Giving Passion A Strategy

Photos by Patricia Williams

April 24, 2018: Surrounded by their campaign posters and photos at the STF Year-End Leadership Workshop, 50 current and rising STF leaders, teachers and guests celebrated their ongoing work to protect DACA recipients, school safety, and raise awareness of possible genocide against the Rohingya in Burma.

Alex Alpharaoh joined via video to thank students for their activism to protect DACA, and to emphasize DACA recipients are still at risk of losing their work permits and protection from deportation. Alex helped STF launch their DACA campaign last fall, and students cheered to greet him again. “Keep doing what you’re doing!” Alex urged.

Graduating STF leader Alexis Restum led the workshop through a spirited gun violence and school safety debate. Students countered arguments heard in the media and sometimes on campus that were critical of the purpose of the March For Our Lives advocacy and student walkouts. Workshop participants also discussed the importance of giving passion a strategy to achieve their goals. “We need to identify who we must reach with our advocacy, how we can educate them about human rights.” STFers used this discussion to share their experiences pre-registering hundreds of voters at their schools and started to plan how to get them to the polls in November.

At the end of the evening, participants applauded the graduating seniors and reminded them to stay involved in human rights advocacy when they get to college.

Join Us on May 1 for “ANITA: Speaking Truth to Power”

Purchase tickets today!
Watch the film’s trailer (2:23)

Tuesday, May 1, 2018
6:30 pm | Doors open; Reception with hors d’oeuvres
7:15 pm | Film Screening, followed by Q&A

Presented at United Talent Agency
9336 Civic Center Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Join us for a special screening of ANITA, followed by a Q&A with Academy Award winner Freida Lee Mock.

On October 11, 1991, a poised young law professor sent shock waves through the nation as she sat before the Senate Judiciary Committee intrepidly testifying to the lewd behavior of a Supreme Court nominee.

In the midst of the #MeToo movement, the Film Club revisits Academy Award winner Freida Lee Mock’s ANITA, which crystallizes the sexist power dynamics in the room that day and unravels the impact of that lightning-rod moment on Anita Hill’s life and the broader discussion of gender inequality in America.

All attendees are invited to stay after the screening for a Q & A with the director of the film and the Executive Director of Human Rights Watch’s Women’s Rights Division.

Buy your tickets online

Proceeds from this event will support the work of Human Rights Watch around the world. A portion will be allocated to the Human Rights Watch Student Task Force.

Student tickets – $15                     General tickets – $30

Harvard-Westlake STF Connects DACA and Music

March 19, 2018, The Chronicle (Harvard-Westlake School’s online student newspaper): The Human Rights Watch Student Task Force hosted the American Youth Symphony Orchestra to facilitate conversations about Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients and immigration in Ahmanson Lecture Hall on Monday.

“The orchestra is so inspiring and I think it’s such an important conversation to have,” Human Rights Watch Student Task Force co-president and Chronicle Assistant News Editor Sophie Haber ’19 said.

The orchestra performed music by George Gershwin, a first-generation American born in Brooklyn to immigrants from Russia.

“If Gershwin had been forced to return to Russia as many DACA recipients now face being forced to return to the nations of their parents, the country would have lost not only an integral part of its culture, but the musical manifestation of its identity,” Human Rights Watch Student Task Force member Sonya Ribner ’19 said.

This year’s goal for the Student Task Force has been to work on campus to advocate for the human rights of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients, Haber said.

“I am fortunate enough not to have to worry about my status in this country as a citizen, but for over 690,000 people that security has been taken away from them because the government has not come to a definitive decision on what their action will be in terms of the children who came to the nation when they were young and the country is all they know,” Ribner said.

The Student Task Force hopes that by listening to music written by a first-generation immigrant, students will be motivated to advocate for legislation protecting DACA recipients from deportation, Human Rights Watch Student Task Force co-president Carolyn Kim ’18 said.

“Music has always had the power to change hearts and minds about issues,” Kim said…

Continue reading.

STFers Say #Enough!

March 14, 2018: STFers walked out, held moments of silence, remembered the 17 victims from Stoneman Douglas HS, spoke up for their human rights to safety and education, demanded protection from gun violence, registered voters and signed letters and petitions to legislators. On Wednesday, STFers joined students from more than 3,000 schools in the U.S. to raise their voices to end gun violence.

Several STF chapters also plan to participate in the March For Our Lives on March 24.

Check out photos from STF Chapters:

This is a partial list. More reports to come.

