SPRINGFIELD – The Western New England University School of Law Clason Speaker Series will host a symposium entitled “From the Classroom to the Courthouse: Bringing Human Rights Home to the U.S.,” with Margret Huang, Chief of Staff and the Deputy Executive Director for Campaigns and Programs of Amnesty International USA, on Friday, April 17 at 12:15 p.m. in the Blake Law Center. This event is free and open to the public.
An academic panel discussion will follow Huang’s talk with speakers from Western New England University joining Huang, including Matthew Charity, Professor of Law, Alexander Rosas, Assistant Professor of Political Science and Director of the Program in Law and Society, and moderated by Art Wolf, Professor of Law. This event is free and open to the public.
Margaret Huang will explore the growth and increasing sophistication of the domestic human rights movement in the U.S. over the last decade. She will focus on the school to prison pipeline, the problems of racial profiling and mass incarceration, and the recent grassroots mobilization around police accountability. From Ferguson to Staten Island, from Madison to Cleveland, the individual stories of young black men shot by law enforcement have galvanized youth and other activists in a pivotal moment to demand change. Human rights activism is needed to help bridge grassroots organizing efforts and legal advocacy for state and federal reforms.
In her role, Huang directs Amnesty’s programmatic work, serves as chief strategist for the organization’s priority campaigns, and supervises the day-to-day operations of the organization.
All lectures are open to students, alumni, the University community, and the general public. For more information, contact Sudha Setty at 413-782-1431 or email [email protected].
The Clason Speaker presents expert lectures to the School of Law. The series is named after Charles R. Clason, a prominent local attorney and member of the U.S. House of Representatives, who held the position of Dean of the School of Law from 1954 to 1970. Today, the purpose of the Charles and Emma Clason Endowment Fund is to host speakers who will enhance the academic environment of the School of Law at the University.
