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Kelly Turley
Q: How long have you been with Amnesty International Group 133? A: Since 2003. I first became the group’s co-coordinator in 2006. Q: What inspired you to advocate for human rights? A: Desire to promote social justice, within the U.S. and around the world. I first participated in Amnesty International actions in high school, and became more hooked on human rights activism in college, as part of a student group called Students for a Better World and as a student-leader for campaigns related to democracy in Burma, LGBT rights, women’s rights, and environmental justice. Q: Why do you do it? A: The Buddhist mantra “May all beings be happy and free” is a succinct summary of one of the major motivating factors in my human rights activism and other related endeavors. Q: What action(s) in the past have you been involved with? A: Besides working with action coordinators to oversee all of the GOTB actions, I have served as the lead coordinator for actions focused on human rights in Guatemala (femicide, indigenous rights/gold mining, and impunity), Burma (political prisoners and human rights abuses by the government), Tibet (political prisoners), and Mexico (femicide). Q: What issue should Amnesty International focus on as first priority? A: I think that the strength and power of Amnesty International comes in part from its ability to highlight a variety of human rights issues simultaneously. Q: Do you believe that the work we do for Amnesty really makes a difference? A: Amnesty’s use of grassroots activism, research, organizing, and collaboration is a powerful combination in the global effort to promote and protect human rights for individuals, communities, and nations around the world. Q: What is the most exciting thing about GOTB? A: GOTB brings together students, local group members, Amnesty staff, allied organizations, and community members to work together to elevate human rights issues and to stand up for what is right, whether it is a very well-known human rights case or a lower profile human rights abuse. A key to GOTB’s impact is the creation of a space for activists to hear from and interact with survivors of human rights abuses and brave human rights activists, such as Lhamo Tso, Tibetan activist and wife of filmmaker/former prisoner of conscience Dhondup Wangchen, Sanjay Verma, survivor of the Union Carbide chemical disaster in Bhopal, India, and members of the All Burma Monks’ Alliance, who led the Saffron Revolution. Q: What is the most satisfying thing about GOTB? A: Engaging young people, learning from them, helping to increase consciousness, and to make progress toward human rights goal, such as helping to secure the release of political prisoners such as Tibetan filmmaker Dhondup Wangchen, Sri Lankan journalist J.S. Tissainayagam, and most recently, Burmese community leader, Dr. Tun Aung. Q: How would you describe GOTB to someone unfamiliar with Amnesty? A: Get on the Bus for Human Rights is an energizing day of human rights education and action, bringing together student and local group members of Amnesty International with other allies to call for the respect of human rights around the world. GOTB combines a speakers panel, rallies, and delegation visits with international government officials to present our concerns and human rights demands. Q: Please describe what you do for work. A: I am an advocate/activist, serving as the Director of Legislative Advocacy for the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless. In that role, I coordinate statewide campaigns to increase access to affordable housing, shelter, homelessness prevention resources, and safety net benefits for families with children, unaccompanied youth, and adults. In January, we were thrilled that then-Governor Deval Patrick signed into law an unaccompanied youth homelessness bill we drafted and shepherded through the legislative process. This groundbreaking law sets the stage for the state’s creation of youth-focused housing and wraparound support services for youth and young adults who are experiencing homelessness out on their own, outside the care of a parent or guardian. Q: Where did you go to school? What did you study / major in? A: My undergraduate studies were at Siena College in New York, where I received a B.A. in Biology, with a minor in Spanish. My graduate studies were at Boston College, where I received a Masters in Social Work and an M.A. in Pastoral Ministry. Q: What interests you? What hobbies / leisure? A: Outside of my activism with Amnesty and my advocacy on housing and homelessness issues, I try to spend time each day dancing, doing yoga, and/or meditating. I also am very interested in making and eating healthy, vegan food and promoting animal rights. Q: Favorite book / movie / sport / quote / advice… A: Book: In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez Movie: It’s a Wonderful Life Quote: “May all beings be happy and free.” –Buddhist mantra Q: Have you gone to or presented at the Northeast Regional Conference or AGM? So you have any significant memories of these events? A: I have been fortunate to be able to participate in and present at numerous Amnesty regional conferences and annual general meetings. These gatherings have been an important time to connect with fellow Amnesty activists and staff and to be inspired by international human rights heroes, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace Laureate of Burma, who participated in an AGM by phone, and former Sri Lankan prisoner of conscience J.S. Tissainayagam. Q: You are very active as a volunteer. In