STF in Action for DACA

As Congress fails to protect the human rights of DACA recipients, this spring STFers are engaging their campus communities to keep the conversation alive. Actions include:

• Chapters collected petition signatures urging Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Santa Clarita Valley Congressman Steve Knight to pass a clean DREAM Act.
• Chapters called and emailed the White House, Speaker Paul Ryan and Congressman Steve Knight demand they protect DACA recipients.
• Chapter members wore their “Immigrants Are U.S.” t-shirts to remind their communities that the U.S. is a nation of immigrants.
• January 23: STF leaders at Archer School for Girls held a workshop about DACA during their school’s annual Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Conference.
• February: Culver City HS STF worked with the immigration attorney provided by the Culver City Unified School District to raise awareness about free services available for undocumented students, teachers and families.
• February: Freshmen seminar classes at Santa Monica HS helped STFers create a DACA wall sharing statements of vote for DACA recipients.
• February 21: Canyon HS STF tabled to encourage their campus community to call Congressman Steve Knight and urge him to vote for a clean DREAM Act.
• February 22: Da Vinci Schools STF asked their classmates what they knew about DACA and to share their support for recipients on a “Your Voice on DACA” poster.
• February 23: New Roads School STF invited students to stand for a moment of solidarity with DACA recipients.
• February 23: The Sierra Canyon School community shared their families’ migration stories during an “Immigrants Are U.S.” map event.
• February 26: Students and teachers at Palisades Charter HS will have an opportunity to read testimonies and stats about DACA when the STF chapter displays them on campus.
• February 27: Members at Carson HS are sharing DACA testimonies, statistics and supportive slogans during a chalk walk around campus.
• March 19: Harvard-Westlake STF is hosting a youth orchestra to perform a musical piece about immigration and discussing what’s next for DACA recipients now that the March 5 deadline has passed.

Stay tuned for more educational and advocacy actions in STF!

….

A Message from Alex Alpharaoh

Dear STF students and Leadership,
I wish to begin by expressing my deepest gratitude. Gratitude for the selfless work you are doing in your schools and communities in an effort to create awareness by creating bridges of solidarity through positive dialogue and leadership through example. These are scary and challenging times for the immigrant community in the United States. It is so easy to feel discouraged and hopeless because our lives are being used as bargaining chips.

We NEED STF to continue helping us in this fight (for our rights).

-Alex

Emergency Actions for DACA

Photos by Patricia Williams

February 1, 2018: “The deportation clock is ticking on hundreds of thousands of young people who know no other country,” said Sen. Richard Durbin of Illinois. About 1,000 work permits a day will expire beginning on March 5, and all protections under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program will be stripped away on a rolling basis over the next 2-1/2 years. With this looming deadline threatening, more than 60 STF student leaders, teachers and special guests gathered for the 2018 Winter Leadership Workshop to reaffirm their commitment to protecting the human rights of DACA recipients and to determine the next steps for emergency actions.

Participants reviewed their fall efforts to encourage Congressional leaders to pass a clean DREAM Act, sending hundreds of petition signatures to Congress members Steve Knight, Mitch McConnell, Nancy Pelosi, Paul Ryan and Chuck Schumer. Students also learned that Congressman Knight’s staff did not allow STFers dropping off their petitions to enter Knight’s office. They were only allowed to deliver their petitions in the hallway. Meanwhile, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan’s staff “Refused to accept/Refused delivery” of STF petitions sent by FedEx to the Speaker’s office and instead “Returned to sender” with the refusal stamps. STF will resend the petitions to Speaker Ryan via email and FedEx accompanied by a photo of STF workshop participants holding his original refusal.

After planning new strategies to protect DACA, the audience reviewed resources available for Genocide Awareness and Prevention Month in April. HRW Film Club Chairwoman and STF supporter Susi Bahat spoke about her family’s experience in the Holocaust. Susi was the daughter of Holocaust survivors living in Germany and that experience living among many perpetrators inspired her to fight against human rights abuses. Her family’s story is the focus of the film “Jealous of the Birds.” STF chapters will focus on genocide prevention beginning in March.

Learn More:
Protecting DACA Recipients Toolkit
Genocide Awareness and Prevention Toolkit

Join Us on Jan. 28 for “The Blood is at the Doorstep”

Purchase tickets today!
Watch the film’s trailer (2:20)

Sunday, January 28, 2018
4:00pm | Doors open, Meet & Greet with HRW’s John Raphling
5:00pm | Film screening, followed by Q&A
7:00pm | Reception with food and drinks

New Roads School at the Herb Alpert Educational Village
3131 Olympic Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90404

On April 30, 2014, Dontre Hamilton, a 31-year-old unarmed black man diagnosed with schizophrenia, was shot 14 times and killed by a Milwaukee police officer in a popular downtown park. Dontre’s death sparked months of unrest and galvanized his family to activism.

