Human Rights Workshop Centers on Environmental Justice

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Illinois Wesleyan University’s Center for Human Rights and Social Justice will host its annual Human Rights Workshop on Thursday, Sept. 13 from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Hansen Student Center. The workshop, titled “Human Rights and Environmental Justice,” is open to campus and community members. Anyone who wishes to partake in the event must register by midnight on Monday, Sept. 10 by following this link.

Facilitated by faculty, staff, and students, participants will consider various local, national and global environmental issues through the framework of human rights and social justice. The workshop, which is centered on small group case study discussion and large group conversation, will begin with an opening session, providing an introduction to human rights and environmental justice.

Faculty, staff and students will then facilitate the discussion of case studies in small groups on the following topics: Toxic Waste in Regent, Louisiana; Lead in the Water in Flint, Michigan; China and the Mekong Delta; Native Americans and the Environment; Solar Panels in Illinois; and Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.

The workshop also includes a free dinner and provides participants with the opportunity to network with campus and community environmental leaders and activists. By discussing issues concerning human rights and environmental justice, participants can then spread awareness on these issues and encourage others to get involved on campus and in the community.

By Vi Kakares ‘20