Human rights activist John Prendergast to speak at Manchester
John Prendergast, international human rights activist and author, will speak at Manchester University at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 29 in Cordier Auditorium. He will explain how to enact change in “10 Building Blocks for Making a Difference in the World and in Your Neighborhood.”
The keynote address for United Nations Day observances at MU is free and open to the public.
Recognized globally as a human rights activist for his work across Africa, Prendergast is founding director of the Enough Project, an initiative to end genocide and other crimes against humanity. The Enough Project launched The Sentry, an initiative co-founded by George Clooney and Prendergast that seeks to dismantle the networks of perpetrators, facilitators and enablers who fund and profit from Africa’s deadliest conflicts. The Sentry provides leverage for peace efforts on the continent.
Prendergast’s presentation is sponsored by the Dr. Everett L. Refior Lectureship in Establishing Peace Through Enforceable World Law. Refior lectures at Manchester highlight the efforts of global citizens working together to abolish war, protect rights and freedoms, and solve the problems facing humanity that no one nation can solve alone.
The University is home to the world's first undergraduate peace studies program and in 2018 opened the Jean Childs Young Intercultural Center and Toyota Round, a regional focal point for discussions about diversity and inclusion, civic engagement and civil discourse.
This presentation is made possible by the Peace Studies Institute and is part of MU’s Values, Ideas and the Arts series, which offers cultural, intellectual and artistic enrichment to students.
This is not the first time Prendergast has spoken at Manchester. Back in 2008, he gave a presentation about genocide in Darfur. He was also the featured speaker at commencement in 2017.
The New York Times bestseller, Not on Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond, is one of 12 books Prendergast has published. He co-wrote that book with Don Cheadle.
Prendergast has served as a special advisor to the president of the International Crisis Group, as special advisor on the Horn of Africa for the U.S. State Department and as director of African affairs for the National Security Council.
Manchester has deep ties to the United Nations. The auditorium where Prendergast will speak is named after Andrew Cordier, a 1922 Manchester graduate who was a key player in drafting the UN founding charter. Manchester was also the first university in the United States to hold permanent observer status with the UN as a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO).
Contact for the media
Caraline Feairheller, MU peace studies coordinator: Cfeairheller@manchester.edu
More about international United Nations Day
More about Manchester's connection to the UN
About Manchester
With campuses in North Manchester and Fort Wayne, Ind., Manchester University offers more than 70 areas of academic study to 1,400 students in undergraduate programs,a Master of Accountancy, a Master of Science in pharmacogenomics, a Master of Athletic Training a four-year professional Doctor of Pharmacy degree and a four-year dual degree in pharmacy and pharmacogenomics. Learn more about the private, northern Indiana school at www.manchester.edu.
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Manchester University respects the infinite worth of every individual and graduates persons of ability and conviction who draw upon their education and faith to lead principled, productive, and compassionate lives that improve the human condition.
October 2019