Filmed over three years in the direct aftermath of his death, this intimate verité documentary follows his family as they struggle to find answers and challenge a criminal justice system stacked against them. With Dontre’s mother, Maria, and brother, Nate, as our guides, we look inside a movement born of personal tragedy and injustice. This documentary takes a behind-the scenes look at one of America’s most pressing human rights struggles, and asks the audience: what would you do if this violence found its way to your doorstep?

All attendees are invited to stay after the screening for a Q & A followed by a cocktail reception with the director and producer of the film and the director of global initiatives at the Human Rights Watch.

Nate Hamilton Coalition for Justice The Blood is at the Doorstep

Erik Ljung  Director The Blood is at the Doorstep

John Raphling Senior Researcher, US Program Human Rights Watch

William Nix  Moderator Creative Projects Group

Buy your tickets online

Tickets are unreserved and seating is first-come, first-served. Proceeds from this event will support the work of Human Rights Watch around the world.

Student tickets – $15                                General tickets – $30

Golden Valley TV Highlights Alex Alpharaoh

November 29, 2017: Spoken word artist Alex Alpharaoh wrapped up his Student Task Force campus tour of “WET: A DACAmented Journey” at Golden Valley HS in Santa Clarita Valley. After his performance, the Golden Valley TV (GVTV) crew interviewed Alex to discuss his goals for telling his personal story of coming to the United States at a young age and living without documentation. Alex wanted to show that there is still hope and a cause worth fighting for. Check out the GVTV segment today!

Beginning in September, Alex Alpharaoh has performed at the STF Fall Leadership Workshop, Santa Monica HS, Palisades Charter HS, Sierra Canyon School, Carson HS, Crossroads School, Culver City HS, New Roads School and Golden Valley HS.

“Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower” Inspires STF

November 17, 2017: The Academy of the Canyons STF chapter hosted more than 200 students for the film “Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower,” on the campus of College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita Valley. The documentary follows Joshua Wong, a teenager who rallied thousands of students to skip school and occupy the streets of Hong Kong. The film follows Joshua as he becomes one of the autonomous territory’s most notorious dissidents, successfully disrupting government plans to transfer power back to China.

The event was well received and students asked questions concerning Joshua Wong’s sentencing to jail terms. Students said Joshua’s courage inspires them to stand up to injustices here at home.

After the screening, the audience was encouraged to show their support for the film and to spread awareness of the challenges to democracy in Hong Kong by utilizing social media. Each post with #JoshuaMovie, #TeenagerVsSuperpower and #Netflix between now and January 2018 also draw attention to the film’s possible nomination for an Academy Award.

A Night to Remember: HRW Voices for Justice Dinner

Primary photographer Maya Myers, plus Kristin Ghazarians

November 14, 2017: In an inspiring night celebrating the defense of human rights, Student Task Force leaders, teachers and special guests gathered at the 2017 Human Rights Watch Voices for Justice Dinner. During STF’s personal meeting with HRW Emergencies Director Peter Bouckaert and Programs Director Iain Levine, attendees learned how Peter and Iain came to be human rights advocates and they shared stories from the field. Following their encouragement, students gathered petition signatures from dinner guests, asking Congressional leaders to support a bipartisan, clean DREAM Act, while other STFers heard updates on Joshua Wong from “Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower” director Joe Piscatella.

STF concluded their reception with the presentation of the first-ever STF Human Rights Defender Award to Alex Alpharaoh, DACA recipient and spoken word artist who has worked closely with STF to protect the human rights of DACA recipients. Participants thanked Alex for his courage to tell his personal story so publicly, and for making the time in his life to share what it means to grow up as an undocumented American.

During the dinner, HRW researchers spoke of their work in the Philippines, Burma and the United States, while Serj Tankian (System of A Down) presented the first Promise Award to the late Chris Cornell for his song “The Promise” and connecting the Armenian Genocide with current human rights issues. Chris Cornell’s widow accepted the award on his behalf, and Ryan Tedder and Drew Brown of OneRepublic performed the song.

“I Am an American”

October 23 – November 8, 2017: Alex Alpharaoh, DACA recipient and spoken word artist, has been essential helping STF advocate for the human rights of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). This fall Alex has performed his show, “WET: A DACAmented Journey,” at the STF Leadership Workshop, Santa Monica HS, Palisades Charter HS, Sierra Canyon School, Carson HS, Crossroads School, Culver City HS and New Roads School. He will be at Golden Valley on November 29. Thousands of students and teachers have witnessed Alex’s emotional journey about growing up undocumented in Los Angeles, and his fear of living in the shadows in this country he calls home.

Alex reminded audiences, “I am as American as you are. I’ve been here since I was three months old. The only difference between us is I don’t have documents that say I’m American.”