what ways other than Amnesty do you contribute as a volunteer? A: Since 2013, I have served on the International Board of Directors for Students for a Free Tibet, supporting SFT’s work to empower young people and push for human rights and freedom in Tibet. I also am on the organizing team for a Tibetan Buddhist meditation and group called the Bodhi Tree Institute, led by Lama Tsering Ngodup. In the past, I served as a live-in volunteer at the St. Francis Inn in Philadelphia, an inner-city soup kitchen and multi-service center. Q: In your life, if you were able to contribute one thing to society, what do you think you would like to have accomplished? A: To have somehow diminished suffering of others (people and animals) and have contributed to increased compassion and joy. Helen Morgan Q: What inspired you to advocate for human rights? A: My family’s experience in Northern Ireland Q: Why do you do it? A: I believe governments cannot be trusted to protect basic human rights on their own so there must be oversight by civilians of countries worldwide in order to bring attention to and to advocate for anyone, anywhere who is suffering any abuse of their basic human rights. Q: What do you get out of helping others in this way? A: A sense of justice, vindication, relief and personal satisfaction. Q: What particular aspect of human rights motivates you to volunteer your time and energy? A: Advocating for the release of prisoners of conscience. Q: What action(s) in the past have you been involved with? A: In my teen years, letter writing campaigns advocating for the release of Nelson Mandela, the investigation of the murder of Steven Bico, calling for a public investigation into the torture of detainees in Northern Ireland. As member of AI 133 I have taken part in Get on the Bus five times. The actions have ranged from calling for criminal investigation of the abuses in Darfur, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, the release of Aung San Su Key in Burma, Tissa in Sri Lanka and Dhondup Wangchen in Tibet, amongst others. Q: If any one human rights issue could be resolved tomorrow, which would you want to be resolved? A: I would wish that Tibet be allowed to return to being a free and independent nation-- OR that the Palestinians be allowed to have their own country recognized by the UN and the world. Q: What issue should Amnesty International focus on as first priority? A: Highlighting the abuse and torture of human rights workers around the world. That includes those advocating for the environment. Q: What do you contribute and why do you do it? What task are you in charge of for GOTB? A: In the past, I was in charge of 250 high school and college students on 4 buses from Boston to NYC. I did it to be a physical and vocal presence to show that people are paying attention and do care. Q: Do you believe that the work we do for Amnesty really makes a difference? A: YES! Without question. Tissa’s early release is testament to that. Sadly, Dhondup Wangchen was not released earlier than his full sentence but at least he was not held longer-- which could have happened easily. Q: What is the most satisfying thing about GOTB? A: To be taking concrete action in support of these issues and to be surrounded by a large group of others who care as I do. Q: Outside of Amnesty, in what way have you volunteered/contributed to society, such as your work with HONK? A: Many years ago I joined a group whose goal it was to get the City of Somerville retirement board to divest any money it had with companies who did business in Israel in order to highlight the plight of the Palestinians. For HONK (www.honkfest.org), every year, I cook food a meal for upwards of 600 musicians. I also have collected donated food, passed a hat to fundraise, sold merchandise, and hosted up to 7 band members. I have also led the Tibetan Association of Boston in the Sunday HONK Parade for the last 5 years. Q: Please describe what you do for work? A: I am self employed as a Personal Concierge for families and individuals. I am also a small property owner Q: Where did you go to school? What did you study/major in? A: I went to college in Birmingham, England and studied Early Childhood Development and Education. Q: What interests you? What hobbies/leisure? A: DANCING !!! Music and singing, reading, protesting for justice ;-) Q: Favorite book, movie, sport, quote, and/or advice? A: Movie - De Grosse Stille and K2, Book - anything by Tana French Advice - Never give up Sport - soccer, Quote - “What would you attempt if you knew you could not fail”, unknown Q: I am interested in your European descent. Could you tell us a bit about where you are from originally, your heritage? A: I am half English and half Northern Irish Catholic, my mother converted to marry my father. Somewhere back in the annuals of history, I was Welsh as my surname is Morgan and my mother’s maiden name was Owen. Both of those names are Welsh. My family actually has a Coat Of Arms that under English Heraldry means that an ancestor fought for one of the English Kings and was awarded a heraldic shield with chosen images on it. Our family motto in English means ‘Faithful and Bold’. I was raised in England until I was 11 when we moved to Southern Ireland (Ireland, or Eire as it is known). I went to high school there and upon graduation I went back to college in England. After I finished college, I went to live and work in, what was West Germany, before moving to the US. Q: In your life, if you were able to contribute one thing to society, what do you think you would like to have accomplished? A: I would like to not necessarily have