Kerry Kennedy Cuomo Speaks at Columbia University

by Sybil Maimin

Kerry Kennedy Cuomo and her powerful book Speak Truth to Power were recently honored by Columbia University’s Center for the Study of Human Rights in a program that emphasizes that injustices in the world must be tackled, and committed people can make a difference. The handsome book features compelling first-person narratives from fifty human rights fighters from 35 countries and five continents accompanied by haunting photographic portraits by Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer, Eddie Adams.

Blow-ups of the moving black-and-white portraits now circle the majestic rotunda of Columbia’s Low Library. Subjects range from the well-known—Vaclav Havel, Elie Wiesel, the Dalai Lama, and Desmond Tutu—to those recognized only in their own countries, like Kailash Satyarthi who fights child labor in India, Bruce Harris who runs Covenant House for homeless, abandoned children in Guatemala, and Ka Hsaw Wa who exposes abuses by corporations and government in Burma. They all face danger because of their advocacy and many have experienced jail and torture. As she spoke, Kennedy Cuomo, who spent two years traveling around the world interviewing the defenders and has worked twenty years in human rights, reported that the book’s Juliana Dogbadze, who fights trafficking in women in Ghana, had been jailed that morning.

Human rights receive a lot of attention at Columbia University. The Center for the Study of Human Rights is a dynamic department that researches, educates and advocates through an interdisciplinary approach that includes undergraduate and graduate schools, the law school and graduate School of International and Public Affairs. An advocates training program annually brings fifteen young human rights workers from the trenches for four months of course work, field trips, networking and advocacy skills training. They come from diverse countries that this year include Belarus, Sierra Leone, Ecuador, Cambodia, Hungary and Burma. Their presence as witnesses and participation in numerous university programs offer a provocative first-hand look at far-away realities for the Columbia community.

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