Scroll to see photos from each event:

STF Urges William S. Hart School District to Protect DACA Students

October 25, 2017: Santa Clarita Valley STF students urged administrators in the William S. Hart Union High School District to protect the human rights of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program recipients on their campuses. Leaders from Academy of the Canyons, Canyon, Golden Valley and Valencia high schools asked district officials to: 1.) Draft an official statement of district policy to protect undocumented children raised in the U.S.; 2.) Write a letter to parents assuring the protection of all students from interview or detention by federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials on school sites; and 3.) Provide counseling resources for students encountering anxiety or depression due to fears of deportation.

After the meeting, District Superintendent Vicki Engbrecht said she was very impressed with the students and that she learned a lot about DACA. Most importantly, she said that the Administrative Council of the Hart District would revisit the DACA topic and discuss further possible action by the district. With the help of Greg Lee, Director of Equity Services, STF leaders will continue to encourage their school administrators to stand up for undocumented youth in their communities.

Alex Alpharaoh Inspires SAMO

October 16, 2017: To personalize the struggles of undocumented youth in the United States, the HRW Student Task Force Santa Monica High School chapter invited Alex Alpharaoh, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient and spoken word artist, to perform his show “WET: A DACAmented Journey” for more than 400 students and teachers. Alex shared the painful challenges he faced growing up in Los Angeles without legal status, and how the DACA program changed his life.

During the Q&A, Alex answered questions about his family, artistic inspirations and advice for other undocumented youth. After the performance, he told STFers, “It’s important what you’re doing. Make sure your (DACA) classmates know you support them. That’s the best way to help.”

Alex Alpharaoh will perform at seven other STF chapters in coming weeks, inspiring our “Immigrants Are U.S.” campaign.

Protect the Human Rights of DACA Recipients

Photos by Patricia Williams

September 16, 2017: Since 2012, more than 750,000 undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children were allowed to go to school and work without fear of deportation under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. On September 5, 2017, President Trump rescinded the program and gave Congress six months to determine the fate of DACA recipients. Human Rights Watch has said, “Trump’s repeal of DACA will expose hundreds of thousands of people to deportation by a cruel and unjust immigration system.”

Moved to protect the human rights of DACA recipients, more than 80 STF leaders, teachers and guests launched the fall STF campaign at their 2017 Leadership Workshop. Alex Alpharaoh, a DACA recipient and spoken word artist, helped the audience understand the human cost of losing the DACA program by sharing his story of being undocumented in the U.S., the country he has lived in since he was three-months-old, and the only home he knows. Participants discussed the importance of home and asked themselves, “What is our role in Alex’s story?”

To help STF discuss human rights, Priscillia Kounkou-Hoveyda, a Congolese-Iranian human rights lawyer, and Ishmael Beah, a longtime friend of STF who is a best selling author of his memoirs as a boy soldier, led some of the breakout groups.

This week STFers are organizing plans to bring Alex to as many schools as possible to raise awareness and stand up for the human rights of DACA recipients.

The STF Fall Leadership Workshop was generously co-hosted by Fullscreen in Playa Vista.

Don’t Miss “Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower”

Get your tickets for the Human Rights Watch Film Club’s next screening, “Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower,” Sunday, September 17. STF will be saluted at this event, including panel moderator, STF Director Pam Bruns, and a student panelist. Help us fill the theater!

See you there,
Pam, Kristin and Nancy

Sunday, September 17, 2017
4:00pm | Doors open, Meet & Greet with HRW’s Minky Worden
5:00pm | Film screening, followed by Q&A
7:00pm | Reception with food and drinks

New Roads School at the Herb Alpert Educational Village
3131 Olympic Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90404

Join us for a special screening of Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower, a remarkable portrait of courage, resilience, and the propulsive power of youthful idealism.

Rallying thousands of students to skip school and occupy the streets of Hong Kong, teenager Joshua Wong becomes one of the autonomous territory’s most notorious dissidents, successfully disrupting government plans to devolve power back to China. This inspiring documentary spends years tracking the movement from grassroots disruption to national politics. Following tear gas attacks, multiple arrests and an exhausting 79-day campaign to shut down Hong Kong’s financial district, Joshua moves on to the next phase of the movement—facing down the superpower from inside the government itself. 2017 Sundance Audience Award: World Cinema Documentary

All attendees are invited to stay after the screening for a Q & A followed by a cocktail reception with the director and producer of the film and the director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch, moderated by the executive director of Human Rights Watch’s Student Task Force.

Andrew Duncan Producer Joshua

Joe Piscatella Director Joshua

Minky Worden Director of Global Initiatives Human Rights Watch

Pam Bruns Executive Director, Student Task Force Human Rights Watch

Buy your tickets online

Tickets are unreserved and seating is first-come, first-served. Proceeds from this event will support the work of Human Rights Watch around the world.

Student tickets – $15                                General tickets – $30