A World-Class Research and Policy Institute
The Human Rights Institute is a research and policy institute in the heart of Silicon Valley. To ensure its lasting success and for those looking to invest in effective policy solutions and distinguish SJSU as a new center for human rights scholarship—anonymously or to leave a deliberate legacy—there are plenty of opportunities to give.
An annual report on the state of inequality and quality of life for San José and Silicon Valley residents. Its inspiration can be found in Professor Bill Quigley's Katrina Pain Index following the devastating 2005 storm. The SVPI measures are meant to reflect fundamental (IBHR) International Human Rights and to serve as one of many potential illustrations of Santa Clara County’s [SCC] performance as a “human rights county.”
In 2022 the SJSU Human Rights Institute will begin serving as a resource and host for visiting international scholars. As part of this effort, we are also joining the New University in Exile Consortium, led by our colleagues at The New School. The point of the SJSU HRI Visiting Scholars Program [VSP] is to provide intellectual opportunities for scholars and educational opportunities for our students, faculty, and community members through their work. We are happy to announce that our first (3) Visiting Scholars have been selected from Afghanistan, in order to assist those fleeing political conditions under the Taliban and a current (preventable) humanitarian crisis now threatening over 23 million Afghans with famine. On August 15th, 2021, the day that the Afghan government fell to the Taliban regime, the SJSU HRI worked with partners to help evacuate Afghan scholars, journalists, and activists to help them reach safety and connect with universities offering opportunities in the U.S. As part of these efforts, the SJSU HRI partnered with the UC Berkeley Human Rights Center to raise over $400,000 to host Visiting Scholars and their families at our respective institutions.
2022 Human Rights Lecture Series
Confronting American Militarism: Peace and Security After the War on Terror
In 2020 the U.S. spent more ($778B) on its military than the next eleven countries combined--39% of total military spending in the world and nearly double what the U.S. spent in 2001. In the same year, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists warned that the world is closer to a nuclear apocalypse than ever in history, and the chances for such a conflict increase from another certain threat to species survival in the impacts of climate change. In 2022, military tensions are on the rise between the U.S. and Russia, devastating humanitarian disasters continue in Yemen and Afghanistan in the wake of war, technological and military competition between the U.S. and China continues to increase, and the world still seeks answers to solving global health and climate crises. How can we re-think the U.S. approach to achieving global peace and security as we face these overlapping social problems?
The Human Rights Institute and The Institute for the Study of Sport, Society and Social Change invite you to San José State's Second Annual Spring Research Colloquium for Human Rights and Social Change. This event is designed to showcase student research and celebrate the work they do to promote social change, influence public policy, and collaborate with professionals in the field. The event will include a keynote speaker, pre-recorded student presentations, student Q & A panels, and a presentation of awards and scholarships.
Tommie Smith and John Carlos Legacy Continues
SAN JOSE, CA – On Tuesday, October 19th at 12 noon, on the 53rd anniversary of Tommie Smith and John Carlos' historic action in Mexico City, the San José State campus community will come together to reflect on the significance of their actions, and its relevance to today's struggle for racial justice. The event will take place at the Smith/Carlos Statues on the SJSU Campus. Before the Smith & Carlos event, an 11 am press conference will be held at the Statues for the release of the booklet "Racial and Social Justice at San José State University: Students Respond with Social Action", which documents 10 events and student actions on the campus as they have struggled to build Dr. King's Beloved Community (attached). At the 11 am press conference, speakers will discuss “The Man With the Hoe” and Tower Hall (Dr. Scott Myers-Lipton), Tommie Smith, John Carlos, and the Statues (Dr. Akilah Carter-Francique), Japanese American Internment at the Men’s Gymnasium (Miko Baker), the Re-Establishment of the Equal Opportunity Program (Diana Victa) and CAFÉ J and the Campaign to Raise the Minimum Wage (Elisha St. Laurent)
The HRI faculty include award-winning authors, educators, and journalists who partner with one of the most diverse student bodies in the country and some of the most impressive organizations in the region to inform policy and practice according to international human rights law, standards, and scholarship.
In partnership with the SJSU Human Rights Minor Program, students gain access to a wealth of applied and scholarly experience in human rights law, philosophy, advocacy, policy design, and reporting.
A central goal of the SJSU HRI is to demonstrate the potential for critical scholarship and human rights frameworks to address the many challenges that confront our local and global communities. The HRI creates and engages policy at the local, state, and federal level, working with stakeholders and policy makers to craft effective policy solutions.
The SJSU HRI facilitates and supports groundbreaking scholarship that continues to shape the broader field of Human Rights. Beyond traditional publications, research is often conducted in partnership with students and community organizations to create, improve, and inform policy solutions to pressing social problems.