contributed to society as a whole, but rather to an individual or group who I had helped, stood next to in a time of crisis or simply knew that they had a friend and ally in me. I believe that if all people simply stood up to help others all of society by de facto would change. Anonymous GOTB Planning Team Member Q: How long have you been with Amnesty International Group 133? A: I have been involved with AI activities on and off for about 10 years. I became an active member of group 133 after attending the 2009 GOTB. Q: What inspired you to advocate for human rights? A: Growing up in Sri Lanka and watching the impact of human right abuses inspired me to get involved. Q: What do you get out of helping others in this way? A: I get the satisfaction of doing something about the situation and occasionally a good outcome. Q: What particular aspect of human rights motivates you to volunteer your time and energy? A: Basic human rights and criminal justice. Q: Would you write about your Sri Lankan heritage and how that has influenced your interest in human rights? A: I grew up in the Northern town of Chavakachcheri and belong to the Tamil ethnic group. Since its independence from Great Britain in 1947, the Sri Lankan Government started implementing ethnic-based educational, economic development, and employment policies that impacted the Tamil minorities’ livelihood. When I was about to enter college, the government implemented a “standardization” policy that limited the number of Tamil students entering the universities, which also impacted my admission to the university. I had to take the exam again and wait for another year to enter the university. The discriminatory policies were the main cause for the conflict between the government and Tamils, initially through non-violent and political actions. In the 1980s, the conflict widened and Tamils experienced ethnic and religious based violence against them. As a result the Tamil youth started rebelling against the government and the civil war became an armed conflict. Even though I had left the country by then, I continued to follow the hardships my family and the entire Tamil community experienced. Learning about their economic hardship, loss of lives, human right abuses, etc. motivated me to get involved with the human rights organizations fighting for justice not just for Sri Lanka but for the entire world. Q: What action(s) in the past have you been involved with? A: Unconditional release of [Sri Lankan journalist J.S. Tissainayagam, ak.a.] Tissa Independent investigation into war crimes in Sri Lanka Justice for Ragihar Manoharan and the Trinco Five End of arbitrary detention in Sri Lanka Troy Davis case and abolishing death penalty Q: If any one human rights issue could be resolved tomorrow, which would you want to be resolved? A: It would be ending arbitrary arrests, detention and torture, repel the Prevention of Terrorism Act in Sri Lanka Q: Do you believe that the work we do for Amnesty really makes a difference? A: Certainly, it has contributed to the freedom of many political prisoners. Q: Please describe what you do for work? A: I am a scientist and work in biotechnology product development. Q: Where did you go to school? What did you study / major in? A: I went to University of Jaffna Sri Lanka for my Bachelor’s degree and studied Biological Sciences. I went to Marquette University for graduate school and earned a Ph.D. in Biophysical Chemistry. Q: What interests you? What hobbies / leisure? A: I travel and enjoy nature in my free time. Q: Favorite book / movie / sport / quote / advice… A: Book: To Kill a Mockingbird Movie: Lion King Q: In your life, if you were able to contribute one thing to society, what do you think you would like to have accomplished? A: I would like to create a just society. |
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Eric Aronson
Q: How long have you been with Amnesty International Group 133? A: Since the fall of 1997. Q: What inspired you to advocate for human rights? Why do you do it? What do you get out of helping others in this way? A: My grandfather escaped Eastern Europe as a refugee at a time when there were pogroms and widespread persecution. I realized I could be part of the solution/safety network for others now, as compassionate people have throughout history. Q: What particular aspect of human rights motivates you to volunteer your time and energy? What do you contribute and why do you do it? A: Protecting refugees, immigrants and asylum seekers wherever their rights are threatened. As AIUSA's regional refugee coordinator and coordinator of Group 133's refugee action team, I can play a small part in improving the present circumstances of at least one person; that means a lot to me. Q: What action(s) in the past have you been involved with? A: For example, I helped lobby to reauthorize funding for the Torture Victims Relief Act. I helped found the Boston Coalition Against Trafficking & Slavery (through the Refugee Action Team), and organized the first human trafficking training for the Boston Police Department. Q: If any one human rights issue could be resolved tomorrow, which would you want to be resolved? A: Slavery in all its forms. The experience of forced labor, often accompanied by captivity, subjects human beings to a living hell without dignity. Q: What issue should Amnesty International focus on as first priority? A: Ongoing mass war crimes and crimes against humanity, such as those now being perpetrated by the Sudanese government, ISIS and Boko Haram. Note that this includes non-state actors. Q: Do you believe that the work we do for Amnesty