AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL’S 2020 VIRTUAL ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

VIRTUAL WORKSHOPS

For a PDF of the workshops that were offered virtually, please click below

Virtual AGM Workshops

Sessions are also listed below in date order. All sessions have now passed. In cases where all speakers consented, recordings of workshops were made available and kept on this website for 30 days. Recordings have now been moved onto the Member Center and are available to be viewed by all dues-paying members.

Here’s how to watch:

• Login to the Member Center by going to www.amnestyusa.org/membercenter/
• Click on Resources.
• Under 2020 Virtual Annual General Meeting, click on “Watch all sessions here”.
• You will be redirected to a page with all available session recordings.
• Questions? Please email [email protected]

Tech Support

We recognize that for many of you, this might be the first time that you are participating in a session virtually. Please click here for information on zoom.

IntRo to Zoom

Watch the video below for a Welcome Address from Amnesty International USA’s Board Chair Janet Lord.

 

Series i: week i

End Rape and Violence Against Native Women and Girls

Monday, April 20th at 7pm EST

Rape and violence against Native women and girls is a national epidemic. In this session, participants will hear from Native women and activists, who will share their experiences and discuss victories, challenges, and the path ahead. Participants will learn how they can work at the state/federal level to help end the violence.

Speakers: Keely Linton, Pam Kingfisher & Tarah Demant

Chinese State Surveillance and “National Security” in Xinjiang 

Wednesday, April 22nd at 8pm EST

Uyghurs, Kazakhs and other predominantly Muslim ethnic groups in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region are being harassed, detained and arrested in huge numbers. Speakers will address how and why these groups are being targeted; how China’s use of facial recognition and other intrusive methods of monitoring, in the name of “national security,” facilitate human rights abuses; and what Amnesty International, and AIUSA in particular, are doing to fight back in terms of actions and support for U.S. legislation.

Speakers: Jewher Ilham & Steven Pieragastini

New Tech & the Forever War: The Threat to Human Rights 

Friday, April 24th at 7pm EST

The United States went to war in Afghanistan following the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington, DC. Since then, it’s expanded that war to at least eight different countries, and increasingly sophisticated technology, including unmanned aerial vehicles – “drones” – is making it easier, both practically and politically, for the U.S. to remain at war indefinitely. While the U.S. already employs fighter jets and drones, it is also supporting development of lethal autonomous weapons – also known as “killer robots” – which could decide for themselves who to kill, how and where. This workshop will explore how the U.S. reliance on rapidly-developing technology encourages endless war that threatens the human rights of us all. And it will explain how activists can urge U.S. lawmakers both to rein in use of the current weapons systems, and to prevent autonomous weapons from making wars even more deadly, endless and out-of-control than they already seem to be.

Speakers: Daphne Eviatar 

 

Series i: week II

Social Media and Activism 

Monday, April 27th at 7pm EST

Are you using social media to boost your activism? Are you giving your audience the best content? Find out at the Social Media and Activism session.

Speakers: Alison McQuade

Separation, Detention, and Deportation: How U.S. Immigration Policies Threaten Access to Healthcare 

Tuesday, April 28th at 7pm EST

As the U.S. administration implements discriminatory policies against people seeking safety in the U.S., we must consider their impact on the health of targeted communities. Experts have highlighted the profound harm caused by family separation and the detention of asylum-seekers. In collaboration with Physicians for Human Rights and local immigrant rights groups, join us in exploring the health impacts of these policies on the lives of immigrants and asylum-seekers, and the advocacy and community response to them.

Speakers: Denise Bell, Danisha Jenkins, Kate Clark & Penelope Halkiadakis and Moderator: Lora Randa

Under Siege: The Persecution of Human Rights Defenders Around the World and What You Can Do to Support Them! 

Thursday, April 30th at 8pm EST

Human rights defenders (HRD) around the world are routinely the target of death threats, smear campaigns, imprisonment, sexual violence, torture, and even assassination. Since 1998, over 3,500 human rights defenders have been killed worldwide. In 2018 alone, 321 human rights defenders were killed. Come and learn about very concrete ways that you can help protect Brave human rights defenders in such countries as Colombia, Saudi Arabia, & the Philippines.

Speakers: Gavrilah Wells, Katilyn O’Shaughnessy & Laura Galeano and Moderator: Andrew Fandino

 

Series iI: week I

Killing in Our name in the USA

Monday, May 4th at 7:30pm EST

Attendees will hear about status of the death penalty and killings by police and the role that race plays in both, learn why the system is broken, what reforms have succeeded and what you can do to get your state’s criminal justice system to better respect human rights.

Speakers: Kristina Roth

Dark Side of global connection: Confronting corporate complicity in human rights abuses 

Tuesday, May 5th at 8pm EST

Examining US complicity with repressive systems, this panel explores how activists promote transparency and accountability along with corporate social responsibility. Experts will examine technology firms’ relationships to authoritarian governments, the overall impact of Facebook on human rights abuses, problematic supply chains in Southeast Asia and Africa, while shedding light on the global arms trade impacting civilians from Yemen to Libya. How does shareholder activism intersect with Amnesty’s work? How can we as consumers be more conscious global citizens and at least do less harm?

Speakers: Aydin Anwar, Michael Kleinman & Simon Billenness and Moderator: Hena Zuberi

Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories: The Detention and Trauma of Children 

Thursday, May 7th at 7pm EST

This session examines how Israel routinely detains Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank as young as five years of age and systematically processes those 12 and above in military courts, instead of civilian court. 75% of kids report ill-treatment during arrest and/or interrogation. Many are imprisoned in Israel, which contravenes international law and where they are rarely able to see their parents. Increasing numbers are held in solitary confinement. Learn how you can stop your tax dollars from supporting this policy.

Speakers: Alicia Koutsoulieris, Brad Parker & David Kerr and Moderator: Edie Garwood 

 

Series iI: week II

The Climate Crisis and Human Survival: What Can We Do? 

Monday, May 11th at 8pm EST

The climate crisis is real, urgent and already destroying lives. Without immediate action, it will get much worse. In this participatory session, we’ll discuss the science behind the climate crisis, who is responsible, the disproportionate impact on people already facing discrimination and marginalization, and what we can do to stop it. We’ll focus on solutions, including the concept of Climate Justice, and celebrate the leadership of Indigenous Peoples, youth and front-line communities.

Speakers: Alejandro Del Pino & Vibha Venkatesha

All People Deserve Safety and Freedom: The Path Forward in the Fight for Refugee Rights 

Wednesday, May 13th at 8pm EST

Under the Trump administration, we’ve witnessed attack after attack on long-standing protection systems for people seeking safety in the U.S. This election year will be a defining moment for our country’s humanity. Hear about organizing and activism from families and individuals affected by Trump’s attacks on refugee protections, and the advocates fighting along their side. We will discuss how to move beyond constantly being on the defense when refugee rights are under attack to organizing and advocating for solutions that safeguard our protection systems for people seeking safety.

Speakers: Basel Mousslly, Charles Forchenmbin, Isabel Kayembe & Alma Rosa Silva-Bañuelos and Moderator: Denise Bell

covid-19

Thursday, May 14th at 8pm EST. 

This session will explore the human rights implication of the COVID-19 pandemic and how AIUSA is responding to meet the challenges.  COVID-19 is a human rights crisis on an unprecedented scale. It’s affecting everyone, but some are hit much harder than others. Amnesty’s new RightsNow! Campaign is not just about surviving this pandemic.  We must create a new future where all of us can live in dignity and thrive. Join us in the campaign — together, we will put human rights at the center of the COVID-19 response and recovery.

