Gladstein Family Human Rights Institute

Space is limited. Please RSVP below. After the event, join us for a reception in the Dodd Lounge.

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In Erasing History: How Fascists Rewrite the Past to Control the Future, Jason Stanley, Ph.D., makes an urgent, fact-intensive call on behalf of democracy, showing it requires what is now being threatened: a common understanding of reality; a shared view of what has happened, that informs ordinary citizens’ decisions about what should happen, now and in the future. Authoritarians, he shows, have learned from the past and present how to attack this shared understanding, seeking to separate us from our own history to destroy our self-understanding and leave us unmoored, resentful, and confused. By setting us against each other, he writes, authoritarians represent themselves as the sole solution.

In authoritarian countries, critical examination of those nations’ history and traditions is discouraged if not an outright danger to those who do it. And it is no accident that local and global institutions of education have become a battleground, the authoritarian right’s tip of the spear, where learning and efforts to upend a hierarchal status quo can be put to end by coercion and threats of violence.

In Erasing History, Stanley exposes the true danger of the authoritarian right’s attacks on education, identifies their key tactics and funders, and traces their intellectual roots. He illustrates how fears of a fascist future have metastasized, from hypothetical threat to present reality. And he shows that hearts and minds are won in our schools and universities—places that democratic societies across the world are now ill-prepared to defend against today’s fascist assault. Deeply informed and urgently needed, Erasing History is a global call to action for those who wish to preserve democracy—in America and abroad—before it is too late.

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This event is the public keynote address of a workshop on ‘Sustaining Human Rights in the Face of Far-Right Extremism.’

Manisha Sinha, James L. and Shirley A. Draper Chair in American History (UConn), will provide comments. Rolf Frankenberger, Director of the Institute for Research on Far-Right Extremism (University of Tübingen) will moderate.

It is sponsored by the Connecticut-Baden Württemburg Human Rights Research Consortium, the Gladstein Family Human Rights Institute, UConn Philosophy, and the Office of Global Affairs.  

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Structured dialogues increase student engagement and foster inclusive learning environments. By incorporating dialogic modalities into the classroom, students can learn to communicate across difference and navigate challenging conversations, while engaging deeply with course content. In this collaborative workshop, participants will:

• Gain firsthand experience by participating in a structured dialogue
• Learn to build the foundation for a successful dialogue​ in diverse classroom contexts
• Explore a wide range of models​ and share ideas

Lunch will be provided!

This event is hosted by the Democracy & Dialogues Initiative, a program of Dodd Human Rights Impact in collaboration with Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning.

The Power of Portraiture is an interactive two-part workshop exploring portraits as activist statements.

Learn more about portraits as activist statements through close looking and discussion of work by Ben Shahn, Zanele Muholi, and David LaChapelle. Then decorate a frame for your own Polaroid portrait.

FREE

Congress to Campus provides college students and the broader community with a unique civic education by engaging them in honest dialogue with bipartisan teams of Former Members of Congress. The dialogues bring today’s issues to the forefront and showcase the benefits of healthy partisanship and civility within disagreement. Congress to Campus dialogues engage students as agents of change and expose them to and provide unparalleled insight into careers in public service. At UConn we will examine the role of dialogue as a tool to promote human rights, civic education and expand students’ understanding of our political processes.

Space is limited. RSVP below.

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The Honorable Loretta Sanchez (D-CA, 1997-2017)

Loretta Sanchez currently works on the housing crisis in California as a 2018 Advanced Leadership Fellow at Harvard University. Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez represented Orange County (OC), CA in the US Congress from 1997-2017. As a senior member of the Armed Services and the Homeland Security Committee, she negotiated budgets, provided needed oversight on agencies and programs, and assisted in developing policies related to treaties. She is a recognized leader in international affairs, national security, counterterrorism, and nuclear proliferation/nonproliferation matters. Ms. Sanchez led efforts on education attainment for all, small business regulatory reform, healthcare initiatives, and technology innovation. She expanded preschool for children, championed the construction of the largest water recycling project in the world (in OC), and directed research funding to universities in her area to develop a Bio Med industry.

The Honorable Fred Upton (R-MI, 1987-2023)

Serving in Congress for 36 years from 1987-2023, Representative Fred Upton is proud to have represented the values of Southwest Michigan’s Sixth Congressional District. Prior to his election to Congress, Fred worked for President Ronald Reagan in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). From 2010 to 2016, Fred served as Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce. Under Fred’s leadership, the Committee passed 354 legislative measures through the House and saw 202 of those signed into law by the President. Fred also served as the top Republican leader of the Subcommittee on Energy, which has jurisdiction over national energy policy. Fred has long been an advocate for a greater emphasis on biomedical research to improve public health. He launched the 21st Century Cures Act which was signed into law by President Obama. Fred strongly supported an ‘All-of-the-Above’ energy strategy that focuses on American energy development, emerging clean energy technologies, and traditional energy. Fred believes in ensuring that the federal government remains limited, transparent, and accountable, not only to Southwest Michiganders but to all Americans. Fred is an active member of the Great Lakes Task Force, working to protect the Great Lakes from harmful pollutants and invasive species.