really makes a difference? A: Absolutely. The proof of this is clear every time we see the word “released” in an action update. Q: What is the most exciting thing about GOTB? What is the most satisfying thing about GOTB? How have you helped with GOTB in previous years? A: Most exciting was when Sri Lankan journalist J.S. Tissainayagam was granted freedom weeks after our GOTB action about him; most satisfying was seeing him as our guest speaker the following year! Also meaningful was hearing refugees from Darfur speak at our Sudan action. I've helped in a variety of roles, from organizing buses to working on actions and meeting with government representatives. Q: How would you describe GOTB to someone unfamiliar with Amnesty? A: An opportunity to spend a day in New York City learning about human rights issues and then participating with hundreds of others in targeted actions on those issues. Q: Please describe what you do for work? A: I work as a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist with children, adults and families. This sometimes includes helping immigrants and refugees. Q: Where did you go to school? What did you study / major in? A: I studied psychology at Cornell and the University of Denver, where I received my doctorate in 1987. Q: What interests you? What hobbies / leisure? A: Playing/writing/performing music, and most outdoor sports, plus yoga, meditating and gardening. Q: Favorite book / movie / sport / quote / advice… A: Books: The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng (about Malaysia during WWII), The Disappeared by Kim Echlin (about the genocide in Cambodia). Movies: The Whistleblower and The Constant Gardener – both starring Rachel Weisz. Q: Have you gone to or presented at the Northeast Regional Conference or AGM? Do you have any significant memories of these events? A: I’ve enjoyed going to the AGM and giving workshops at the NRC. Favorite NRC memories (besides many amazing speakers!): presenting an award to Fauziya Kassindja, who paved the way for women to claim asylum based on FGM; and building a life-size immigration detention cell, and decorating it with artwork and poems by actual immigrants in detention. Q: How long have you been a member of the Refugee Action Team? As leader of the Refugee Action Team, what issues do you monitor? What actions have you taken to help the cause of refugees? A: I co-founded the Refugee Action Team with Christine Aquilino in 1998 in order to give activists a way to act locally to protect the human rights of immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers in the US and around the world. I’ve kept track of a large number of related issues, involving displacement in, from and to numerous places, ranging from Sudan to Sri Lanka, from Guatemala to Guantanamo. With other AI volunteers, I’ve participated in many types of actions. For example, at least 20 advocates for displaced Nuba people of Sudan were freed from detention following our 2013 GOTB online/letter-writing actions. I also went with other Refugee Action Team members to visit refugees and asylum seekers detained in local jails and helped them get legal representation. As long as people are displaced and forced to flee persecution, those of us who care will organize and advocate for their safety. Q: In your life, if you were able to contribute one thing to society, what do you think you would like to have accomplished? A: To have helped bring greater safety to people who were unjustly imprisoned or who experienced/feared persecution. This also includes giving survivors a voice and witnessing their stories, such as when I collected testimony for the ICTY (as an Amnesty team member) from survivors of human rights abuses in Kosovo. Michael Hartt Q: How long have you been with Amnesty International Group 133? A: Since 2013. Q: What have you contributed through Group 151? A: Until moving to Boston in 2013 I was coordinator of two Amnesty groups in Indianapolis, Group 317, Indianapolis and Group 440, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Since 2013 I have provided support to these groups by preparing sign-and-send letters for their monthly meetings, which I also share with Group 133. I also use my membership in two groups to encourage group members to support the initiatives of the other group. Q: What inspired you to advocate for human rights? A: I am continually inspired by the many courageous activists who advocate for change in the most horrific and oppressive societies. Q: What do you get out of helping others in this way? A: It can be disheartening to see human rights abuses of enormous scale in so many countries. To work on improving some of those situations is very satisfying, particularly when there is a positive outcome. Q: What action(s) in the past have you been involved with? A: The actions I've been most involved with are long-term case files and the death penalty. While I lived in Indiana I was very involved with death penalty work and served on the board of Indiana Citizens Against Capital Punishment. There is still a death penalty in Indiana, but there have been a number of successful campaigns to limit the scope of its application, such as legislation regarding the mentally ill and raising the minimum age for applying the death penalty. The long-term case files I've worked on include a journalist from Eritrea, a women's rights activist from Iran, and 158 Lao Hmong refugees detained in Thailand. I find the work on these cases to be most rewarding because over time you learn a lot about the culture of the people involved. Q: If any one human rights issue could be resolved