The Hadassah-Brandeis Institute

The Diane (Dina) Markowicz Lectures on Gender and Human Rights:

2008 Lecture:

The Diane (Dina) Markowicz Memorial Lecture on Gender and Human Rights - Nobel Laureates Shirin Ebadi and Jody Williams

Date: Monday, April 14, 2008
Time: 7:30 pm
Location: Sherman Lecture Hall, Hassenfeld Conference Center,
Brandeis University, Waltham, MA

CLICK HERE for video footage from the 2008 Lecture

Jody Williams, The Nobel Peace Prize Recipent 1997

Shirin Ebadi, The Nobel Peace Prize Recipient 2003

An Iranian lawyer and human rights activist, Dr. Shirin Ebadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003 for her significant and pioneering efforts in democracy and human rights, especially for the rights of women and children.

Jody Williams is the Sam and Cele Keeper Endowed Professor in Peace and Social Justice atthe Graduate College of Social Work at the University of Houston. She was awarded the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize for her work with the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, leading to the creation of an international treaty banning antipersonnel landmines.

In 2006 Ebadi and Williams founded the Nobel Women's Intiative to use the visibility and prestige of the Nobel prize to promote, spotlight, and amplify the work of women's rights activists, researchers, and organizations worldwide.

Dr. Ebadi has recently been subjected to increased persecution in Iran.
To read a report from the Nobel Women's Initiative, click here.

For ideas on how to show support for Dr. Ebadi, click here.

During their visit, Professor Williams spoke to graduate students at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management. She described her experience in building a grass roots NGO and gave practical advice to students engaged in creating their own development projects. This seminar was organized in conjunction with the Program on Sustainable Development, The Heller Gender Working Group and the Gender and International Development Initiative at the Women's Studies Research Center.

Diane (Dina) Markowicz
November 9, 1956-February 25, 1976

An annual lecture series featuring internationally renowned scholars, judges, and activists discussing ways of negotiating the tensions between gender equality and religious or cultural norms.

2008 – Inaugural lecture delivered by Dr. Shirin Ebadi and Professor Jody Williams, recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize and founders of the Nobel Women’s Initiative.

2009 – Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella, Supreme Court of Canada

The Lecture Series was created by GCRL Project Founder Sylvia Neil and her husband Dan Fischel in memory of Sylvia's late sister, Diane, to honor her commitment to gender equality and social justice.

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