Iowa City Foreign Relations Council

Palestinian and Jewish Iowans share their personal stories and experiences of identity, oppression, solidarity, and hope from inside Palestine and in the US. The speaker panel includes Palestinians who grew up in the Gaza Strip, West Bank, and from the diaspora. They are; Dr. Deema Tota, Yaser Abadagga, Mona Odeh, Dani Love Misyuk, and Samanth Brotman.For more information about the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council, visit icfrc.org. To watch other ICFRC programs, please view our extensive collection at citychannel4.com/icfrc.

The root of the Russo-Ukrainian War is not geopolitical competition, but the multifaceted divergence between Ukraine and Russia over the past 30 years. In February 2022, Russian missiles rained on Ukrainian cities, and tanks rolled towards Kyiv to end Ukrainian independent statehood. What are the roots of this war, which has upended the international legal order and brought back the specter of nuclear escalation? How did these supposedly "brotherly peoples" become each other's worst nightmare?Maria Popova is an Associate Professor of Political Science at McGill University, Scientific Director of the Jean Monnet Centre Montreal, and Editor of the Cambridge Elements Series on Politics and Society from Central Europe to Central Asia. Her work explores the rule of law and democracy in Eastern Europe. For more information about the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council, visit icfrc.org.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is a humanitarian nonprofit organization supporting individuals impacted by conflict and displacement. The IRC operates in 52 countries internationally and 30 offices in the United States. Sarah Terlouw, IRC's Executive Director in Iowa, will speak about her 15-year career supporting refugees and other conflict-affected populations. She will share her experiences overseas and the transition to working domestically, focusing on the opening of the IRC in Iowa in 2022 and the organization's expansion into Iowa City in October 2023. Aimerance Makunda, originally from the DRC and an Iowa City resident since 2012, also speaks.For more information about the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council, visit icfrc.org.

Digital democracy uses digital technologies to promote and strengthen democracy, including accessing information, participating in political discussions, and holding elected officials accountable. Young people increasingly use digital technologies to participate in democracy, using social media to organize protests, raise awareness, and contact their elected officials.Jean-Desire Kouassi is a digital communications professional passionate about using technology to promote positive change. He has a bachelor's degree in English literature and linguistics from the University Alassane Ouattara in Bouake, Cote d'Ivoire, and a professional certification in social media marketing from Kirkwood Community College in the United States.Kouassi also has experience developing and implementing effective digital communication strategies in various sectors, including health, the press, international relations, family planning, technology, and civil society. He deeply advocates for internet access, quality digital education, and democracy, actively participates in policy initiatives, and leads digital literacy projects to promote positive change in these areas. Kouassi has earned me numerous national and international awards and is a firm believer in the power of digital technologies to connect people, create change, and build a better future.For more information about the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council, visit icfrc.org.

In honor of this year's Hispanic Heritage Month theme, Elizabeth Bernal, Marcela Hurtado, and Paola Jaramillo will speak to the progress Latinos and Hispanics have made over the last fifteen years in the Iowa City Area their personal experience as Latinas in lowa, organizing wins, and recent work empowering Latinos through entrepreneurship and the power of social capital.For more information about the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council, visit icfrc.org.

Climate change is at the forefront of both foreign and domestic policy. While often discussed as an environmental issue, there are profound consequences for our national security, the military, and international relations. From an increase in severe weather events to food security and migration -- the complexities of climate have far-reaching implications for both Iowans and the nation.Panelists:Mike Franken, retired Vice Admiral, U.S. NavyRob Hogg, former Iowa State Senator, District 33Sara McLaughlin Mitchell, Professor & Collegiate Fellow, University of Iowa Moderated by:Jessica Yllemo, Director, Climate Security Programs - The American Security ProjectFor more information about the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council, visit icfrc.org.

During the 2016 elections, refugees coming from Syria to the States were a topic that brought Syria back to the front page. But after that, it slowly faded into the background. That does not mean that all is quiet on that front. Living conditions have deteriorated poorly while the regime behind all the tragedies is still in power. We learn how Assad survived this, including becoming one of the world's top manufacturers and distributors of the drug Captagon.Eyad came to Louisiana from Syria in August 2012 as a graduate student. He earned his Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from Louisiana State in 2018. A husband and a father of two, they all moved to Cedar Rapids, where he joined Mount Mercy University as an Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Statistics. He is now a Software Engineer at Collins Aerospace in Cedar Rapids.For more information about the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council, visit icfrc.org.

We note that the colonization of lands and Indigenous Peoples worldwide has resulted in the placement of foreign borders upon territories Indigenous peoples have inhabited since time immemorial. The results of these impositions adversely affect the nationhood and identity of Indigenous peoples everywhere. Colonial border-policy enforcement, coupled with settler-state immigration laws, are some critical factors in eroding Indigenous Peopless customs, traditions, and national identities through displacement, restriction of traditional movement, and ongoing encroachment on Indigenous territories.Sikowis Nobiss is Plains Cree/Saulteaux of the George Gordon First Nation in Saskatchewan, Canada, and grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and is the founder and Executive Director of Great Plains Action Society. She has a Master's Degree in Religious Studies and Graduate Minor in Native Studies from the University of Iowa. In 2021, she received the Impact Through Advocacy Award from the Iowa Environmental Council. In June 2022, her dedication to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community earned GPAS the OneIowa Community Partnership Award. In March 2023, her work earned Great Plains Action Society recognition for being a women-led organization doing excellent work in the realm of sustainability from the Johnson County United Nations Association Chapter. Sikowis is also a commissioner on the Iowa City Truth and Reconciliation Commission. She also sits on the Midwest Environmental Justice Grant Advisory Committee, the Centering Equity in the Sustainable Building Sector Governance Team, and the Just Transition Power Force as a guest expert working to reduce harmful practices in corporate procurement processes.For more information about the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council, visit icfrc.org.

Foreign Relations Council 2023 marks the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. On UN Day this year we are honoring that historic agreement by emphasizing the rights of youth, especially the right to quality education. We are joined by UNA Global Goals Ambassador Virgil Parker speaking about the importance of SDG #4, Quality Education.Virgil Parker is a U.S. Fulbright Alum, community advocate, and Howard University graduate with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Afro-American studies. Virgil served as a White House HBCU Competitiveness Scholar for the White House Initiative on HBCUs. Currently, Mr. Parker is a television producer for News10NBC (WHEC-TV). Mr. Parker has moderated and participated in national and regional conversations regarding various topics such as The Future of HBCUs in the COVID-19 Era, Philanthropic Equity for Minority Serving Institutions, and Bringing Local Governments And HBCUs Together and more. Most recently, he executive produced two projects commemorating the 45th Anniversary of Education and Sharing Day and the 60th Anniversary of The Equal Pay Act of 1963. His work has been included in media outlets such as Forbes, The Hill, iHeartRadio, Blavity, HBCU Buzz, and Diverse Issues In Higher Education.For more information about the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council, visit icfrc.org.

The Ul International Writing Program and the Center for Asian Pacific Studies hosts a bilingual reading featuring 2023 Fall residents Kevin Chen (Taiwan), Tammy Lai-Ming Ho and Wong Yi Eva (Hong Kong), Li Kotomi (Taiwan & Japan), Shi Yifeng, Suo Er, and Wang Zhanhei (PRC), moderated by translator and poet Jennifer Feeley.For more information about the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council, visit icfrc.org.

Ebenezer Olamiposi Adeyemi is a PhD Candidate in the department of anthropology at the University of Iowa (UI), under the advisement of Professor Ted Powers. Ebenezer holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology and a Master's degree in Peace and Conflict Studies -- both from the University of Ibadan in Nigeria. He also received a Master's degree in Anthropology from the University of Iowa in May 2021. Ebenezer's broad research interests center around medical anthropology, infrastructure, the intersection of urban landscape and public health, African studies, and survival strategies in marginalized urban communities. For his ongoing doctoral research, Ebenezer is exploring the strategies that residents of Makoko, a large informal settlement characterized by inadequate public infrastructure, including waste disposal systems, public hospital, in Lagos State, Nigeria, use to access healthcare to treat malaria, the most prominent public health issue in their community. Different statistics show that malaria is the main public health issue in Nigeria, where it accounts for more causes of death than any other country in the world. However, people who live in marginalized communities, which the WHO calls 'malaria high transmission areas,' are more susceptible to malaria infection and death due to government marginalization and inadequate public infrastructure, including public hospitals. Adeyemi will explore the concept of "community-developed infrastructure" to explain several ingenious approaches, including the production of locally-made mosquito nets and coils, construction of makeshift waste disposal systems and hospitals, that residents of Makoko employ to reduce their exposure to malaria-causing mosquitos and to treat the disease whenever they are infected. For more information about the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council, visit icfrc.org.

From Lorna Goodison's third world woman as mystic healer to Reggae and Dancehall pulsing through Kingston nights, Jamaica moves to its own drum beat, making a dance out of its troubles. It is a textured land with its own struggles, secrets and yet an almost inexplicable capacity for lifting the spirit. Get into the vibe with this talk as we pull up the dance and take a closer look at Jamaica's dualities.Yashika Graham [Poetry, fiction and nonfiction writer, visual artist, radio broadcaster; Jamaica] won the 2019 Mervyn Morris Prize for Poetry from the University of the West Indies, Mona, where she read for a Bachelors degree in Literatures in English and twice won the Poetry Clash Competition. An executive member of the Poetry Society of Jamaica, she has been awarded a Centrum Writer's Residency and has been featured on stages including the Dodge Poetry Festival (USA), Bristol Festival of Literature (UK), the World Festival of Poetry (Venezuela) and the Port Townsend Writers Conference (USA), where she has also delivered craft talks and taught cross-genre workshops.Her poetry, prose and literary criticism have been published internationally including in Spillway Magazine, Magma, Cordite Review, PREE Lit, Bookmarked, Jamaica Journal, The Caribbean Journal of Social Work and others. Short films for her poems "Directions from the Border" and "Time Travel" -- for which she won a gold medal and the Noteworthy Writer award from the Jamaica Creative Writing Competition - premiered in 2016 and 2017 respectively. Her debut collection Some of Us Can Go Back Home is forthcoming from Blouse & Skirt Books.For more information about the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council, visit icfrc.org.

As an old saying has long held that, "Brazil is the country of the future - - and it always will be." But what future? Join Dr. Smith, an expert on both democracy and the environment in Brazil, to discuss Brazilians' hard work to control deforestation and shore up the country's democracy, before it's too late. Amy Erica Smith is an associate professor of political science, as well as a Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean's Professor at Iowa State University. She is also currently an Andrew Carnegie Fellow. Professor Smith's research examines how ordinary people understand and engage in politics: from Latin America to Kenya to Oman. She is the author of three books and numerous articles, and her research has been recognized with awards including from Fulbright, the Luce Foundation, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and the National Science Foundation. From forest fires in the Amazon to a mob storming the presidential palace, scholars warn Brazil could be at a tipping point. Dr. Smith discusses these threats, but also Brazil's hopeful future.For more information about the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council, visit icfrc.org.

Meet members of the West Liberty Citizenship program. Carolyn Colvin an Associate Professor of English Education at the University of lowa, Dan Stevenson is an 8th grade social studies teacher and Erica Jennings is a high school English teacher. Nancy Gardner is a retired elementary principal in West Liberty and Jan Koellner is a retired West Liberty elementary reading teacher. Join us and meet two naturalized citizens who participated in the program.This program is a result of a university-community collaboration in rural Iowa. For more information about the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council, visit icfrc.org.

Cholera has been a global public health problem that resulted in 7 pandemics since 1961. The first cholera case was reported in North Lebanon on October 4, 2022 in an informal settlement followed by spread across the country; this is the first cholera outbreak in the country since 1993. Despite the confinement of cases in North Lebanon early during the pandemic, the economic crisis in Lebanon and the weakened healthcare infrastructure exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic played a significant role in the emergence of the cholera outbreak. Dr. Nada M. Melhem is a tenured Professor of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology (Virology and Immunology) at the Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut. Melhem is currently the Director of the Division of Health Professions and the Chair of the Medical Laboratory Sciences Program at the Faculty of Health Sciences. With a unique background and training in virology, immunology and epidemiology, Melhem developed at AUB a transdisciplinary and translational research program focusing on viral immunopathogenesis and the epidemiology of viruses, and their impact on global human health. Melhem's research program focuses on human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), viral diarrheal diseases specifically noroviruses and COVID-19. Melhem is currently leading the SARS-CoV-2 National Surveillance Genomic Program for healthcare workers and hospitalized patients. This talk is one of three public events made possible by a Major Projects Award from UI International Programs. Funding for the Major Projects Award provided by the generous support of the Stanley-University of Iowa Foundation Support Organization and UI International Programs.For more information about the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council, visit icfrc.org.

The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is the flagship program of the U.S. Government's Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). YALI was created in 2010 and celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2020. Established in 2014, the Mandela Washington Fellowship has brought nearly 5,800 young leaders from every country in Sub-Saharan Africa to the United States for academic and leadership training.The Fellows, between the ages of 25 and 35, are accomplished innovators and leaders in their communities and countries..For more information about the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council, visit icfrc.org.

Join us this Earth Day to learn about a beautiful Pacific Island Nation at the intersection of the international dateline and the Equator! This big oceanic sovereign state is where time starts and encompasses the 12th largest Exclusive Economic Zone in the world! However, with a land mass of less than 800 Sq. Km. and an average height of just feet above sea level, it is one of the smallest and most endangered countries in the world. Learn how a 20-year-old Peace Corps Volunteer fell in love with this country, how love turned into action, and how actions created global connections advocating for the nation, its people, and what you can do to help. Joining the presentation will be representatives from the Fiery Canoe Foundation, Tungaru Youth Action, and the upcoming feature film, Millennium Island.Mike Roman, former Kiribati Peace Corps Volunteer, AmeriCorps VISTA (Central College - Pella, IA) Fulbright fellow, ghostwriter, and co-creator of the social media platform Humans of Kiribati, received his Ph.D. from the Department of Anthropology at the University of Pittsburgh in 2014. His dissertation topic, "Migration, Transnationality, and Climate Change in the Republic of Kiribati," was turned into a 2018 Sundance selection, "Anote's Ark," by Matthieu Rytz. In 2020, his second film assisting in creating "One Word," highlighting the Marshall Islanders' fight for climate justice and survival, was selected for the Lift-Off Global Network Film Festival. Collaborating with governments, international media, non-profit organizations, and citizens worldwide, he has spent the last 23 years raising global consciousness of the climate crisis by humanizing climate change from the frontlines. He currently sits on the Board of Directors for the National Peace Corps Association, works at the University of Cincinnati, and collaborates with congressional representatives to pass legislation for climate-displaced persons worldwide in his spare time.Kea RutherfordPresident Fiery Canoe Foundation Kea Rutherford is a high school student from Scarsdale New York. Her mother's side of the family is from Tabiang and Tabwewa on Rabi and Banaba. She is currently a high school senior at Edgemont Junior Senior High School. Her efforts to aid the Banaban community initially began in the summer of 2021 when she created a fundly page to aid the Banabans in Fiji during COVID-19. From there, she was inspired to create a project to aid Banabans everywhere for education, culture, arts, and heritage projects identified as priorities by Banaban communities. So, she began the Fiery Canoe Foundation with the help of her mother, Maria, and her aunt, Katerina. Dr. Maria Teaiwa-RutherfordSecretary Fiery Canoe FoundationMaria Teaiwa-Rutherford is a board-certified Obstetrician-Gynecologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Weill Cornell Medical Center. Born in Lautoka and raised in Suva, Fiji of Banaban, Tabiteuean and African American heritage, Dr. Teaiwa-Rutherford received her bachelor's degree from Santa Clara University and medical degree from Columbia University's Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. Maintaining an office on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, Dr. Teaiwa-Rutherford is deeply committed to Pacific Women's Health and has provided care to patients and teaching of registrars at Tungaru Central Hospital in Kiribati. Lulu DeBoerFilmmakerLulu DeBoer is a graduate of Stanford University. A daughter of an I-Kiribati mother and Dutch American father, she spent the majority of her developing years growing up in a small town in rural East Texas. Since an early age, Lulu developed a deep passion for filmmaking and an appreciation of how the medium can unite different cultures to express universal emotion.Lulu's film work has spanned several nations including the Tribes of Northern California and Washington, Malaysia, Kiribati, Fiji, and Germany. She is currently a board member of a sustainable housing non-profit in Houston, TX. In her spare time, Lulu has a performance based web series chronicling different cultural perspectives on the mermaid symbol. Lulu currently resides in Houston, TX producing a feature documentary, "Millennium Island" under her production company, Lulu Lens LLC.Ruth M. Cross Founder, Tungaru Climate AllianceKiribati Order of MeritRuth M. Cross is the founder of the Tungaru Climate Alliance. She has created community programs and projects to address challenges in Tarawa relating to sanitation, the environment, health care, education, and business. The President of Kiribati recently awarded Ruth the Kiribati Order of Merit for her aid efforts and programs totaling more than $2 million to date. She is committed to creating positive change in Kiribati through meaningful collaborations and a "better together" approach, and she is particularly passionate about access to safe water and sanitation.Baniti SemilotaPresident Tungaru Youth Action - Miss Kiribati 2022Baniti Semilota is currently studying for a Bachelor of Laws at the University of the South Pacific. She founded the first youth-led organization in Kiribati, Tungaru Youth Action (TYA). As president of TYA, Baniti assists this group in empowering local youth. Baniti was crowned Miss Kiribati 2022, using this opportunity to raise awareness on domestic violence and the rights of women and children in Kiribati. Baniti has also represented the Kiribati delegation as their sole youth representative at the COP27 conference in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.She believes the youth in Kiribati have significant potential and need the right support and tools to succeed and make positive contributions to their families, communities, and country. Baniti is committed to advocating for their needs and concerns at the highest levels of government and society.For more information about the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council, visit icfrc.org.

What does it mean to be a digital native? TikTok, Boom. dissects the platform along myriad cross-sections -- algorithmic, socio-political, economic, and cultural -- to explore the impact of the history-making app. Balancing a genuine interest in the community and its innovative mechanics with a healthy skepticism, delve into the security issues, global political challenges, and racial biases behind the platform. Featuring Gen Z influencers like Feroza Aziz, Spencer X, Deja Foxx, and Merrick Hanna.Filmmaker Shalini Kantayya's feature documentary Coded Bias premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. She directed the season finale episode for the National Geographic television series Breakthrough, a series profiling trailblazing scientists transforming the future. Executive Produced by Ron Howard, it was broadcast globally in June 2017. Her debut feature film Catching the Sun, about the race for a clean energy future, premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival and was named a New York Times Critics' Pick. Catching the Sun released globally on Netflix on Earth Day 2016 with Executive Producer Leonardo DiCaprio, and was nominated for the Environmental Media Association Award for Best Documentary. Kantayya is a TED Fellow, a William J. Fulbright Scholar, and a finalist for the ABC Disney DGA Directing Program. She is an Associate of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. Kantayya finished in the top 10 out of 12,000 filmmakers on Fox's On the Lot, a show by Steven Spielberg in search of Hollywood's next great director.For more information about the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council, visit icfrc.org.

Narratives play a central role in how nations imagine themselves and the 'other.' A central part of narrative making involves comparison, comparisons with other places and other people. These comparisons can, often, enable one nation to appear or perceive itself better relative to the other. Drawing on personal experiences and the oral histories she has documented in South Asia and Canada, Anam Zakaria discusses the limits of popular and mainstream narratives and highlight what gets lost in simplistic comparisons -- be it between India and Pakistan or the US and Canada.Anam Zakaria is the author of 1971: A People's History from Bangladesh, Pakistan and India (Penguin Random House 2019), Between the Great Divide: A Journey into Pakistan-administered Kashmir (HarperCollins Publishers 2018) and The Footprints of Partition: Narratives of Four Generations of Pakistanis and Indians (HarperCollins Publishers 2015) which won the 2017 KLF-German Peace Prize. Anam is also the co-founder of Qissa - the home of storytelling and writes frequently on issues of violence, memory, narrative making and the construction of the 'other'. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, CBC, The Hill Times and Al Jazeera among other media outlets. She is currently based in Toronto. For more information about the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council, visit icfrc.org.