tomorrow, which would you want to be resolved? A: I don't believe there is any single human rights abuse that is worst. If I could change one thing though, it would be the impunity for human rights abuses. Many of the worst offenders are in positions of power that make them immune to any future accountability. Q: Please describe what you do for work? I play double bass and was a member of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra for 25 years. Since moving to Boston I have been playing with several orchestras in the area and I'm teaching double bass at UMass Boston. Q: Where did you go to school? What did you study / major in? A: I went to school at Indiana University and studied double bass performance and composition. Q: What interests you? What hobbies / leisure? A: I have done visual art for more than 20 years. I am most interested in portraits, figurative works and flowers and paint mostly with pastels and acrylics. I also have a carpentry shop and recently finished building a dining room table based on the principles of the Arts and Crafts movement. Scott Langley Q: How long have you been with AI Group 133? Since what year have you volunteered with Amnesty? For how long have you advocated for human rights and what inspired you to get involved with Amnesty? A: A college professor, a former AIUSA board of directors member/chair and current State Death Penalty Abolition Coordinator (SDPAC), inspired me to get involved. When I was leaving Texas, he said I should get in touch with Rick Roth and Chris Williams of Group 133 when I settled into Cambridge. So I did. And I was at my first Group 133 meeting within 3 weeks of arriving in the fall of 2000. This was basically my first experience with an AI chapter. I immediately volunteered to head up the group's death penalty action team. In 2002, I coordinated GOTB. Since 2004, I have been a SDPAC for AIUSA, which I still do today. I left Boston in 2008, and live 150 miles away on the NY/Western Mass border. But I am told I am considered an "honorary Group 133 member." I still feel a part of the group even though I cannot attend meetings any longer. But I always still come down to NYC for GOTB and to Boston for the Northeast Regional Conference. Q: I know you are a photographer. Have you studied photography? Where? Since when have you been taking pictures/videos for Get on the Bus? Please describe what is involved in taking and preparing to present the photographs you take for Get on the Bus. A: I took a few darkroom and alternative printing photo classes, and a basic intro to photography class in college at Southern Methodist University (Dallas), but mostly learned through trial and error by working for the school newspaper and yearbook. I photographed the first GOTB that I ever attended - in 2001. I have photographed all the GOTBs I have ever attended, in fact. Even the one I coordinated. In the beginning, these were all shot on 35mm film, so there was a long process of developing and then scanning the images for sharing via the Internet. Even now it is not an instantaneous process, as I do not shoot with a camera phone. I still have to go home, download photos, edit them, and upload from a desktop. But I try to have images online within a few days. Q: In addition to photography, how have you been involved with AI USA Group 133? Have you done any letter writing? A: I coordinated the group 133's Death Penalty Action Team from 2000 to 2004 (I stopped when I left Boston from 2004 to 2006). We met every 3 weeks during this time, and focused our work on a death row case in Texas of a black juvenile offender (Chris Solomon). The group even sent me to Texas a few times to meet with the man. Q: How and when did you become interested in advocating and demonstrating for human rights? Why do you volunteer for Amnesty? What do you get out of helping other people in this way? A: I have always believed in looking out for those who are struggling, for those who are oppressed, for those who are not free or safe. It is my nature. In middle and high school, this played out in my charity work through church and Christian ministry groups. In college, I began to see the politics behind much of what I saw going on in my community, in my country, and around the world. I knew that charity and justice needed to be companions, and Amnesty provided an outlet for the justice component. Q: What particular aspect of human rights motivates you to volunteer your time? Are there any actions we have demonstrated for that you are most passionate about? A: I connect with the idea that an individual person, or an individual group, can make a difference as we work to create a better, more humane world. We can build a movement, start a tradition, and realize change when we organize, meet, and act. Q: What do you do for work? Where did you go to school? What did you study / major in? A: I work as a self-employed wedding and portrait photographer for my source of income, although that is not what takes up the bulk of my time. I am a volunteer organizer for a number of death penalty related groups/organizations. I exhibit my Amnesty and death penalty photos around the world each year. I travel to talk to students about capital punishment and my photo projects. I am an organic gardener. I am a father and a husband. I am an active member of my community. I have a house that needs repairs. I have grass to mow, chickens to feed, firewood to stack. The list goes on and on. Every day is unique, and every day is rich. But free-lance photography allows me the flexibility and resources to do all these things. I went to Southern Methodist University