Ending Gun Violence

Friday, May 15th at 7pm EST

Nearly 100 people die every day due to gun violence. Government inaction means that despite making the headlines, gun violence remains an everyday reality – especially for many communities of color. The government must protect our right to life and help end gun violence. Join us for a powerful discussion among advocates and community leaders and learn how we can build a human rights movement to end gun violence.

Speakers: Ernest Coverson

 

Series iII: week I

Standing with Human Rights Defenders in Sri Lanka

Tuesday, May 19th at 8pm EST

Human rights defenders in Sri Lanka are increasingly under attack. They include Fr. Elil Rajendran (harassed for organizing a commemoration of Tamil war dead), Sandya Eknaligoda (threatened for demanding justice for her disappeared husband, Prageeth Eknaligoda, and for the thousands of other disappearances), and Ruki Fernando (an internationally respected activist detained for his human rights work). Workshop participants will learn the current challenges they face and will brainstorm strategies to provide international support and solidarity.

Speakers: Akriti Panthi, Jim McDonald & Thyagi Ruwanpathirana

Due to unforeseen circumstances this session was canceled.

Not Someone Else’s Problem: Lobbying for Women’s Rights in Afghanistan

Wednesday, May 20th at 7:30pm EST

President Trump and Democratic presidential candidates have committed to ending to U.S. military presence in Afghanistan. As the Taliban and Afghan war lords vie to fill the power vacuum, Afghan women, refugees, and human rights defenders stand the most to lose. By supporting targeted development and diplomacy efforts, the U.S. government can defend human rights in Afghanistan. This will not happen, however, without sustained pressure from constituents. The event will discuss this dynamic and offer lobbying strategies for Amnesty members to push for change.

Speakers: Alice Dahle, Daniel Balson & Dr. Huma Ahmed-Ghosh

The Impact of an Amnesty International Volunteer: From Buenos Aires to the Halls of the U.S. Congress

Friday, May 22nd at 7pm EST

Amnesty International volunteer Mary-Evelyn Porter, Professor Nestor Fantini (former POC), and Jonathan Fantini Porter, a former U.S. Congress and White House staffer, portrayed in the 2019 Amnesty International-produced documentary “Life, Love, & Liberty,” discussing the successful work of an AIUSA Amnesty volunteer that led to Nestor’s release and a son who many nicknamed the “Amnesty Kid.”

Speakers: Jonathan Fantini-Porter, Mary-Evelyn (Mev) Porter & Nestor Fantini

 

Series iII: week II

Building Bridges. Not Walls, Not Jails: How U.S. Immigration Policies Harm Children and Families Seeking Safety & How We Can Take Action to Fight Back

Tuesday, May 26th at 7pm EST

U.S. policies turning back and detaining asylum-seekers and stripping the right to seek asylum itself have acutely impacted and endangered the safety, health, and human rights of children and families who are simply seeking safety. Join us in an exploration of how we can we mobilize in our communities to take action so that children in particular and their families are treated with dignity, respect, and with the care they deserve.

Speakers: Antonio Martinez, Ph.D., Charlene D’Cruz & Denise Bell and Moderator: Charanya Krishnaswami

Young and Rising: Building Leadership at AIUSA 

Thursday, May 28th at 7pm EST

In 1961, Peter Benenson spoke out for the rights of two Portuguese students. Shortly afterwards, a group of young people established AIUSA. Young people have been at the forefront of Amnesty’s work from the beginning, making up a majority of AIUSA’s activist base. Join youth members from Amnesty’s Board of Directors, Nominations Committee, and the Global and National Youth Collectives as we explore how young people are leading AIUSA’s bigger, bolder and more inclusive movement.

Speakers: Baaqeyah Muhammad El, Benya Kraus, Penelope Halkiadakis & Vibha Venkatesha and Moderator: Lora Randa 

Tech Support

We recognize that for many of you, this might be the first time that you are participating in a session virtually. Please click here for information on zoom.

IntRo to Zoom