Pozen Family Center for Human Rights - The University of Chicago

MLK Week Program: Letter Writing to Incarcerated Individuals

Friday, Jan 22, 2021 12 – 1 pm Zoom Event

The Human Rights Lab and IOP’s Bridge Writing Workshop are collaborating to host a virtual letter writing program for folks currently incarcerated in Illinois.

What Just Happened in Nagorno-Karabakh: Déjà Vu or Geopolitical Trend?

Saturday, Jan 23, 2021 11 am – 12:30 pm Zoom Event

Does the fighting that broke out on September 27 between Azerbaijan and Armenia represent the most recent violent episode in this disputed territory? Or is something different happening this time? Panelists will reflect on this most recent period of conflict, the status of the ceasefire established on November 10, and what a lasting resolution might look like.

Human Rights Book Salon: Jane Dailey - “White Fright: The Sexual Panic at the Heart of America’s Racist History”

Monday, Jan 25, 2021 5 – 6:15 pm Zoom Event

Pozen Center Faculty Board member Jane Dailey will discuss her new book, “White Fright: The Sexual Panic at the Heart of America’s Racist History,” in conversation with Faculty Director Mark Bradley.

Human Rights Book Salon: Lydia Z. Dixon - “Delivering Health: Midwifery and Development in Mexico”

Monday, Feb 1, 2021 5 – 6:15 pm Zoom Event

Join UChicago alumna and former Human Rights Intern Dr. Lydia Z. Dixon as she discusses her new book, “Delivering Health: Midwifery and Development in Mexico,” with Pozen Center Postdoctoral Instructor Amy Krauss.

Reading and Discussion: Reuben Jonathan Miller’s “Halfway Home: Race, Punishment, and the Afterlife of Mass Incarceration”

Tuesday, Feb 2, 2021 6 – 7 pm Zoom Event

Assistant Professor Reuben Jonathan Miller reads and discusses ideas from his new book, “Halfway Home,” in conversation with Matthew Desmond.

Chicago Police Torture Archive Launch Event

Monday, Feb 15, 2021 6:30 – 8 pm Zoom Event

Join the Lab and its partners as we honor the history and struggle of survivors and their families, and commemorate the launch of the Chicago Police Torture Archive.

Rising Up for Their Lives: Prison Organizing from Attica to Closing Rikers

Thursday, Feb 18, 2021 4 – 5 pm Zoom + Facebook Live

This first event in a series hosted by the Mass Incarceration Working Group will feature a conversation with Brittany Friedman and Heather Ann Thompson, as they discuss what history can teach us about contemporary struggles for human rights within prisons and efforts to decarcerate.

Pozen Center Virtual Open House

Monday, Feb 22, 2021 4 – 5 pm Zoom Event Register via the College

Explore the breakout rooms at our Winter Open House to learn more about the Human Rights Minor and courses, the work of the Human Rights Lab, our Internship Program, and more!

“Carving Out Rights” Book Launch

Thursday, Feb 25, 2021 6 – 7:30 pm Zoom Event

Join editors and contributors for the launch of “Carving Out Rights from Inside the Prison Industrial Complex,” which features 30 brilliantly crafted prints made by artists at Stateville Prison.

“Building Together”: Prison Organizing in the COVID-19 Era and Beyond

Friday, Mar 5, 2021 12 – 1 pm Zoom + Facebook Live

This second event in a series hosted by the Mass Incarceration Working Group will feature a conversation with historian Dan Berger and activist Clifton “Skye” Williamson.

Mariame Kaba: Chicago Reparations and the Fight for an Abolitionist Future

Tuesday, Mar 9, 2021 1 – 2 pm Zoom Event

Join the Lab as organizer and educator Mariame Kaba discusses reparations for Jon Burge torture survivors, the question of what transformative justice looks like, and her latest book, “We Do This ’Til We Free Us.”

Combating Anti-Asian Violence

Monday, Mar 29, 2021 4 – 5 pm Zoom Event

A conversation among community organizers and academics around misogyny, racism, and anti-sex work stigma.

