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Past Roundtables

2019 Roundtable: "Human Rights Fact-finding in the Era of Fake News"

The Klau Center for Civil and Human Rights convened a panel of experts to interrogate the effects of social media and misinformation campaigns on human rights fact-finding. The meeting took place on March 26, 2019, in Washington, DC. Dr. Agnès Callamard, United Nations Special Rapporteur for Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions, delivered the keynote address.

In the day’s close-door sessions, discussions included broad issues of advocacy for, and compliance to, human rights standards, and more detailed investigations of qualitative and quantitative methods in fact-finding. Panel members brought their particular experiences and insights to bear, with the goal of assembling a statement of recommendations for paths forward. No such detailed set of recommendations for human rights fact-finding currently exists.

 

Participating in the 2019 Experts' Roundtable were:

  • Adotei Akwei, Deputy, Advocacy and Government Relations, Amnesty International USA
  • Scilla Alecci, International Consortium of Investigative Journalists
  • Adejoke Babington-Ashaye, Former Associate Investigator, Office of the Prosecutor, International Criminal Court, Former Associate Legal Officer, International Court of Justice, Currently Senior Counsel, World Bank
  • Patrick Ball, Director of Research, Human Data Analysis Group (HRDAG)
  • Ben Batros, International Law, Accountability, and Human Rights Consultant, Open Society Foundations
  • Agnès Callamard, United Nations Special Rapporteur for Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions, Director, Columbia Global Freedom of Expression | Special Adviser to the President
  • Diane Desierto, Associate Professor of Human Rights Law and Global Affairs, Keough School of Global Affairs, University of Notre Dame
  • Brian Finucane, Attorney-Adviser, United States Department of State, Office of the Legal Adviser
  • Jennifer Mason McAward, Associate Professor of Law, Notre Dame Law School and Director, Klau Center for Civil and Human Rights, Keough School of Global Affairs, University of Notre Dame
  • Siobhan Mullally, Director and Established Professor of Human Rights Law, Irish Centre for Human Rights, NUI Galway
  • Gerald L. Neuman, J. Sinclair Armstrong Professor of International, Foreign, and Comparative Law and Director, Human Rights Program, Harvard Law School
  • Sean O'Brien, Concurrent Assistant Professor of Law and Human Rights LLM/JSD Program Manager, Notre Dame Law School
  • Anibal Perez-Linan, Professor of Political Science and Global Affairs, Keough School of Global Affairs, University of Notre Dame
  • James J. Silk, Binger Clinical Professor of Human Rights, Director, Lowenstein International Human Rights Clinic, Yale Law School
  • Penelope Van Tuyl, Associate Director of the WSD Handa Center for Human Rights and International Justice, Stanford Global Studies, Stanford University
A full report on the 2019 roundtable can be read here.

 

2018 Roundtable: "Race, Racism, and Catholic Social Teaching"

On April 16, 2018, The Center for Civil and Human Rights continued its annual series of closed-door roundtable discussions aimed at probing key human and civil rights issues. Bringing an interdisciplinary group of scholars from the Notre Dame community into conversation with those from across the country, the 2018 roundtable focused on race and racism, exploring responses and challenges presented by Catholic Social Teaching.

"Race, Racism, and Catholic Social Teaching" was structured as a series of reflections on the Church and the academy, their relationship to historical racial inequities, and their potential for improving social justice into the future. Both the opportunities presented by CST in fighting racism, and the challenges it faces in doing so, were explored in frank discussions throughout the morning. Turning to the academy, the assembled group sought innovative ways in which institutions of higher learning might leverage their particular strengths to fight the social injustices brought about by racism.

Following the conversation, roundtable participant George Murry, Bishop of the Diocese of Youngstown, delivered a public talk entitled “The Church as a Consistent Voice Against Racism.” Informed by his work as Chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism, Bishop Murry laid out an ambitious set of goals for the Catholic Church as an agent for changing racial attitudes. The address may be viewed in its entirety here.

