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A former child slave told of being abducted in Sudan
and detailed the horrors occurring in Darfur, a South
African diplomat recalled the crimes of apartheid and that
country’s efforts toward reconciliation, an Israeli citizen of
Palestinian descent described the gaps that prevent peace
in the region, while an American lawyer explained how
human rights were being sacrificed in the war on terror.
These powerful presentations and dialogues represent
just a slice of Fairleigh Dickinson University’s recent Symposium
on Human Rights and Conflict Resolution, which
drew more than 1,000 people, the overwhelming majority
of whom were students. The conference featured more
than 50 leading human rights practitioners and scholars
from FDU and other universities, including FDU alumni,
who spoke on topics such as peacemaking strategies for
Israel and Palestine, genocide in Darfur, human rights
and the war on terrorism, child soldiers, the realities of
torture, religious values and human rights, gender and
human rights and many others.
FDU Pesident J. Michael Adams said
that since the introduction in 2000
of a new mission to prepare world
citizens through global education, “no one
forum has so perfectly characterized our
desire to share with our students insights
and inspiration that can change the world.”
He added, “I was so impressed with
the content and presenters that I believe
the symposium will inspire other academic
activities and further advance our global
mission and the institution’s reputation
across the higher-education landscape.”
“The goal of the symposium,” said
Elise Salem, associate provost for global
learning, “was not only to inform, but also
to provoke and inspire students to take action
and make a difference.” Salem’s Office
of Global Learning sponsored the two-day
event on October 17 and 18. The first day
of the program was held at the College at
Florham, and on the second day the scene
shifted to the Metropolitan Campus. (A
complete program lineup is available at
www.globaleducation.edu.)
“The protection of human rights and
the resolution of violent conflict are urgent
concerns in today’s world,” said Joseph
Chuman, the symposium organizer and
FDU adjunct philosophy professor. “This is
the first time Fairleigh Dickinson has hosted
an event of this magnitude on this topic.”
Chuman and Salem spent countless
hours over many months planning the symposium,
with the help of other University
offices. They were ably assisted by an army
of student volunteers who not only helped
with logistics, but also played active roles in
leading the workshops and sessions.
Salina Singleton, a junior on the Metropolitan
Campus and the student coordinator
for the Office of Global Learning,
said, “I saw such pride and eagerness in
the students. They got it immediately.” She
added, “I’m really proud of the turnout
and the caliber of the students who came
to the symposium. I was so impressed by
how thoughtful and insightful their questions
were, and how they stood up and
took part in the sessions.”
SETTING THE STAGE
Chuman opened the conference with an
overview of the development of human
rights. “Whereas a century ago, one seldom
heard the term ‘human rights,’ today
the idea is everywhere. … What the human
rights revolution has done is to make the
radical pronouncement that every man,
woman and child on the face of the earth
is born with dignity and rights simply on
the basis of his or her humanity.”
A scholar and an activist, Chuman has
been the leader of the Ethical Culture Society
of Bergen County for 30 years and has
worked on behalf of human rights, and in
opposition to the death penalty, as well as
other causes. In addition to FDU, he teaches
at Columbia University and Hunter College
of the City University of New York.
Chuman said, “The preservation of
human rights is the responsibility of everyone,
everywhere. We are tied together
in a web of humanity that stretches across
national borders, and the violations and
indignities suffered by our fellow human
beings are our responsibility also.”
In that regard, Chuman said he hoped
the conference would inspire those who
attend “to commit yourself to working on
behalf of a cause that is larger than yourself.
And if you are so inspired, it will connect
you to what is best, most noble and
maybe to what is most meaningful in the
human experience.”
Next …
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©Copyright 2007 Fairleigh Dickinson University. All rights reserved.
For a print copy of FDU Magazine, featuring this and other stories, contact Rebecca Maxon, editor, 201-692-7024 or maxon@fdu.edu.
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