where I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Sociology, and a minor in Psychology. I was a few classes short of having a photography minor. Q: What interests you? Hobbies? Do you photograph for other causes? Why do you enjoy taking pictures? A: All the things above interest me. Those are also my hobbies. Photography is a big part, because I feel that it is my unique talent that gives me a voice and a tool of action to organize my activism around. Photography gives me purpose, and also the creative challenge that I enjoy. Q: What is your favorite book, movie, sport, activity, quote, or advice? My favorite quote is: "If you aren't living on the edge, then you are taking up too much space." Q: If any one human rights issue could be resolved tomorrow, which would you choose as first priority for AI to focus on? A: The death penalty. It wraps up so many issues at once in the country. It is obviously about race, income inequality, gun control, lack of mental health and drug/alcohol treatment programs, and such. But more disturbingly, the death penalty is about what happens when you give the government the power to kill human beings and make choices about who is expendable in society. The death penalty is an extermination program that brutalizes each and every one of us, regardless if we realize it or not. All the other causes and issues that Amnesty works on are hugely important as well, but this is the one we need to address with the most urgency. Meghan Robbins-Tchuileu Q: How long have you been with Amnesty International Group 133? A: I have been with AI 133 for about four years. Q: What inspired you to advocate for human rights? A: The first human rights work that I focused on was freedom of expression cases. As an artist, I felt that I should stand up for others that are punished for expressing themselves. Q: Why do you do it? A: I am lucky to live in a place that allows me to freely speak up about human rights abuses and take action to help others. Q: What particular aspect of human rights motivates you to volunteer your time and energy? A: The success stories, such as Tissa and Dhondup Wangchen’s release, motivate me to continue the work, and to demand releases, fair trials, accountability, etc. The success stories prove that this work matters, and I am motivated to continue working for human rights. I hope to continue to hear great stories and outcomes of this work. Q: What action(s) in the past have you been involved with? A: I have been a part of many GOTB, Northeast Regional Conferences, and student activist conferences and trainings. Q: If any one human rights issue could be resolved tomorrow, which would you want to be resolved? A: If one human rights issue could be resolved tomorrow, I would choose to abolish the death penalty. The death penalty is an incredibly flawed system, and it needs to be abolished. I spent a lot of time working on Troy Davis’ case before he was executed in Georgia in September 2011. I believe that there was so much doubt in his case, and so much evidence leaned towards his innocence. After his death, I continued to work to abolish the death penalty, focusing on other cases in the US. I created a body of art work inspired by Troy Davis’ story, and had an exhibition of this work called “For Troy” in January 2012. Q: What issue should Amnesty International focus on as first priority? A: Freedom of Expression Q: What do you contribute and why do you do it? What task are you in charge of for GOTB? A: As an artist, I like to contribute in ways to visually display our message. Q: I know you have artistic talent. How have you used this talent and interest to support Group 133 and Get on the Bus? A: I use my artistic talent to help visually communicate our message of human rights for all. For GOTB, I make large painted banners for the main actions. Q: Do you believe that the work we do for Amnesty really makes a difference? A: I do believe that the work we do for Amnesty makes a difference. One of the most powerful examples of how our work makes a difference is shown in having Tissa attend GOTB. Tissa’s case was a main action in GOTB in 2010, and now, after being released, Tissa has attended and spoke at GOTB. That shows that our work is meaningful and can make a difference. Q: What is the most exciting thing about GOTB? A: One of the most exciting things about GOTB is seeing so many activists from different groups working together and taking action together for human rights. Q: What is the most satisfying thing about GOTB? A: Hearing about releases and positive outcomes. Q: Please describe what you do for work? A: I am an artist and an educator. I really enjoy combining the work I do as an artist, an activist, and an educator. My personal artwork often has a conceptual tie to the work I do with Amnesty International. I also bring activism into the projects I create for my students. It’s never too early to teach youth to use their voice. Q: Where did you go to school? What did you study / major in? A: In May 2014, I graduated from Massachusetts College of Art and Design, with a major in Art Education. Q: What interests you? What hobbies / leisure? A: I love to go to art museums and explore different styles, techniques, cultures. Q: Favorite book / movie / sport / quote / advice… A: One of my favorite quotes is “Everyday has the potential to be the greatest day of your life.” –Lin Manuel Miranda Q: In your life, if you were able to contribute one thing to society, what do you think you would like to have accomplished? A: A major goal would be to create a safe space for all people to express themselves freely. |