Art as Transformation: Music and Drama for Incarcerated Youth

Tuesday, Mar 30, 2021 6 – 7:30 pm Zoom + Facebook Live

Join us for an exploration of art as a means of transformation for persons who have experienced or are experiencing incarceration.

2021 Inaugural Practitioner Fellows Virtual Welcome Event + Talk

Thursday, Apr 1, 2021 4 – 5 pm Zoom + Facebook Live

Join us as we formally welcome the inaugural Human Rights Lab/CSRPC Practitioner Fellows cohort!

Art and Imagination Inside Prisons

Tuesday, Apr 6, 2021 6 – 7:30 pm Zoom + Facebook Live

A virtual roundtable exploring art-making inside the prison industrial complex.

Freedom-Making in an Age of Mass Incarceration

Tuesday, Apr 13, 2021 6 – 7:30 pm Zoom + Facebook Live

A panel discussion about what freedom-making means within the carceral context of contemporary America.

What is Happening to Uyghurs/Muslims in Western China?

Tuesday, Apr 13, 2021 7:40 – 9 pm Zoom Event

Join us for a panel discussion on the ongoing Uyghur genocide in Xinjiang.

Justice for Adam Toledo and Daunte Wright: Combating Police Violence & Building Youth Power

Wednesday, Apr 21, 2021 2:30 – 4 pm Zoom Event

Panelists from the University of Chicago, the Chicago Freedom School, and other activist groups will speak about police violence in Chicago and throughout America, and will provide tangible ways that youth can use their collective power to enact change.

Khiara M. Bridges - Imagining an Ethnography of Pregnant Class-Privileged People of Color: Race, Class, Gender, and Prenatal Care

Thursday, Apr 22, 2021 3:30 – 5 pm Zoom Event

Berkeley Law Professor Khiara M. Bridges will deliver a talk titled “Imagining an Ethnography of Pregnant Class-Privileged People of Color: Race, Class, Gender, and Prenatal Care.”

We Who Believe in Freedom: The Long History of Struggle in Illinois Prisons & Beyond

Thursday, Apr 22, 2021 4 – 5 pm Zoom + Facebook Live

Activist Nancy Kurshan and historian Toussaint Losier will discuss the enduring histories of struggle and coalition-building by those inside and outside Illinois prisons.

Reginald Dwayne Betts - Felon: A Play, A Discourse

Thursday, Apr 29, 2021 4:30 – 6 pm Zoom Event

Join the Lab and its partners for a performance by poet and legal scholar Reginald Dwayne Betts, followed by a conversation with Eve L. Ewing.

Juxtaposing the Public and Private: A Poetry Workshop with Reginald Dwayne Betts

Friday, Apr 30, 2021 12 – 1:30 pm Zoom Event

Join us for a poetry workshop led by poet and legal scholar Reginald Dwayne Betts.

What is the Future for Hong Kong’s Rule of Law and Democracy?

Tuesday, May 4, 2021 7:40 – 9 pm Zoom Event

Join us for this discussion on what the future holds for Hong Kong’s rule of law and democracy.

Making Gender Equality a Reality: Women’s Rights and Constitutional Reform in the Americas

Friday, May 14, 2021 9:15 am – 5 pm Zoom Event

This daylong virtual conference will bring together leaders on women’s equality in the Americas to discuss the impact of constitutional reform on women’s rights and insights for the future of gender equality. Simultaneous translation in English and Spanish will be provided.

1989: Tiananmen, the Chinese Democracy Movement, the Massacre, and Its Impact

Tuesday, May 18, 2021 7:40 – 9 pm Zoom Event

Join us for this discussion on the events and impact of 1989: the Tiananmen Square protests, the Chinese Democracy Movement, and the Massacre.

Ongoing Nakba: Reflections on Palestine from Sheikh Jarrah to Gaza

Wednesday, May 19, 2021 12 – 1:30 pm Zoom + Facebook Live

Join the Pozen Center and our partners as we bring together panelists to discuss the latest developments and various mobilizations across Palestine.

Human Rights Book Salon: Yogita Goyal - “Runaway Genres”

Wednesday, May 19, 2021 4 – 5:30 pm Zoom Event

Join us as Yogita Goyal (African American Studies and English, UCLA) discusses her latest book, “Runaway Genres: The Global Afterlives of Slavery.”

