, the American Association for Arts and Sciences and the Council on Foreign Relations, and a member of the editorial board of the International Studies Quarterly, International Organization, and the American Political Science Review.
Sponsors
The Global Reach of Local Activism is presented by the Human Rights Program, the Archives and Special Collections at the University of Minnesota Libraries, and the Roy Wilkins Center for Human Relations and Social Justice with support from the Human Rights Initiative, the Imagine Events Grant, Ohanessian Fund for Justice and Peace Studies, and Huntington Bank.
Event details
What: The Global Reach of Local Activism: Minnesota’s Human Rights Stories
When: | – Where: Elmer L. Andersen Library | Parking and directions
: For Students, Faculty, and Staff 
Kathryn Sikkink works on international norms and institutions, transnational advocacy networks, the impact of human rights law and policies, and transitional justice. Her publications include The Hidden Face of Rights: Toward a Politics of Responsibilities; Evidence for Hope: Making Human Rights Work in the 21st Century; The Justice Cascade: How Human Rights Prosecutions are Changing World Politics (awarded the Robert F. Kennedy Center Book Award, and the WOLA/Duke University Award); Mixed Signals: U.S. Human Rights Policy and Latin America; Activists Beyond Borders: Advocacy Networks in International Politics (co-authored with Margaret Keck and awarded the Grawemeyer Award for Ideas for Improving World Order, and the ISA Chadwick Alger Award for Best Book in the area of International Organizations); and The Persistent Power of Human Rights: From Commitment to Compliance, (co-edited with Thomas Risse and Stephen Ropp).