[act-ma] 7/31 Boston Human Rights Conference - Register Today (Free, BPL/Old South Church)

[Suren Moodliar]

Friends,

The buzz is building: this Thursday, July 31, 2008, thinkers and
activists from the campuses and communities will get together to think
through the state of human rights in Boston and the United States.
Below you will find the invitation letter that we sent out, the day's
schedule and a list of the sponsors. Note: the event, including lunch,
is free and open to the public due to the generous efforts of the
sponsors.
Please register for the conference online
(http://www.BostonHumanRights.org); you can still register on Thursday
however advance registration helps with allocation of space and
resources. Note: Registration begins at 9:00 a.m. at the Old South
Church (please follow the signage)

I. Invitation Letter

Fellow Organizers and Change-Makers,

We are writing to invite your participation in the upcoming "Human
Rights: Ideas & Action" conference (July 31, 2008, Boston Public
Library & Old South Church, 9:00 - 5:30 p.m.). It will bring together
cutting-edge organizing and scholarship. As you know, the human rights
idea is widely used to frame our struggles and to assert our shared
identities. It has also been used to justify policies of intervention.
But this conference is not about the abuses of the idea; instead it is
to  (1) explore how local organizing has used the idea (2) appreciate
global advances in human rights, especially from the Global South and
(3) deepen existing or foster new relationships between the scholars
and activists.

Anyone familiar with the history of Boston knows that this is not a
new topic. Exciting coalitions have animated the human rights idea
over many generations; indeed, there is ongoing organizing _and_
thinking about the rights to good jobs, secure housing, a clean
environment, health and health care, as well safe, affordable and
adequate water. Struggles for workers rights and justice for migrants
join those gender and sexual equality and recognition. That our list
of topics could continue testifies to the vibrant diversity of our
movements. This conference offers _one_ opportunity for these
processes to come together while affirming other important, ongoing
conversations and organizing.

The conference takes advantage of the annual meeting of the American
Sociological Association that continues over that weekend. As a
result, we will draw in many scholars and graduate students from all
over the country and especially members of an important network of
activist scholars, Sociologists Without Borders. The morning session
of the day-long conference features presentations from scholar
activists who have written, "The Leading Rogue State: the US and Human
Rights" (see the cover online,
http://bostonhumanrights.org/start/sites/default/files/BlauPBK4.pdf).
The presentations will include local organizers responding to the
scholarship. The afternoon session showcases our work through a
variety of panels and presentations.

To find out more about the conference or to provide feedback, please
contact Ben Day (617-555-1212, director at MassCare.org) or Suren
Moodliar (617-968-0880, suren at MassGlobalAction.org).

Thank you for considering our invitation.

Sincerely,
Ben Day, Mass Care
Russ Davis, Jobs with Justice
Jenniffer Doe, Jobs With Justice
Gabriel Camacho, AFSC, Project Voice
Kim Foltz, Bikes Not Bombs
Emily Hardt, Women's Institute for Leadership Development
Dorotea Manuela, Boston May Day Coalition
Suren Moodliar, Mass Global Action
Grace Ross, Mass Movement
Aaron Tanaka, Boston Workers Alliance

II. Schedule

9:00-9:30 Registration (Old South Church, 2nd floor)

9:30-10:00 Welcome (Old South Church, 2nd floor)

10:00-11:15 The Leading Rogue State: Individual Rights (Boston Public Library)
-Disabled Rights: Jean Lynch
-Migrant Rights: Ruben Rumbaut and Tanya Golash Boza
-Housing Rights: Dave Brunsma and Dave Overfelt
-Youth: Brian Gran
**Respondent: Ty de Pass
**Presider: Alberto Moncada

11:15-11:25 Coffee Break (Boston Public Library)

11:25 -12:40 The Leading Rogue State: Collective Rights (Boston Public Library)
-Water: John Barnshaw
-Democracy: Mark Frezzo
-Culture: Rodney Coates
-Trade: Judith Blau
**Respondent: Grace Ross
**Presider: Alberto Moncada

12:40-1:40 Lunch and Networking (Old South Church, 2nd floor)

1:40 -2:10 Human Rights Cities (Shula Koenig) (Old South Church, 2nd floor)

2:20-3:20 Roundtable Discussions (Old South Church, 4th floor)
– Immigrants: Elena Latona (Centro Presente), Gladys Vega (Chelsea
Collaborative)
– LGBTQ: Sue Hyde (National Gay and Lesbian Taskforce), Gunner Scott
(Mass Transgender Political Coalition)
– Gender: Dotti Stevens (Survivors, Inc.)
– Majority Agenda Project (w/New England United)

3:20-3:40 Snack Break (Old South Church, 4th floor)

3:40 -4:40 Roundtable Discussions (Old South Church, 4th floor)
– Peace: Angela Kelly (Mass Peace Action)
– Health & Health Care: Jacob Smith-Yang (Mass Asian and Pacific
Islanders for Health)
– Housing: Grace Ross (Green Rainbow Party)
– Environment: Loie Hayes (Boston Climate Action Network)

4:40 - 5:00 Break

5:00 - 5:45 Reports/Closing Remarks (Location: TBA)

--Post Conference Activities--

Dinner - Louis Esparza - Human Rights in Colombia

Chow Chau City (Dinner, unfortunately is not included in the
conference registration.)



III. Sponsors:

American Friends Service Committee/Project Voice
Bikes Not Bombs
Boston College Center for Human Rights and International Justice
Boston College Department of African and African Diaspora Studies
Boston College Department of Sociology
Boston Public Library
Bridgewater State College Department of Sociology
City Life/Vida Urbana
Iraq Veterans Against the War (Boston Chapter)
Mass-Care
Mass Global Action
Mass Peace Action
Open Media Boston
Sociologists without Borders
Society for the Study of Social Problems
Massachusetts Jobs with Justice
Women's Institute for Leadership Development
Worcester State College Department of Sociology