Mildred Fish-Harnack Human Rights and Democracy Lecture

The Division of International Studies and the UW-Madison Human Rights Initiative cordially invite you to the eighth annual Mildred Fish-Harnack Human Rights and Democracy Lecture presented by:

For more information, please contact Cynthia Williams at (608) 262-3929 or cwilliam@wisc.edu.

Mary Robinson
As Ireland’s first woman president (1990–1997) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (1997–2002), Robinson has been a pioneer and an outspoken champion of human rights causes. She was the first head of state to bring worldwide attention to the political and economic plight of Somalia and Rwanda. Today, Robinson’s leadership continues to make the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people a global priority. She is the current president and founder of Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative, an organization committed to placing human rights at the forefront of all global policy-making decisions. Recently she was invited to join the Elders, a group brought together by Nelson Mandela under the Chairmanship of Archbishop Tutu. The Elders launched the Every Human Has Rights campaign to mark the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The Lecture
The Mildred Fish-Harnack Human Rights and Democracy Lecture is named for a Milwaukee native who was a vibrant and active student at UW-Madison in the 1920s. While living in Germany during the Second World War, Fish-Harnack helped German Jews and political dissidents escape the country. She is the only American civilian executed under the personal instruction of Adolf Hilter for her resistance to the Nazi regime.

The Human Rights Initiative
The University of Wisconsin-Madison Human Rights Initiative is an interdisciplinary collaborative that aims to understand and critically examine human rights in all their manifestations. UW-Madison has a long history of dynamic social activism focusing on human welfare worldwide. Building on this tradition, the Initiative harnesses our university’s global resources to promote research and offer courses that advance human rights studies. The uniqueness of the Initiative rests on its inclusive understanding of human rights. Recognizing the interconnectedness of human rights, the Initiative’s work encompasses civil and political rights, as well as economic, social and cultural rights.