Moderated by Amber Diaz ’11 (CLAS), NBC CT Anchor & Reporter

Amber Diaz is a Connecticut native and an anchor and reporter for NBC CT. Over the past decade, she has traveled across the country, covering significant national stories. Her notable work includes reporting on the 2018 tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, and protests in Portland, Oregon, following the 2016 presidential election. Before joining NBC CT, Amber was a reporter at WFOR/CBS4 in Miami, where she provided extensive coverage inside of the nation’s largest holding facility for migrant children. Earlier in her career, she worked as a general assignment and sports reporter at Fox12 Oregon, where she covered high school football. Amber began her career in local television news with News 12 in the Bronx in 2012. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and English from the University of Connecticut and a Master’s in Broadcast and Digital Journalism from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. During her master’s program, she interned for KABC7 in Los Angeles and contributed to local stories in Washington, D.C.

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During their visit to UConn, the former members will engage members of the broader community in a series of workshops, roundtables, small group discussions, keynotes, classroom visits on topics to include:

• Nuts and Bolts of our Elections
• Civil Discourse in a Thriving Democracy
• Civil Discourse to Bridge Political Divides
• Democracy, Human Rights, and Good Governance
• Messaging and Disinformation in Our Electoral Process
• Healthy Partisanship and Civility
• Participation and Inclusion

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Hosted by Dodd Human Rights Impact Programs. Co-sponsored by the Gladstein Family Human Rights Institute, School of Public Policy, Department of Political Science, Undergraduate Student Government, the Department of Residential Life, Community Outreach, the Nancy A. Humphreys Institute for Political Social Work, and the Office of Outreach and Engagement.

Supported by Citizen Travelers, the nonpartisan civic engagement initiative of Travelers.

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This is an Honors Event. Categories: Academic & Interdisciplinary Engagement OR Social Change, Service, & Sustainability.

#UHLevent10916

Join us at Connecticut’s Old State House for an insightful conversation with former U.S. Representatives Loretta Sanchez (D) from California, and Fred Upton (R) from Michigan, as they explore how to find common ground across party lines in this contentious election year. With their extensive experience in policy making, Sanchez and Upton will share their perspectives on overcoming political polarization, fostering constructive dialogue, and working together for the common good. This conversation will provide valuable insights into how lawmakers and voters can bridge divides and collaborate effectively amidst a highly charged political climate. The panel will be followed by timed round table discussions with the audience where all can participate and share their experience in finding common ground.

Don’t miss this opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of how unity and cooperation can be achieved in today’s polarized political landscape. Light refreshments will be served.

This program is held in partnership with Dodd Human Rights Impact Programs at UConn, Hartford Votes - Hartford Vota Coalition, and the League of Women Voters.

About the Workshop

This interactive workshop focuses on introducing methods, approaches, and best practices of community-engaged research. Using examples from her own research, Dr. Tina Kempin Reuter, Director of the Institute for Human Rights at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, will introduce participants to:

• different ways to engage with community-based organizations, people with lived experiences, and other stakeholders;
• how to use stakeholder mapping to create inclusive community-engaged research projects;
• how to co-create a research program with those communities;
  what to consider when working with underrepresented and disadvantaged groups;
• what type of pitfalls and challenges to consider when using in community-engaged research approaches; and
• ways to disseminate findings in both academic and community settings.

Through a series of lectures and practical exercises, participants will be able to learn more about how they could use community-based participatory approaches in their own research and practice.

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This interactive workshop is sponsored by the Human Rights Research & Data Hub, Research Program on Economic & Social Rights, and Engineering for Human Rights Initiative of the Gladstein Family Human Rights Institute. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

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About the Facilitator

Dr. Tina Kempin Reuter is the Director of the Institute for Human Rights and Professor in the Departments of Political Science and Public Administration and the Department of Anthropology with a secondary appointment in Social Work at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Dr. Reuter’s research focuses on human rights with a particular emphasis on the struggle of vulnerable and marginalized populations, including minorities, persons with disabilities, refugees and migrants, women, children, the LGBTQ community, and people dealing with the consequences of poverty. She studies how international human rights principles, norms, and language develop effect at the local and grassroots level and how technology can be used to improve access, inclusion, and participation of marginalized communities in society. Her interdisciplinary training is broadly in human rights, peace studies, and social movements, specifically focusing on the empowerment of underrepresented communities, policy and community development, human rights education, and capacity-building. To conduct this research, Dr. Reuter uses mixed methods approaches, including qualitative, quantitative, and community-based participatory and community-engaged methodologies. She has ongoing community-engaged research projects in Alabama, in the U.S., Kenya, Sri Lanka, and Peru.

