The Orbis

Issue date: 11/12/08 Section: News/Features

Students interested in international justice should take a close look at the work of the Vanderbilt chapter of Amnesty International. As a local chapter of the global human rights movement, Amnesty has made a name for itself on campus by coordinating international and local advocacy projects.
According to Amnesty executive board member Soo-Ryum Yang, the organization's past campaigns include raising awareness for Congo's rape epidemic, railing against censorship by hosting a Banned Books Week, and advocating on behalf of wrongly convicted death row inmates.

One of Amnesty's most successful programs is the English Conversation Sessions, designed to help international students acclimate to American life. The ECS provides an opportunity for foreign students to practice their English with Amnesty volunteers every Monday at 5PM in the Community Partnership House.

Amnesty also organized earlier this year in response to the high profile case of death row inmate Troy Davis. In the controversial trial, Davis was convicted of the 1989 murder of a police officer and sentenced to be executed. Amnesty International appealed on his behalf in light of new evidence and the recanting of several witnesses. At Vanderbilt, Amnesty members started a letter writing campaign to send to the authorities in the Davis case. "In the mindset of justice, the courts play an important role. At the same time, regular people have an important role as citizens to tell the courts and the legislators how we feel. We need to be expressing our opinions," said Yang.

As Amnesty looks to the future, they're considering several projects to help the local Somalian community and to raise awareness on the current devastation in Haiti. "We look for projects at the intersection of local and international issues, where we can help directly with our hands," said Yang. Amnesty's method of operation includes letter writing campaigns, tutoring services, and documentary series.

Get involved:
-Visit Amnesty's website at studentorgs.vanderbilt.edu/amnesty

-Volunteer to help with English conversation sessions every Monday night, 5-6 PM at the Community Partnership House

-Join in Amnesty's letter writing campaigns to free political prisoners around the world. December 5th through the 14th is the Global Write-a-thon; register to participate online at amnestyusa.org

Email vanderbilt.amnesty@gmail.com for more information

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools