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Black History Month 2012

Wednesday, February 1st, 2012

In celebration of Black History Month, eJournal USA profiles African-American women who have made significant contributions to American culture and history. As leaders in business, politics, law, science, literature and education, these women have had a powerful impact in their respective fields. Pioneering not only African-American leadership, but also forging the emergence of women in public life, the biographical sketches gathered in this month’s eJournal USA look forward to the future in promoting the successes of the women of today.

Making Their Mark: Profiles of Contemporary African-American Women marks the contributions and careers of African-American women.

Mae Jemison: Doctor, Scientist, Astronaut

Mae Jemison: Doctor, Scientist, Astronaut. Dr. Mae Jamison was the first African-American woman to staff a space shuttle flight.

Leah Ward Sears: Lawyer, Jurist

Leah Ward Sears: Lawyer, Jurist. Leah Ward Sear, the first woman, and youngest person, appointed to the Georgian Supreme Court.

Lynn Nottage: Playwright

Lynn Nottage: Playwright. Pulitzer prize winning playwright Lynn Nottage tackles controversial and complex social issues.

Discover all the profiles features in eJournal USA: Making Their Mark: Black Women Leaders including Elizabeth Alexander Mary McLeod Bethune Ursula Burns Shirley Chisholm Johnnetta Cole Cathy Hughes Condoleezza Rice Susan E. Rice

Making Their Mark: Black Women Leaders features articles looking back at the historical contributions of black women leading up to the civil rights movement:

Author Phillip Hoose’s article Claudette Colvin: The First to Keep Her Seat tells of the tactically significant case of the arrest of Claudette Colvin, who challenged the Jim Crow laws in 1955 by refusing to surrender her seat on a public bus in Montgomery, Alabama, arguably allowing Rosa Park’s same refusal nine months later to stand as a critical call to action.

Read all of the articles featured in eJournal USA: Making Their Mark: Black Women Leaders :

Madam C.J. Walker: Business Savvy to Philanthropy
by A’Lelia Bundles

Ida B. Wells-Barnett: Fighting and Writing for Justice
by Lee D. Baker

Zora Neal Hurston: Literary Legend
by Valerie Boyd

Dorothy Irene Height: Civil Rights Activist
by Holly Cowan Shulman

Tags: Black History Month 2012
Posted in Culture, E-Journals, Uncategorized | Comments Off

HUMAN RIGHTS DAY 2010

Friday, December 10th, 2010

The promotion and protection of human rights has been a major preoccupation for the United Nations since 1945, when the Organization’s founding nations resolved that the horrors of The Second World War should never be allowed to recur. The Day marks the anniversary of the Assembly’s adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. Over the years, a whole network of human rights instruments and mechanisms has been developed to ensure the primacy of human rights and to confront human rights violations wherever they occur.

One instrument the Department of State uses to disseminate information on the state of human rights around the world is its annual Human Rights Report (HRR). The HRR describes in detail human rights conditions in each country, and also contains recommended actions to promote improvement. It is used not only by American government officials but also by foreign governments (including Canada) as a reference tool.

In March of this year we held a digital video conference (DVC) to discuss the 2009 HRR, which had at that time recently been released. We connected with representatives from Bureau of Democracy, Rights and Labor in Washington, and hosted an audience that included contacts from Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs, Parliament, and Canadian NGOs. It was a good occasion for the parties to hold a candid discussion, and the audience had the opportunity to ask questions of the Bureau of Democracy, Rights and Labor’s Associate Deputy Secretary.

More generally, the U.S. Mission’s Public Affairs programs in Canada have included multiple activities that promote equality and acceptance within North American Civil Society. One in five Canadians are considered New Canadians, so much of our programming focuses on diversity and acceptance within Canada’s multi-faceted civil society. Examples of this type of programming include hosting an International Information Program (IIP) speaker on interreligious dialogue (see the post on Chantal McGill), bringing up two performers from The Hijabi Monologues to present their play for

The Hijabi Monologues

audiences in Ottawa and Halifax, and running a speaker program on shared North American Black historical and cultural connections. We’ve also done a speaker program on Domestic Violence with Beth Feder, and a speaker tour with an expert on governmental and non-governmental initiatives to promote the economic empowerment of minority women and communities with American expert speaker, Dr. Cheryl Shavers. We continue to work closely with individuals and organizations in the local community that also have a focus of mutual understanding within the religious and cultural communities. After all, human rights are best asserted through grass root initiatives!

If you’re interested in learning more about human rights, The Department of State has several resources available to the public, including publications, remarks, etc. We encourage you to read up, and SPEAK UP!

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Secretary Clinton on the Importance of Civil Society for Democracy

Clinton at the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women

Appointment of Adviser for International Disability Rights

Photo Gallery: The Evolution of Human Rights

Sixty Years: Celebrating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

America.gov publication, Human Rights in Brief

Tags: Hillary Clinton, Human Rights Day 2010, Human Rights Report, IIP
Posted in Books, Culture, Democracy and Human Rights, E-Journals, Official Remarks, Religion, Social Issues, Speaker Programs, State Department Initatives | Comments Off

Chief Privacy Officer of DHS Mary Ellen Callahan on Protecting Privacy and Protecting a Nation

Monday, November 29th, 2010

Mary Ellen Callahan, Chief Privacy Officer of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), was recently published in the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars‘ Canada Institute publication, One Issue Two Voices. In the article, Privacy and Information Sharing: The Search for an Intelligent Border, Callahan and Wesley Wark of the University of Toronto’s Munk Institute explore the complex issue of protecting citizens’ personal information while simultaneously protecting a nation through its security measures. They do this both from an American and a Canadian perspective.

The Privacy Office’s mission is to protect privacy, particularly an individual’s personal information and dignity. This can prove to be a difficult and sometimes controversial topic, as illustrated by the recent media coverage of Thanksgiving’s full-body scanner protesters.

Photo credit: canada.com

If privacy and/or security are your area of expertise, or if you’re interested in learning more, there is a possibility that we will be holding a digital video conference (DVC) with Mary Ellen Callahan in the near future. Please contact us if you are interested in attending. Please make sure to include your name, title and organization, contact information, and if possible, a brief bio.

Tags: Department of Homeland Security, Mary Ellen Callahan, Privacy, Transparency, Woodrow Wilson International Center
Posted in Border, Canada - U.S. Relations, E-Journals, Speaker Programs | Comments Off

Kissing Babies and Shaking Hands: U.S. Midterm Election Campaigns Kick into High Gear!

Tuesday, October 26th, 2010

As Ontario voters lift campaign signs out of their front lawns, Americans continue to weigh their options as the November 2nd midterm elections approach. It’s been all over the U.S. networks, and word is it’ll be a game changer.

Want to understand the American electoral system so you can follow the action? Check out U.S.A. Elections in Brief to learn more!

Along with our colleagues at the consulates, we’ve been busy programming digital videoconferences (we call them DVCs) with expert American speakers, including one last week with Professor James Campbell from SUNY Buffalo. Next week we’re hosting an audience for a midterm results DVC with the Hudson Institute’s Chris Sands. What could the midterm election results mean for Canada? We’ll find out!

Tags: America.gov, Chris Sands, midterm elections, Professor James Campbell
Posted in Canada - U.S. Relations, E-Journals, Speaker Programs | Comments Off