Layla talks about the women's collective in Hebron, the West Bank, Palestine. The collective empowers women to have an income from their embroidery and also functions as a support group. We discuss the difficulties of living in Hebron, even more so since the war in Gaza broke out, and tourism in the area has sharply declined.
For more information about the embroidery, visit https://palestinepartners.org/

Hebron Women's Collective_4upload

TJ Riggs, who is the Amnesty International USA Alabama State Death Penalty Abolition Coordinator, talks about the recent commutation of Rocky Myers' death sentence. Rocky Myers has spent more than 30 years on death row in Alabama after he was convicted of a crime he did not commit. Rocky Myers was one of the cases featured on the "Write for Rights" campaign last year. His legal team worked with several organization to plead his case. Together more than two million actions were generated. Myers continues to be in prison but is no longer on death row. His legal team is now working to get him pardoned. 
For more information visit: https://www.amnestyusa.org/campaigns/rocky-myers/


TJ Riggs on the Death Penalty in Alabama March 7_4upload

We talk about the Universal Periodic Review, which is a mechanism initiated by the UN Human Rights Council to ascertain the human rights records of countries around the world. In a cycle that lasts 4 1/2 years, all countries get reviewed. During the current (fourth) cycle, the United States is among those countries. Reviews consist of country reports, for example, issued by the State Department, reports by various UN agencies, and reports by other stakeholders, including Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). The deadline for making a submission is April 7, 2025. The United States will be reviewed in Session 50 this November, at the UN in Geneva. 
For more information visit: https://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/upr/upr-home
and: https://upr-info.org/en
You can also email Joshua Cooper: joshuacooperhawaii@gmail.com

Joshua Cooper on the Universal Periodic Review_4upload

John Iton, founder of the organization Change a Narrative, talks about the work of the group, which includes creating green spaces in New York City. Educating the community about nutritious food and home grown herbs and vegetables has brought his community in Queens together, as neighbors get to know each other more. The "Plant Back the Block" initiative has had environmental as well as social benefits. In the beginning of the show we also talk about increased censorship in this country, including the banning of books and efforts to destroy diversity initiatives and undermine inclusive education. To sign up for more information, visit: https://changeanarrative.org/


John Iton on Change A Narrative March 21

Rick Halperin, director of the Human Rights Institute at Dedman College (Southern Methodist University) in Dallas, Texas, talks about his experiences visiting concentration camps and other Holocaust commemoration sites in Europe, which he has regularly visited since the 1980s. These visits have been profound for his students, who he has taken to Poland since 2006. Even though countries that signed on to the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and its subsequent treaties have an obligation to provide human rights education to their people, this has been abysmal in the United States.
Trips to Poland are open to the community. For more information about the trips, email Rick at rhalperi@mail.smu.edu
For more information about the Human Rights Institute at Dedman College, visit: https://www.smu.edu/dedman/academics/undergraduate-minors-and-programs/interdisciplinary-studies/ehrp

Rick Halperin March 28_4upload

David Cingranelli, Professor of Political Science, teaches human rights courses at the Human Rights Institute at Binghamton University. He is also a researcher with the Rights Data Project, which quantitatively measures how human rights are being respected or violated around the world. We talk about a range of rights, including the right not to be tortured and labor rights, which are often violated. In particular the right to form and join labor unions without government interference, and the right to collective bargaining are not respected in many countries around the world.
For more information about the project, visit: http://www.humanrightsdata.com/

David Cingranelli_4upload

Danielle recounts how her neighbors in the City of Cortland, NY, filed numerous unfounded complaints against her household. Hoping to resolve the matter amicably, she raised her concerns with local police and city officials. Despite dozens of complaints submitted between May 2022 and March 2024, none resulted in citations or violations.
 
In June 2024, the situation escalated dramatically. The mayor, police, and city attorney showed up at Danielle’s home unannounced, appearing to threaten and intimidate her. Just three days after Danielle posted a YouTube video exposing the harassment, her partner, Andrew, was arrested and charged with harassment by all three neighbors. He later accepted a plea deal under pressure.
 
Since then, Danielle herself has been charged with a noise ordinance violation—she has a court hearing on April 14, 2025—and also faces harassment and disorderly conduct charges related to an incident where she was grieving inside her own home. That hearing is scheduled for April 30, 2025.

