20th Anniversary| September 2019
UICHR Director, Adrien Wing
Plan to celebrate with us!
The UICHR is pleased to launch our year-long 20th Anniversary celebration! We're planning a robust schedule of events to commemorate our rich history and to highlight our continued efforts to promote, protect,educate about, and research human rights at home and abroad.
The University of Iowa Center for Human Rights, Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature, and Film Scene are pleased to announce that author Lauren Markham will offer a lecture with book signing,   Oct. 4th  at  7 p.m.   in  240 Art Building West  (ABW), Univ. of Iowa campus. Markham will discuss the 2019, One Community, One Book selection: The Far Away Brothers. 
Additional One Community, One Book events:

  • Sept. 19: Community book discussion hosted by North Liberty Community Library, 6 p.m. at La Vecina Restaurante, 211 E 9th St #135, Coralville, IA 52241(Iowa River Landing). 
  • Sept. 23: Pilot Book Club discussion, 7 p.m. at the Arc,  2620 Muscatine Ave, Iowa City, IA 52240. 
  • Sept. 30:  film screening of El Norte with panel discussion, 5 p.m. at FilmScene, 118 E College St, Iowa City, IA 52240.
  • Oct. 4: Lauren Markham will visit Liberty High School.
  • Oct. 4: Lauren Markham lecture with book signing, 7 p.m. at 240 Art Building West (ABW), UI campus.
  • Oct. 5: “We, The Interwoven” panel discussion with Iowa Writer’s House and Lauren Markham, 10 a.m. at Masonic Lodge, 312 E College St # 300, Iowa City, IA 52240.
  • October 17: Faraway Brothers book discussion; 7 p.m at the Coralville Public Library, Library Board Room.


20th Anniversary Launch
On September 11th, we were honored to host Dean Ahmed Garba of Bauchi State University. Dean Garba spoke at the College of Law about religious freedom in Nigeria today.
Read all about it!
Curious about the work we accomplished last year? Read the Annual Report for a more in-depth view of UICHR's 2018-2019 efforts.

Stay tuned: We'll soon be releasing a recap of the past 20 years of UICHR local and global engagement!

Can you help secure our future for the the next 20 years!

Click on the donate box below to provide a one-time donation, or to establish a monthly recurring gift. Recurring monthly donations of $5, $10, or $15 make a significant impact on the work we do! Easy to follow instructions for setting up a recurring donation can be found here .
Upcoming Events: Mark your calendars
October 17-18, 2019 : Inside Out Reentry Community event - Homecoming: Exploring Reentry to Communities in Iowa After Incarceration  (co-sponsor with Liberal Arts Behind Bars)

October 19, 2019: Third Annual Refugee and Immigrant Recognition Dinner; St. Patrick Catholic Church, Iowa City; 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. (co-sponsor with Refugee and Immigrant Association)

  October 22, 2019: Latina/o/x Identity, Popular Culture, and Arts Education with Poet José Olivarez (cosponsor with the Department of Spanish & Portuguese and the  Latino Native American Cultural Center , with support from the Obermann Center for Advanced Studies)

November 1, 2019:  Brian Farrell; “Racial Disparities in Iowa’s Criminal Justice System; ” Iowa Interfaith Alliance, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

November 12, 2019: International Day, Marriott, Coralville, Iowa (cosponsor with Stanley, College of Education and International Programs)

December 2-6, 2019: Visit by Dr. Brandon Kohr: Train-the-trainers activities for refugee mental health

December 7-8, 2019: Global Education Human Rights Institute for Teachers; IMU

December 10, 2019: Human Rights Day Event (cosponsor with Iowa UNA)
Please check the UICHR website for more details soon.
Thank you, Kelsey!
After nine years of dedicated service to the Center, especially the Human Rights Certificate students, Kelsey McGinnis has started a new chapter. She and her family have moved to Des Moines where they've just recently welcomed a new family member and where Kelsey will be completing her Ph.D. dissertation. She will be missed, but we're thrilled for her!

UICHR welcomes two new staff members
The UI Center for Human Rights is very pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Jo Butterfield as its educational specialist and academic adviser effective immediately. She has taught courses as an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of History and for the UICHR Human Rights Certificate Program for undergrads since 2013. She comes to UICHR from her position as the Executive Director of the Council for International Visitors to Iowa Cities (CIVIC), a local non-profit that collaborates with the US Department of State to host professional programs for visiting delegations. Jo’s academic interests include gender and human rights. She teaches courses on: the History of Human Rights; Introduction to Human Rights; and Diversity in History--Cold War America, and the World since 1945. Prior to earning her Ph.D. at Iowa, Jo served as the UICHR Human Rights Certificate Coordinator and helped facilitate Center programs.   
The UI Center for Human Rights is very pleased to announce the appointment of Colleen Opal to the position of program coordinator. She comes to UICHR from the Tippie College of Business where she was the Assistant Director of Experiential Learning. In that role, she coordinated the design and implementation of the undergraduate experiential learning requirement, particularly the development of academic internships and community-based courses. Prior to working at the University of Iowa, Colleen worked at Loyola University Chicago where she provided advising and academic support programming to undergraduate students. Colleen received her bachelor's degree from San Diego State University and her master's degree from Michigan State University. She is a strong proponent of the intersectionality of human rights with civil rights, social justice, and environmental and animal welfare. She is especially interested in human rights issues affecting people from and in Latin America and understanding these issues in the context of political, economic, and military influence from outside of the region. 
We've moved!
We have a new address. You'll find us in 615 Jefferson Building (129 E. Washington St. Iowa City, IA 52245).