 

Participating in the 2018 roundtable were:

  • Christine Cervenak, Concurrent Assistant Professor of Law and Associate Director, The Center for Civil and Human Rights
  • Maria Teresa Dávila, Associate Professor of Christian Ethics, Andover Newton Theological School
  • Darren Davis, Professor of Political Science, University of Notre Dame
  • Diane Desierto, Associate Professor of Human Rights Law and Global Affairs, Keough School of Global Affairs, University of Notre Dame
  • David Hooker, Associate Professor of the Practice of Conflict Transformation and Peacebuilding, Keough School of Global Affairs, University of Notre Dame
  • Rev. David Jones, Pastor, St. Benedict the African – East, Chicago, Illinois
  • Jennifer Mason McAward, Associate Professor of Law and Director, The Center for Civil and Human Rights
  • Maria McKenna, Associate Professor of the Practice, Department of Africana Studies, University of Notre Dame
  • Karrah Miller, Director for Public Affairs, University of Notre Dame (formerly Director, Office of Institutional Equity & Title IX Coordinator, University of Notre Dame)
  • The Most Reverend George Murry, Bishop of the Diocese of Youngstown (OH) and Chairman, Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
  • Sean O’Brien, Concurrent Associate Professor of Law and Assistant Director, The Center for Civil and Human Rights
  • Margaret Pfeil, Associate Professional Specialist, Department of Theology, University of Notre Dame
  • Bill Purcell, Associate Director, Notre Dame Center for Social Concerns; Operations and Catholic Social Tradition Director
  • Rev. Pat Reidy, C.S.C., Student Affairs, University of Notre Dame
  • Veronica Root, Associate Professor of Law, Notre Dame Law School
  • Vincent Rougeau, Dean, Boston College Law School
  • Rev. Kevin Sandberg, C.S.C., Executive Director, Notre Dame Center for Social Concerns
  • Susan Sharpe, Restorative Justice Advisor, Notre Dame Center for Social Concerns
  • Stephen Smith, Professor of Law, Notre Dame Law School

 

2017 Roundtable: "Human Rights and Catholic Social Teaching"

The Center for Civil and Human Rights has instituted a new series of closed-door roundtable discussions, probing key issues with invited scholars from Notre Dame and across the country. The series aims to place Notre Dame at the center of meaningful conversation about the most pressing civil and human rights issues facing contemporary society. A primary goal of the roundtable discussions is the establishment of jumping-off points for future research initiatives at CCHR.

The inaugural event, held on April 21, 2017 at Notre Dame Law School, focused on the intersection of the Catholic social teaching and human rights discourses. Drawing from the perspectives of both legal scholars and those deeply immersed in the CST tradition, the half-day conversation was structured to encourage an open dialogue on points of agreement and contention. Among the topics addressed by the group were the various differences between the two traditions, and ways in which each might enrich the other; potential challenges to communication between the Catholic community and those in the human rights community; and the concept of integral human development as understood and expressed by both traditions.


Participating in the 2017 roundtable were:

  • Evelyn Aswad, University of Oklahoma College of Law
  • Paolo Carozza, Notre Dame Law School/Director, Kellogg Institute for International Studies
  • Doug Cassel, Notre Dame Law School
  • Chris Cervenak, Associate Director, The Center for Civil and Human Rights
  • Rachana Chhin, LL.M. candidate in International Human Rights Law, Notre Dame Law School
  • Meghan Clark, St. John’s University
  • Colleen Cross, Ph.D. candidate in Theology/Peace Studies
  • Christina Leblang, “Convocate” Project Manager, The Center for Civil and Human Rights
  • Andres Lopez, J.S.D. candidate in International Human Rights Law, Notre Dame Law School
  • Fr. Thomas Massaro, S.J., Santa Clara University Jesuit School of Theology
  • Jennifer Mason McAward, Director, The Center for Civil and Human Rights
  • Caesar Montevecchio, Catholic Peacebuilding Network
  • Sean O'Brien, Assistant Director, The Center for Civil and Human Rights
  • Jerry Powers, Director, Catholic Peacebuilding Studies
  • Bill Purcell, Associate Director, Catholic Social Tradition and Practice, Center for Social Concerns
  • Clemens Sedmak, King’s College, Visiting Professor, Catholic Social Tradition and Community Engagement


The inaugural roundtable coincided with the public launch of Convocate, a new online research platform developed by CCHR, in partnership with the Hesburgh Libraries, thatenables the simultaneous exploration of documents from CST and international human rights.