Human Rights at Home Blog

Harvard Journal Launches Human Rights Blog

A big welcome to the Harvard Human Rights Blog, which joined us in the blogosphere on December 6, 2017.   Here's what the Harvard Human Rights Journal had to say in launching their new forum:

"The Harvard Human Rights Journal is starting a new community-based blog here on HarvardHRJ.com. The first post–a note from the director of a Yezidi organization on the rights of survivors of the Islamic State’s atrocities–is already online, and more will be coming soon.

We would like to invite our readers–students as well as human rights practitioners and publicists–to feel free to submit pieces to the blog. Submissions can be entirely original pieces or responses to previous posts. Unlike Journal Articles or Student Notes, we won’t require footnotes for blog posts, and the tone can be less academic and more persuasive or thinkpiece-y.

We hope that the Blog will be foster discussion and awareness of human rights issues, and we look forward to reading your submissions."

Among the US-related postings since its launch is this terrific piece tying the mandate delivered by the Alabama election of Doug Jones to the UN Special Rapporteur's visit to Alabama's Lowndes County.

The Blog doesn't specify, but it appears that submissions should be sent to  [email protected].

When it comes to human rights blogs, we think it's the more the merrier -- and the more powerful and persuasive!

Post Graduate Conference in Human Rights Opportunity

 The International Law and Human Rights unit at the School of Law and Social Justice at the University of Liverpool is accepting paper, poster and ‘soapbox’ proposals for its 2nd Postgraduate Conference in International Law and Human Rights to be held on March 26-27, 2018 in Liverpool, England. Deadline to submit is January 12, 2018. The word limit is 300 words. For guidelines and more information, click here.

►The theme of the conference is: ‘The Notion of Change in International Law and Human Rights’. The conference theme should be broadly conceived, and proposals may be accepted from any postgraduate student specialising in international law, human rights or related subjects.  Proposals may be sent to [email protected], along with a short biography (100 words).  

 

Editor's Note:  Thanks to IntLawGrrls for bringing this opportunity to our attention.

 

2018 Affordable Housing and Community Development Student Writing Competition

The ABA has announced its 2018 law student writing competition sponsored by the Forum on Affordable Housing and Community Development Law.  The announced organizers of the competition announced  "The goal of the competition is to encourage law students to become involved in the Forum. It is also intended to attract students to the affordable housing, community development or pro bono practice fields, and to encourage scholarship in these fields."  The winner will receive $1,000.00 cash prize and an additional $1,000.00 for travel expenses to the Forum's annual meeting.

Eligibility and topic requirements are: 

Eligibility:

Open to all law students who are at the time of entry, (a) enrolled in a law school that is at the time of entry, ABA Accredited, (b) members of the ABA and the Forum, (c) at least 21 years old, and (d) U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents. Employees of the ABA, its respective affiliates, and immediate family or household members of such employees are not eligible for the Competition.

 Topic:

Entries should address any legal issue regarding affordable housing and/or community development law.

For additional requirements, click here and scroll down to information on the 2018 Writing Competition Guidelines.

Ecojustice Poetry

By Lauren E. Bartlett

“Poetry has a lot to offer a world in crisis — and, in particular, in environmental crisis. For centuries, poets have given voice to our collective trauma: naming injustices, reclaiming stolen language, and offering us courage to imagine a more just world. In a world such as ours, poetry is an act of cultural resilience.” – Melissa Tuckey, “Introduction on Ecojustice Poetry”, Poetry Magazine, January 2016.

I want to gently urge you all to read the January 2016 issue of Poetry Magazine, which is dedicated to ecojustice poetry.   The human right to a healthy environment feels clear, alive, and magical when you are in the midst of reading these poems and prose.  Sitting in what seems to be the middle of this grey, frigid, winter landscape, finally arrived, I need inspiration to put on the several layers of clothes required to walk outside, let alone inspiration to seek environmental justice for all.  While I have never thought of myself as a lover of poetry; it’s growing on me.  I appreciate the celebration of language, the oddity of content and structure, the imagery, and the freedom of poetry.  Also, I’m learning not to dwell on logic when reading poetry, which seems to be a good lesson for reading emails from my law students as well.

If you don’t know where to start or don’t have time to savor each and every poem, start with From “summer, somewhere” by Danez Smith, which more obviously than others touches directly on  race, environment and justice.  Maybe then read Crossing a City Highway by Yusef Komunyakaa to see the urban landscape come to life with its subtle references to severe environmental degradation.  And don’t miss Water Devil by Jamaal May, who makes me feel like I can reach out and grab the things he is describing.