Nobel Peace laureates to focus on gender and human rights during April 14 campus visit
Shirin Ebadi and Jody Williams coming to campus
WALTHAM, Mass. – Nobel Peace Laureates Shirin Ebadi and Jody Williams will visit the Brandeis University campus on April 14 for “Gender, Peace, and Human Rights.” The discussion, hosted by the HBI Project on Gender, Culture, Religion, and the Law, will address the challenges that gender and religious conflicts pose in Ebadi and Williams’ work to advance nonviolence, peace, justice and equality.
An Iranian lawyer and human rights activist, 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, children and political prisoners.
Jody Williams, a professor in Peace and Social Justice at the Graduate College of Social Work at the University of Houston, was awarded the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize for her work with the International Campaign to Ban Landmines. The campaign led to the creation of an international treaty banning antipersonnel landmines.
In 2006, together with other female Nobel Peace Prize recipients, Ebadi and Williams founded the Nobel Women’s Initiative to use their expertise and influence to work for peace with justice and equality.
“In their work as individuals and through the Nobel Women’s Initiative, Ebadi and Williams have demonstrated a commitment to opening new ground for discussion, debate and change on behalf of women’s rights,” said Lisa Fishbayn, director of the GCRL Project. “The HBI Project on Gender, Culture, Religion, and the Law shares this commitment to dialogue across religious, cultural and disciplinary differences. We are honored that the Laureates are joining us to discuss their important work.”
The discussion – the inaugural event in the Diane Markowicz Memorial Lecture Series on Gender and Human Rights – will take place on Monday, April 14 at 7:30 p.m. in Brandeis’ Hassenfeld Conference Center. RSVPs are strongly encouraged; please e-mail hbi@brandeis.edu with the names and number of guests.
The Diane Markowicz Memorial Lecture Series was created by GCRL Project Founder Sylvia Neil and her husband Dan Fischel in memory of Neil’s late sister, Diane, to honor her commitment to gender equality and social justice.
For more information, visit the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute Web site.
About the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute (HBI)
The Hadassah-Brandeis Institute (HBI) develops fresh ways of thinking about Jews and gender worldwide by producing and promoting scholarly research and artistic projects.