Prison Industrial Complex Abolition Symposium 2021

Wednesday, May 19 – 22, 2021 6 – 2 pm Zoom Event

Join the Human Rights Lab and its partners for a two-part virtual symposium on prison-industrial complex (PIC) abolition theory and practice.

“We Are Each Other’s Business”: Freedom-Building and Justice Work in Chicago

Monday, May 24, 2021 5 – 6:30 pm Zoom + Facebook Live

Join us to learn about the work of the Lab Justice Interns on issues of incarceration and criminalization.

The Olympic Games and Human Rights in China

Wednesday, May 26, 2021 4 – 6 pm Zoom Event

Join us for this discussion of the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing and its implications for human rights struggles in China.

Human Rights Book Salon: Chiara Cordelli - “The Privatized State”

Wednesday, May 26, 2021 5 – 6:30 pm Zoom Event

Pozen Center Faculty Board member Chiara Cordelli will discuss her new book, “The Privatized State,” in conversation with Professors Daniel Brudney and Elisabeth S. Clemens.

Human Rights Book Salon: Reuben Jonathan Miller - “Halfway Home”

Friday, May 28, 2021 1 – 2:15 pm Zoom + Facebook Live

Join the Human Rights Lab as Reuben Jonathan Miller discusses his new book, “Halfway Home: Race, Punishment, and the Afterlife of Mass Incarceration.”

“Changing the Things We Cannot Accept”: Black Women’s Vision and Leadership in Prison Organizing and Abolition Movements

Thursday, Jun 3, 2021 3 – 4 pm Zoom + Facebook Live

Join the Mass Incarceration Working Group for the final teach-in of the academic year in our series “More Beautiful and More Terrible: Prison Organizing and Abolition in Unsettled Times,” featuring writer and organizer asha bandele.

Human Rights and Mass Incarceration BA Thesis Fellowship Presentations

Friday, Jun 4, 2021 1 – 3 pm Zoom + Facebook Live

Join us to celebrate the 2020-21 Human Rights BA Fellows as they present their thesis research findings and analyses.

2021 WOLA Human Rights Award and Benefit Gala

Wednesday, Sep 22, 2021 7 – 8 pm Virtual Learn More and Register

Every year, the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) honors organizations and individuals who have worked to promote human rights, democracy, and justice in Latin America. This year’s honorees are Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA), the Ethnic Working Group of Colombia’s Truth Commission, and Fundación Mi Sangre.

Academic Opportunities Fair

Wednesday, Sep 29, 2021 3:30 – 6:30 pm Main Quad

Come say hi at this year’s Academic Opportunities Fair on the Main Quad!

Mass Incarceration is a Feminist Struggle: Voices of Formerly Incarcerated Women

Thursday, Sep 30, 2021 12 – 1:30 pm Virtual

1.2 million women are under correctional supervision in the United States, yet the narrative of mass incarceration often ignores the gendered aspects of punishment. Join a virtual, panel discussion centering the voices and experiences of incarcerated women and their work to build communities free of mass incarceration.

Abolition, Cultural Freedom, Liberation

Tuesday, Oct 5, 2021 4 – 5:30 pm Virtual

Join 2020 Lannan Prize recipients Angela Y. Davis, Mike Davis, and Ruth Wilson Gilmore for a conversation hosted by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor.

Visions of Justice: Chicago

Thursday, Oct 7, 2021 6 – 7:30 pm Virtual

Join Illinois Humanities for a screening of the Chicago edition of the Visions of Justice video series followed by a panel discussion with local contributors. A Q&A with the panelists will be held after the discussion.

Storytelling, Climate Justice, and Self-Determined Indigenous Futures

Thursday, Oct 7, 2021 6 – 7 pm Virtual

What does it mean to live well with the Earth in the face of climate and ecological crisis? What does a self-determined climate future look like for Indigenous communities and peoples who have persisted despite centuries of colonization and environmental upheaval?

Human Rights Open House

Tuesday, Oct 12, 2021 4:30 – 5:30 pm Virtual

Join us for our virtual open house to learn more about the Pozen Center and discuss pressing human rights topics with our faculty.