Community members are encouraged to attend these hearings at Cortland City Court. To view the criminal court calendar (under WebCriminal), visit:  iapps.courts.state.ny.us/webcivil/ecourtsMain
To receive updates on Danielle’s case, sign up here:  Case Updates Form
To support Danielle’s legal defense and efforts to stay safe, please consider donating:  GoFundMe – Help Danielle

Danielle Wimbish_4upload

Sandra Babcock, Clinical Professor of Law at Cornell University, talks about President Trump's executive orders, many of which are focused on difference and dissent. The former includes attacks against DEI policies and efforts to erase the identity of Trans people in this country. Sending people to be imprisoned in El Salvador without due process is also an assault on human dignity. The administration's effort to crack down on dissent includes prosecuting peaceful protesters and using coercive tools, such as withholding federal funding to universities in order to control what can be taught in classrooms. Sandra also reflects on how many high profile law firms have caved to Trump's demands and agreed to provide pro bono services for cases Trump cares about. Lastly, we talk about the work students are doing at Cornell's International Human Rights Clinic.

Sandra Babcock April 18_4upload

Sue Perlgut, Joan Adler, and Cayanne Lacko-Cave talk about reproductive rights, the organization End Abortion Stigma, and the Reproductive Rights Film Festival. On Monday, April 28, 2025 the film "Connie Cook" will be screened at Ithaca College.

For more information visit: https://filmfreeway.com/ReproductiveRightsFilmFestival
https://www.facebook.com/endingabortionstigma/
https://www.instagram.com/endingabortionstigma/

Call for Short Film Submissions in The Finger Lakes

Ithaca, NY: NY State’s only Reproductive Rights Film Festival is pleased  to announce that the 2025 Reproductive Rights Film Festival will include a selection of short shorts by Finger Lakes region filmmakers. Short short films (up to 10 minutes)  can be submitted in three categories: pre-college, college and general. Deadline for entry is June 30, 2025.  Please see our FilmFreeway site for detailed submission guidelines. For more information contact reprorightsfilmfest@gmail.com 

The  festival, which convenes its third annual season in September 2025 is hosted at Cinemapolis in Ithaca, NY,  and offers a selection of films and virtual programs that highlight the need to advance rights and access to abortion in the United States and beyond. The festival is free and open to the public! 



Reproductive Rights_4upload

Shannon Gleeson gives an update on immigration policies in the United States after Trump's first 100 days in office in 2025. We examine actions from the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, including the use of the Alien Enemies Act, increased funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and court rulings regarding the removal of people to El Salvador without due process. We also look at the problem from a federal, state, and local perspective. This includes the dismantling of the Refugee Program and the CBP One app for asylum seekers, and raids being conducted at schools, hospitals, and places of worship. Stripping international students of their visas because they participated in demonstrations is a clear violation of first amendment protections. All of these policies impact not only the targeted communities but everyone. The way they were implemented has created intentional chaos. At the same time members of our community continue to stand up and do what they can to educate, advocate, and resist current policies that violate human rights.

Shannon Gleeson May 1_4upload

On the show, we highlight projects in Uganda where clean cooking using renewable solar energy for industrial and residential-sized stoves is resulting in reducing reliance on scarce, expensive, and unhealthy firewood and charcoal biofuels by up to 95%.
The project advances many of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (sdgs.un.org), including good health and well-being, the right to education, gender equality, affordable energy, economic growth and decent work, sustainable cities and communities, taking urgent action on climate change, and building partnerships for peace and security.

Our guests are collaborating on a new build project at the Upper Nile Institute for Advanced Technology (UNIFAT) Primary School in Uganda. The project is funded by Philadelphia, PA based 501©3 Friends of UNIFAT and the Central New York International Rotary Club.
Ithaca, New York/Central New York Rotary District member Gertrude Noden and Ugandan Peter Odida Climate Change Educator are the Project Managers for this international collaboration.
Susan Kiuyi Rose is a physics and mathematics teacher, the Assistant Governor of Rotary Zone 6 Uganda and serves as the Education Officer for the Rotary Club of Soroti Central.
James Bwire is a Public Health Specialist and Researcher, a member of the Environmental Sustainable Rotary Action Group (ESRAG) Clean Cooking Task Force, and President Elect of the  Rotary Club of Busia District 9213.
Khalib Nyende is the Co-Founder and CEO of Vron Engineering with over a decade in the design, fabrication installation and user training of smoke free solar cooking stoves solutions. https://www.vronengineering.com/ 
The UNIFAT School community and youth educational workshops, tree planting and ribbon cutting is scheduled for May 20, 2025.  For more information contact www.wordsintodeeds.org

Hebron Women's Collective_4upload

WRFIhumanrightsshow