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.
SJSU’s HRI will soon be hosting three Afghan scholars as part of the Afghanistan Visiting Scholars Program. The Program is a joint project with SJSU’s HRI and UCB Berkeley’s Human Rights Center and gives Afghan scholars who have recently fled Afghanistan a chance to continue their important work. In addition to hosting Afghan scholars at SJSU, we have referred Afghan scholars to other universities including UC Santa Cruz, University of Texas at El Paso, Yale University, and others as part of our Afghanistan Visiting Scholars Program.
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)
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.”
2021 Human Rights Lecture Series
Live Watch Party: Free Angela & All Political Prisoners
This event kick-offed Black History Month and the Lecture Series with a live watch party of the award winning documentary, Free Angela and All Political Prisoners by Shola Lynch (2012). The film details the early life of Dr. Angela Davis as a scholar, political figure, and temporary fugitive who would defend herself in an epic 1972 trial that became an international stage for revolutionary Black feminism. The live watch party featured a live Q&A with Dr. Bettina Aptheker, who appears in the film.
Teach-In Panel Discussion: Dr. Angela Davis and the Indispensability of Black Feminism and Socialism in 2021
This event featured a virtual teach-in panel discussion of Black Feminism and Socialism by internationally known scholars, Drs. Barbara Ransby, Bettina Aptheker, and Neferti X.M. Tadiar. Each guest presented a brief, but provocative talk before engaging directly with questions from the viewing audience.
Keynote Lecture with Dr. Angela Davis
The culminating event for the SJSU HRI Human Rights Lecture Series, featuring the 2021 keynote human rights lecture from Dr. Angela Davis (UC Santa Cruz, Distinguished Prof. Emerita). Following the lecture, Dr. Davis discusses how these ideas are shaping political struggles in our region and across the country.
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.