Exploring the Impact of Mass Incarceration: Humans of Life Row & the Work of Ethical Storytelling

Wednesday, Oct 13, 2021 5 – 7 pm Online

How do storytelling projects with system impacted individuals and communities offer a unique lens into the social injustices caused by mass incarceration?

Human Rights Internship Program Info Session

Thursday, Oct 14, 2021 4 – 5 pm Virtual

Interested in applying for our Human Rights Internship Program? Join us for an info session to learn more!

Derecka Purnell - "Becoming Abolitionists" - Aja Monet

Tuesday, Oct 19, 2021 6 – 7 pm Virtual

Human rights lawyer, Derecka Purnell will be in conversation with aja monet about her revolutionary book, BECOMING ABOLITIONISTS. She will discuss how multi-racial social movements rooted in rebellion, risk-taking, and revolutionary love pushed her and a generation of activists tow

2021

MLK Week Program: Letter Writing to Incarcerated Individuals

What Just Happened in Nagorno-Karabakh: Déjà Vu or Geopolitical Trend?

Human Rights Book Salon: Jane Dailey - “White Fright: The Sexual Panic at the Heart of America’s Racist History”

Human Rights Book Salon: Lydia Z. Dixon - “Delivering Health: Midwifery and Development in Mexico”

Reading and Discussion: Reuben Jonathan Miller’s “Halfway Home: Race, Punishment, and the Afterlife of Mass Incarceration”

Chicago Police Torture Archive Launch Event

Rising Up for Their Lives: Prison Organizing from Attica to Closing Rikers

Pozen Center Virtual Open House

“Carving Out Rights” Book Launch

“Building Together”: Prison Organizing in the COVID-19 Era and Beyond

Mariame Kaba: Chicago Reparations and the Fight for an Abolitionist Future

Combating Anti-Asian Violence

Art as Transformation: Music and Drama for Incarcerated Youth

2021 Inaugural Practitioner Fellows Virtual Welcome Event + Talk

Art and Imagination Inside Prisons

Freedom-Making in an Age of Mass Incarceration

What is Happening to Uyghurs/Muslims in Western China?

Justice for Adam Toledo and Daunte Wright: Combating Police Violence & Building Youth Power

Khiara M. Bridges - Imagining an Ethnography of Pregnant Class-Privileged People of Color: Race, Class, Gender, and Prenatal Care

We Who Believe in Freedom: The Long History of Struggle in Illinois Prisons & Beyond

Reginald Dwayne Betts - Felon: A Play, A Discourse

Juxtaposing the Public and Private: A Poetry Workshop with Reginald Dwayne Betts

What is the Future for Hong Kong’s Rule of Law and Democracy?

Making Gender Equality a Reality: Women’s Rights and Constitutional Reform in the Americas

1989: Tiananmen, the Chinese Democracy Movement, the Massacre, and Its Impact

Ongoing Nakba: Reflections on Palestine from Sheikh Jarrah to Gaza

Human Rights Book Salon: Yogita Goyal - “Runaway Genres”

Prison Industrial Complex Abolition Symposium 2021

“We Are Each Other’s Business”: Freedom-Building and Justice Work in Chicago

The Olympic Games and Human Rights in China

Human Rights Book Salon: Chiara Cordelli - “The Privatized State”

Human Rights Book Salon: Reuben Jonathan Miller - “Halfway Home”

“Changing the Things We Cannot Accept”: Black Women’s Vision and Leadership in Prison Organizing and Abolition Movements

Human Rights and Mass Incarceration BA Thesis Fellowship Presentations

2021 WOLA Human Rights Award and Benefit Gala

Academic Opportunities Fair

Mass Incarceration is a Feminist Struggle: Voices of Formerly Incarcerated Women

Abolition, Cultural Freedom, Liberation

Visions of Justice: Chicago

Storytelling, Climate Justice, and Self-Determined Indigenous Futures

Human Rights Open House

Exploring the Impact of Mass Incarceration: Humans of Life Row & the Work of Ethical Storytelling

Human Rights Internship Program Info Session

Derecka Purnell - "Becoming Abolitionists" - Aja Monet

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