Speakers Panel

Speakers

GOTB 2020 speakers will be listed here. 2019 speakers are listed below:

Margaret Huang, an advocate for human rights and racial justice for more than two decades, is the Executive Director of Amnesty International USA.

As the chief executive officer, Ms. Huang is responsible for advancing the vision and mission of the organization, managing the organization’s day-to-day operations and activities, serving as the lead spokesperson for the organization, and ensuring the organization’s financial health. She has worked with Members of Congress on critical pieces of legislation, and she has advocated before the United Nations human rights mechanisms as well as the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. She has published articles and opinion pieces on human rights, and she authored a chapter, “Going Global – Appeals to International and Regional Human Rights Bodies,” in Human Rights At Home, published by Praeger Publishers in December 2007. Ms. Huang’s opinion pieces have been published in Time, The Washington Post, Newsweek, U.S. News and World Report, Rolling Stone, the Miami Herald, and numerous other leading outlets, and she has been interviewed on National Public Radio, CNN, NBC News, Al Jazeera, and other global and domestic media. She regularly speaks on human rights issues to national and international associations, universities, and conferences.

Ms. Huang previously served as Chief of Staff and as Deputy Executive Director for Campaigns and Programs at Amnesty International USA. Earlier in her career, she served as Executive Director of the Rights Working Group, a coalition of civil liberties and human rights groups formed in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, attacks. Previously, she served as Director of the U.S. Program at Global Rights, Program Director of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Human Rights, and Program Manager at The Asia Foundation. Earlier in her career, she served as Committee Staff for the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Ms. Huang received a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University, and a B.S.F.S. from Georgetown University.

Sri Lanka: Mario Arulthas is the Advocacy Director for People for Equality and Relief in Lanka (PEARL), a Washington DC-based advocacy group. He engages policy experts and government officials on issues concerning the Tamil people in Sri Lanka. Mario has conducted several research trips to the Northeast of the island, drafting reports on reforms, memorialization, and obstacles to domestic prosecution of crimes related to the ethnic conflict. He is the former editor-in-chief of the Tamil Guardian and currently a fellow at the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership.

Tibet/China: Lhamo Dolma will be returning as a guest speaker at Get on the Bus. Dolma is an 18-year old college student and activist. She is the daughter of Tibetan filmmaker and former prisoner of conscience, Dhondup Wangchen, and activist, Lhamo Tso.

In her own words, Dolma has shared a reflection on what brought her to activism, and what sustains her activism:

"My dad was my biggest inspiration in becoming an activist because of his bravery and devotion for Tibet and human rights -- it inspired me to become one as well. Tibetans who have sacrificed themselves so the rest of the Tibetans could have better futures and not have to live under the oppression of Chinese Government are my motivation to continue being an activist, representing them, and spreading awareness about the hardships that Tibetans go through."

Tibet/China: Sonamtso has been a lifelong activist, organizer, and leader with the Tibetan freedom movement. She has been deeply involved with Students for a Free Tibet (SFT) since high school and in 2013, she helped revitalize youth activism for Tibet in California as Regional Coordinator. In 2015, Sonamtso joined SFT International in New York as the USA Grassroots Director, and now serves as the Campaigns and Communications Director. Sonamtso has led grassroots trainings around the world, and believes in the power of strategic nonviolent direct action. In addition to the Tibet cause, Sonamtso has been engaged in solidarity work with other communities similarly working to end state violence and discrimination and secure human rights and democracy.

Philippines: Melanie Dulfo is a representative of the New York Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines (NYCHRP). Ms. Dulfo is also currently a Community Health Education Program Manager at the Asian & Pacific Islander Coalition on HIV and AIDS (APICHA). Prior to APICHA she also worked for the Philippine Forum NAFCON, the Office of State Senator Liz Krueger, Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment, the Queens Community House, and the Filipino American Human Services Inc. (FAHSI).

Melanie Dulfo is a licensed master's social worker, with a long history of community practice and organizing, in Filipino issues both in New York City and in the Philippines. She firmly believes that Filipinos abroad are integral to the conditions and events in the Philippines, and vice versa. She has fought for human rights of Filipinos in campaigns for Filipina women, for migrants, and for indigenous people. She is representing the International Committee of Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP).

Syria: Ahed Festuk is an activist from Aleppo, Syria who lived in the city's rebel-held side until late November 2015. She was one of the pioneer women demonstrators, and when the war erupted, she worked as a paramedic on the front lines. Ahed later joined various organizations to do relief and development work, and became a member of the ancillary staff of Aleppo local council. She served as a hostile environment/first aid trainer inside Aleppo. She sought asylum in the United States in 2016. Now, Ahed works for the Multifaith Alliance for Syrian Refugees and is a member of the Syrian Women's Political Movement.

Nazia Shaheed, Activist/Musician

Nazia Shaheed is Amnesty International member and a first-year student at New Jersey Institute of Technology, majoring in Biology and minoring in History. She is on a premed track, and hopes to go to medical school after college. Nazia also is training to become an EMT and a medical scribe.

In her own words: "I have been a part of Amnesty International since my freshman year of high school. When I first heard about Amnesty at my school, it was an advertisement for a trip to Boston for the Northeast Regional Conference. Being a high school freshman, I joined the club for the mere reason to go on a trip to Boston. Little did I know that this experience would impact the rest of my time in high school and carry with me to college. I became very much involved in high school and, in my sophomore year, was elected president of our Amnesty club. I worked with other members to raise awareness about Amnesty in the school and what we do. We held benefit concerts on campus in collaboration with a club that I founded with one of my best friends called MERACL (Middle Eastern Relief And Care Liaison). We also held bake sales and a movie night. Through our fundraisers, our clubs were able to raise a little over $2000 which we donated to UNHCR for refugee relief. We also held a winter clothing drive for refugees where we collected donations from our peers and classmates to be sent to charities in the Middle East. Most of our actions focused on refugees and migrants since most of our club members were very vocal about their feelings towards these issues.

Last April, one of my friends and I planned to perform at GOTB as sort our last performance together before we both went off to college. Unfortunately, she couldn’t make it because she had a driver’s test. So, I went on by myself and performed some of my favorites from the Civil Rights Era of the 1960s. These songs helped to unify a nation struggling with segregation and race conflicts back then so, I figured why not sing them to bring people together now, at this divisive time? I didn’t expect people to start singing along but, when they did, it nearly brought tears to my eyes. That was one of the best moments of my life and it made me thankful that I’m part of Amnesty International."