Dr. Kempin Reuter has longstanding experience assembling and managing interdisciplinary teams, implementing projects, initiatives, and activities, establishing budgets and research projections, collaborating with community and academic partners, acquiring extramural funding, and producing and disseminating findings of scholarship in peer-reviewed journals as well as in community-accessible formats.

It’s election season! Join us for a student-led dialogue centering on issues of voting and voter participation at the local, state, and national levels. This dialogue will feature small group discussions facilitated by experts, followed by a Q&A session with UConn faculty and community partners. Participants will also get the opportunity to register to vote!

This event is held in collaboration with the University of Connecticut’s Undergraduate Student Government and representatives from the Human Rights and Action Learning Community, Community Outreach, Dodd Impact’s Democracy and Dialogues Initiative, and the Office of Outreach and Engagement.

 Lunch will be provided.

Strategies to Address Structural Barriers to Economic Inclusion and Well-being Among Families Experiencing Poverty in the United States

Over the past quarter century, significant strides have been made in reducing child poverty, largely due to increased investments in the social safety net for children. Our nation has learned a lot about what works to reduce child poverty. However, significant challenges to sustaining and continuing this progress remain. In particular, stark disparities in child poverty among racial and ethnic lines, for children in immigrant families, and by family structure persist. In addition, the focus of support has shifted towards working families near or above the poverty line, inadvertently leaving behind children and families experiencing deep poverty.

Dr. Thomson will share findings across multiple projects designed to better understand the structural barriers to economic inclusion and wellbeing for families of color, immigrant families, and those experiencing deep poverty. She will highlight policy levers and programmatic strategies that show promise for addressing those barriers, promoting economic inclusion, and improving wellbeing for all children and families.

Sponsored by the Department of Human Development & Family Sciences, with generous support from the Luckey family.

If you require an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences at 860.486.4049 or cynthia.stewart@uconn.edu by Wednesday, October 2^nd.

Is there a topic that you believe demands discussion but that you fear will prove too polarizing for civil conversation? Do you avoid organizing such a discussion because you are unsure of how to ensure meaningful engagement across difference? Are you interested in honing your skills of engaging in conversation with people who think differently from you? If so, please join us for this workshop which will focus on the following subjects:

• basic theories of, and approaches to, conflict resolution-based dialogue;
• facilitating difficult conversations in a structured-dialogue setting;
• creating and hosting dialogues (focusing on the Encounters dialogue model)
• roll-playing practice your new dialogic skills

This event is hosted by the Democracy & Dialogues Initiative, a program of Dodd Human Rights Impact

The Residue of Memory is an interactive two-part workshop exploring the ways past events leave their mark in art.

Learn more about art objects that forge a tangible link to the past through close looking and discussion of work by Yishai Jusidman and Binh Danh. Then make your own cyanotype print using autumn leaves.

FREE.

21st-century America is increasingly polarized over policing. From yard signs to public protests, from political rhetoric to legislative acts, tension over the role and status of police grips us daily. Why are we so divided over this issue? Are there new approaches that might find broader support? Join us for a dialogue on this most critically important subject in which we will explore the development of policing in our democracy and discuss the present-day landscape of law enforcement, community relations, individual rights, and possible ways forward from our current landscape. Facilitated, small-group conversations will be followed by a Q&A with guest scholars and activists. You are warmly and respectfully encouraged to come speak from your heart about this subject that lies at the shared heart of the “Land of the Free.”

This event is hosted by Democracy  and Dialogues Initiative, The Social Work & Law Enforcement (SWLE), and the CT Collaborative

Structured dialogues increase student engagement and foster inclusive learning environments. By incorporating dialogic modalities into the classroom, students can learn to communicate across difference and navigate challenging conversations, while engaging deeply with course content. In this collaborative workshop, participants will:

• Gain firsthand experience by participating in a structured dialogue
• Learn to build the foundation for a successful dialogue​ in diverse classroom contexts
• Explore a wide range of models​ and share ideas

This event is hosted by the Democracy & Dialogues Initiative, a program of Dodd Human Rights Impact in collaboration with Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning.