Justice Matters

How do democracies die? What lessons can we learn from the past as we seek to build more democratic societies and participatory public spheres? Join us this month on Justice Matters as host Sushma Raman talks with Steve Levitsky, Professor of Government at Harvard University, Director of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, and co-author with Daniel Ziblatt of the bestselling book “How Democracies Die”. They discuss the state of democracy in the world today, weak and informal institutions, and authoritarianism and how we can combat it.

How can we ensure accountability when international criminal law is violated? How do we approach seeking justice for past atrocities? And in an era of widespread disinformation, what happens when people lack trust in the very purveyors of justice? Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji, former President of the ICC, joins host Sushma Raman to discuss accountability and justice in the global arena.

Can one movie make a difference in a nation's trajectory? Released in 1915, The Birth of a Nation was the first film to be screened in the White House. Mired in racists stereotypes, the film is credited with the resurgence of the KKK. In this month's episode of Justice Matters, Economist Desmond Ang joins host Sushma Raman to discuss the impact of media on racial hate.

How do science and technology affect rights, equity, and justice? When are techno-solutions inadequate in addressing societal problems? In this month's episode of Justice Matters, host Sushma Raman talks with Professor Sheila Jasanoff, a pioneer in the social sciences exploring the role of science and technology in the law, politics, and policy of modern democracies. Join them as they discuss "technologies of humility," and how we might build more participatory methods of public policy problem solving.

President and CEO of the Southern Poverty Law Center, Margaret Huang, joins host Sushma Raman to discuss the Center's tremendous growth, along with its challenges in the road ahead.

Regan Ralph, President and CEO for the Fund for Global Human Rights, joins host Sushma Raman to discuss the challenges, triumphs, and complexities of leading an international human rights organization.

Join host Sushma Raman and co-author William Schulz as they reflect on past, present, and future human rights frameworks, and discuss their latest book, "The Coming Good Society."

Wade Henderson, interim president of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and The Leadership Conference Education Fund, joins host Sushma Raman to discuss the multigenerational and multiracial fight against systemic racism in the Unites States.

Joan Donovan–Research Director of the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy—joins host Sushma Raman to discuss disinformation amidst the current political, public health, and human rights landscapes.

When should the law forgive? In this episode, Martha Minow, 300th Anniversary University Professor and former dean of Harvard Law School joins our host, Sushma Raman, to discuss the shortcomings of the current justice system in the U.S., and the importance of forgiveness as we think about reform.

Carr Center Faculty Director, Mathias Risse, joins host Sushma Raman in a discussion on distributive justice, political philosophy, and human rights.

Dr. Megan Ming Francis and host Sushma Raman discuss how—for better or worse— philanthropic organizations have historically influenced the human rights agenda on a national and global scale.

Dr. Keisha N. Blain joins host Sushma Raman to discuss the historic context of Black internationalist movements both domestically and around the world.

Alan Jenkins, Professor of Practice at Harvard Law School, joins host Sushma Raman to discuss the importance of communication as it intersects with matters of race, the law, and social justice.

Teaming up with the Radical Imaginations podcast, we're thrilled to host Angela Glover Blackwell on this episode of Justice Matters. Join Angela and host Sushma Raman as they discuss perhaps not-so-radical solutions to systemic racial and economic inequity.

Kerry Kennedy joins host Sushma Raman to discuss how her nonprofit organization is addressing some of the most pressing human rights concerns of our time. Between transforming agricultural labor laws to promoting freedom of the press, Kennedy discusses the amazing work of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights.

Jonathan Ryan, CEO and President of RAICES (the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services), joins our host, Sushma Raman, to discuss the intersection of immigrants' rights, the weaponization of technology, and the private prison system.

Victor Madrigal-Borloz, UN Independent Expert on Protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, discusses the ramifications of systemic discrimination against LGBTQ+ communities.

In celebrating the 71st anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, discusses the progress and challenges of the movement, both in her home country of Chile and around the world.

Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action, discusses gun violence and policy with Executive Director of the Carr Center, Sushma Raman.

North Korean defector, Joseph Kim, and Director of the Human Freedom Initiative at the George W. Bush Institute, Lindsay Lloyd, share personal and policy-oriented accounts of circumstances in North Korea.

Matthew Smith – co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Fortify Rights, and Fellow at the Carr Center – discusses the Rohingya crisis, the importance of documentation, and the role of power in constructing narratives around human rights.

John Shattuck, Senior Fellow at the Carr Center and Professor of Practice in Diplomacy at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, discusses the evolution, threats, and impetus for renewing rights and responsibilities in the United States.

Mark Latonero – Carr Center Technology and Human Rights Fellow, and Research Lead for the Human Rights and AI on the Ground Initiatives at Data & Society – discusses ethics, privacy, and human rights implications around the use of artificial intelligence.

Timothy McCarthy — award-winning scholar, teacher, activist, and public servant — discusses the intersection of communication, power, and stories in the fight for human rights.

Nat Kretchun, Deputy Director of the Open Technology Fund, discusses the many ways in which technology both obstructs and empowers groups in North Korea.

Michael Abramowitz, President of Freedom House, discusses the growth and retreat of democracy around the globe. Before joining Freedom House in February 2017, he was director of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Levine Institute for Holocaust Education. He led the museum’s genocide prevention efforts and later oversaw its public education programs. He was previously National Editor and then White House correspondent for the Washington Post. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and former fellow at the German Marshall Fund and the Hoover Institution. A graduate of Harvard College, he is also a board member of the National Security Archive.

Desmond Patton, Professor at Columbia University Safe Lab and Public Interest Technologist, discusses the intersection of social media, ethics, and human rights.

Sarah Margon, Washington director at Human Rights Watch, discusses how the organization addresses human rights violations, authoritarianism, and policy changes from the local to global level.

Luís Roberto Barroso, jurist and justice of the Supreme Federal Court of Brazil, and Senior Fellow at the Carr Center, discusses the intersection of human rights and corruption in Brazil.

Vivek Krishnamurthy, Fellow at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, Counsel in the Boston office of Foley Hoag LLP and an Affiliate of the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, discusses the complex challenges of the human rights movement in the face of emerging technology and artificial intelligence.

Erica Chenoweth, Ph.D., a Professor of Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School, discusses the importance, evolution, and nuances of protests and social movements with Carr Center's Executive Director Sushma Raman.

Salil Shetty, former Secretary-General of Amnesty International, discusses the history and progress of the human rights movement, citizen engagement, and global leadership with Carr Center's Executive Director Sushma Raman.

In this episode of Justice Matters, Elisa Massimino, former CEO and Executive Director of Human Rights First, discusses immigration policy, refugee rights, and the continued impact of Guantanamo with Carr Center's Executive Director Sushma Raman. "Most Americans want to live up to our ideals of being a welcoming country…respecting human rights and human dignity for anyone who wants to come and work hard…Most people understand that this is good for the country...But we need to have political courage for this to happen."

Join us for this special episode of Justice Matters, produced in collaboration with Declarations: The Human Rights Podcast. In this episode, we interview Malachy Browne, Senior Story Producer at the New York Times. Malachy focuses on visual and open source investigations. About Malachy Browne: Malachy Browne is a senior story producer with The New York Times. He specializes in social journalism with a focus on international reporting and breaking news. https://www.nytimes.com/by/malachy-browne About Sushma Raman, Executive Director of the Carr Center for Human Rights: https://carrcenter.hks.harvard.edu/people/sushma-raman About Declarations Podcast: A show about human rights coming to you every week from the Cambridge Centre of Governance and Human Rights. Tune in each week as our panel explores the rights and wrongs of contemporary politics, joined by fascinating guests from the University of Cambridge and around the world. This episode features Declaration's Matthew Mahmoudi and Max Curtis. More:@DeclarationsPod, based out of @CGHR_Cambridge, @malachybrowne, @carrcenter

In the latest episode of Justice Matters, Carr Center Executive Director Sushma Raman talks with Professor Jacqueline Bhabha about refugees, war, persecution, the stateless, and immigration. But no human being is illegal. What are our obligations and duties towards migrants and refugees? How do we approach DACA given our political climate? And how do we lay this groundwork through a lens of human rights?

The latest episode of Justice Matters with Steven Livingston examines the technological revolution: Both its implications for good, as well as its impacts on human rights outcomes. Steven Livingston is Professor of Media and Public Affairs and International Affairs with appointments in the School of Media and Public Affairs (SMPA) and the Elliott School of International Affairs (ESIA) at the George Washington University. Livingston's research and teaching focus on media/information technology, national security and global politics. He is particularly interested in the role of information technologies and media on governance, development, accountability and human rights. Beginning in the fall of 2016, Livingston was appointed a Senior Fellow at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University.

In the second episode of Justice Matters, Carr Center's Executive Director Sushma Raman interviews Senior Fellow Alberto Mora on the U.S. policy to use torture under the Bush administration, its impacts on US/international relations, and U.S. sentiment on the use of torture. Alberto J. Mora is a Senior Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government’s Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, where he teaches and conducts research on issues related to human rights, foreign policy, and national security strategy. Mora retired in August 2013 from Mars, Incorporated, which he joined in 2008 as Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel. During his tenure, he served as the senior legal advisor to the Board of Directors, the CEO, and the other members of the CEO’s corporate leadership team and had oversight and management responsibility for all Mars legal strategies, issues, matters, services and resources. Mora’s career prior to joining Mars includes broad experience in the law, industry, and government. From 2001 to 2006, Mora served as the General Counsel of the Department of the Navy. As the chief legal officer for both the Navy and Marine Corps, he managed more than 640 attorneys and personnel across 146 offices throughout the United States and overseas and oversaw the Navy’s Judge Advocate General Corps and the Marine Corps Staff Judge Advocates. Additionally, he served as the Reporting Senior of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, as the Department’s Chief Ethics Officer and, on occasion, as Acting Secretary of the Navy. Earlier in his career, Mora also served in the U.S. State Department as a Foreign Service Officer and as General Counsel of the United States Information Agency in the George H.W. Bush administration. From 2006 to 2008, he served as General Counsel of Walmart International. Mora holds a Bachelor’s degree and Honorary Doctorate from Swarthmore College and a law degree from the University of Miami School of Law. In 2014, he was an Advanced Leadership Fellow at Harvard University. A member of the Council of Foreign Relations, he sits on the Board of Directors of Human Rights First and Freedom House. In 2006, Mora was awarded the John F. Kennedy Memorial Foundation’s Profile in Courage Award in recognition of his opposition -- while serving as Navy General Counsel -- to the cruel interrogation of detainees in the post-9/11 period. His detainee-related activities at the Navy have been widely reported in periodicals, books and documentaries. In 2013, he was included in Mariana Cook’s book Justice as one of 99 individuals worldwide who has made a significant contribution to human rights.

A monthly podcast from the Carr Center for Human Rights. In this episode, Carr Center Executive Director Sushma Raman interviews Professor Kathryn Sikkink on why there is evidence for hope - and why knowing more about human rights is critical.