Contact: Shirley Osterhaus, (360) 650-2309 or Shirley.Osterhaus@wwu.edu
BELLINGHAM – Carl Wilkens, a former director of a relief agency in Rwanda who stayed in the country during the genocide in the mid-‘90s, has been added to the slate of speakers in the World Issues Forum/Paths to Global Justice, a lecture series devoted to international social justice issues held at Western Washington University’s Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies.
Wilkens, former director of Adventist Development and Relief Agency in Rwanda, was the only American to remain in Rwanda after thousands of expatriates evacuated and the United Nations pulled out most of their troops. His daily forays into the dangerous streets, past roadblocks and civilians armed with machetes and assault rifles, brought food, water and medicine to groups of orphans trapped throughout the city, saving hundreds of lives. His experiences were included in a 2004 PBS Frontline documentary, “The Ghosts of Rwanda.”
Several other speakers are included in the remaining World Issues Forum events this fall, including a talk by Malalai Joya, an Afghan woman elected to that country’s National Assembly. Joya, an outspoken critic of governmental corruption in Afghanistan, will speak Nov. 12 about her book, “A Woman Among Warlords: The Extraordinary Story of the Afghan Woman Who Dares to Speak Out,” an account of the experiences of young Afghans during the violence that has torn the country apart, the troubles in refugee camps and outrage over corruption in government. Other topics still to be discussed this quarter are a journalist’s search for his roots among Kurdish Jews in Iraq, a look at the cultural contributions of recent immigrants’ children in the U.S. and an exploration of immigration policy after 9/11.
Sponsored by Western Washington University’s Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies, along with other campus and community groups, the forums are free and open to the public and held Wednesdays from noon to 1:20 p.m. in the Fairhaven College Auditorium, unless otherwise noted.
Information about each of the events and the speakers can be found at www.wwu.edu/fairhaven.
Oct. 21
Rwanda Yesterday and Today – End Genocide in Darfur Tomorrow
Presenter: Carl Wilkens, former director of Adventist Development and Relief Agency, Rwanda
• A humanitarian aid worker in Rwanda at the height of the genocide discusses his experiences in that country and the atrocities in Darfur.
Oct. 28
A Son’s Search for his Jewish Past in Kurdish Iraq
Presenter: Ariel Sabar, journalist
• Sabar’s “My Father’s Paradise” explores his family’s place in a sweeping saga of Middle-Eastern history.
Nov. 4
Immigrant Youth’s Contributions to Families and Society as Language and Culture Brokers
Presenter: Marjorie Faulstich Orellana, professor and director of faculty for the Teacher Education Program at the University of California, Los Angeles
• A discussion of how society benefits from the largely invisible work of the children of immigrants as language and cultural brokers.
Nov. 12
A Woman Among Warlords: The Extraordinary Story of the Afghan Woman Who Dares to Speak Out
Presenter: Malalai Joya, Afghan parliamentarian and women’s activist
Thursday, Nov. 12, noon. Arntzen Hall, Room 100
• A discussion of politics, corruption and activism in Afghanistan.
Nov. 18
Immigration & National Security: Reframing the Post 9/11 Debate
Presenter: Margaret Stock, Attorney; U.S. Army Reserve Military Police Corps lieutenant colonel; associate professor of social sciences, U.S. Military Academy; visiting fellow, Border Research Policy Institute, WWU
• Which post-9/11 changes in immigration policy have improved national security, and which have not? What future changes should be considered?
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