Professory Terry Coonan: Immigration Advocacy, Human Trafficking, and Interdisciplinary Human Rights

Professory Terry Coonan: Immigration Advocacy, Human Trafficking, and Interdisciplinary Human Rights

Professor Terry Coonan is the Founder and Executive Director of the Florida State University Center for the Advancement of Human Rights and Associate Professor of Criminology at Florida State University. Terry has created an interdisciplinary home for students and faculty working across law, film, social work, religion, and public service. Before he founded the FSU Center, Terry was one of Professor Bert B. Lockwood's students at the University of Cincinnati College of Law. He was also an Urban Morgan Fellow and the Managing Editor of Human Rights Quarterly, for which he was selected as the first UMI Fellow for the U.S. Department of Justice Honors Program. Over the decades, their relationship evolved from professor and student to colleagues and lifelong friends. Growing up, Meredith always knew Terry for his warmth, humility, and one of the most contagious laughs you'll ever hear. His work has taken him from Chile during the Pinochet dictatorship to immigration courts in the United States. Today, he continues to represent refugee and immigrant families facing immense challenges within the U.S. legal system. Along the way, he has trained judges, partnered with journalists, and worked with filmmakers to expand how human rights are taught and practiced. This conversation explores the experiences that shaped Terry's life and career. We discuss why he believes human rights are too important to be left to lawyers alone. This is an important episode that highlights the ongoing hardships facing refugees and asylum seekers in a rapidly changing world. SHOW NOTES Episode Transcript Here [https://www.fireonthebluff.com/sites/fireonthebluff.com/files/HRP_Terry_Coonan_episode_final_transcript.pdf] Professor Terry Coonan: Executive Director, Florida State University Center for the Advancement of Human Rights [https://law.fsu.edu/faculty-staff/terence-terry-coonan] Florida State University Center for the Advancement of Human Rights [https://cahr.fsu.edu/] Threshold: A Dance Film [https://cahr.fsu.edu/newsletters/new-film-threshold-navigates-the-journey-of-healing-from-trauma-through-dance]: Produced by Professor Malia Bruker and choreographed by Professor Ilana Goldman, Threshold is a 360-degree dance film commissioned by the Florida State University Center for the Advancement of Human Rights. Drawing on the experiences of survivors of wartime sexual violence, sex trafficking, and other gender-based human rights violations, the film explores trauma, resilience, and healing through movement. Interdisciplinary Human Rights Major, FSU: [https://cahr.fsu.edu/academics]Florida State University's interdisciplinary undergraduate major brings together courses across multiple disciplines and reflects the Center's belief that human rights are too important to be left to lawyers alone. Human Rights Quarterly [https://www.press.jhu.edu/journals/human-rights-quarterly] Urban Morgan Institute for Human Rights [https://www.law.uc.edu/real-world-learning/centers/urbanmorganinstituteforhumanrights.html], University of Cincinnati College of Law

Professor Manfred Nowak: Children Deprived of Liberty, Human Dignity & the Future of Human Rights

Professor Manfred Nowak has helped shape international human rights law for more than four decades. An Austrian human rights lawyer, academic, and former United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture, Manfred has spent his career investigating some of the world's most hidden human rights violations. His work has taken him into prisons, detention centers, and conflict zones across the globe. Along the way, he has listened to the stories of torture survivors, families searching for disappeared loved ones, and children living without freedom. Those experiences would go on to shape both his scholarship and advocacy, including his leadership of the landmark United Nations Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty. Today, he serves as Secretary General of the Global Campus of Human Rights. Their longstanding connection extends to the University of Pennsylvania Press. Manfred is the author of Human Rights or Global Capitalism: The Limits of Privatization, published in the Pennsylvania Studies in Human Rights series, where Professor Bert B. Lockwood serves as Series Editor. In this conversation, Manfred reflects on the moments and people that shaped his understanding of justice, dignity, and human rights. We discuss what it means to deprive a child of liberty and why those systems often remain hidden from public view. You'll hear us explore the role of human rights education and the importance of artistic freedom.  We focus on the challenges facing the international human rights movement at a time of growing global instability. We are especially grateful to Manfred for sharing personal reflections from his decades of human rights work, including his firsthand experiences interviewing torture survivors and children deprived of liberty. His insights offer a rare window into both the progress that has been made and the work that still lies ahead. SHOW NOTES Episode Transcript Here [https://www.fireonthebluff.com/sites/fireonthebluff.com/files/HRP_Manfred_Nowak_episode_transcript.pdf] Professor Manfred Nowak, Global Campus of Human Rights [https://www.gchumanrights.org/who-we-are/staff/gc-secretariat/manfred-nowak/] Manfred Nowak, Independent Expert for the United Nations Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty [https://www.ohchr.org/en/treaty-bodies/crc/united-nations-global-study-children-deprived-liberty/manfred-nowak] Report & Books Report: United Nations Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty [https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/tools-and-resources/a74136-un-global-study-children-deprived-liberty] Human Rights or Global Capitalism: The Limits of Privatization [https://www.pennpress.org/9780812248753/human-rights-or-global-capitalism/] Torture: An Expert's Confrontation with an Everyday Evil [https://www.pennpress.org/9780812249910/torture/] The Routledge Companion to Music and Human Rights [https://www.routledge.com/The-Routledge-Companion-to-Music-and-Human-Rights/Fifer-Impey-Kirchschlaeger-Nowak-Ulrich/p/book/9780367494155?utm_source=chatgpt.com]

Brian Derrick: Political Strategist and Founder of Oath

We are so lucky to welcome Brian Derrick, Founder of Oath, [https://app.oath.vote/] to the show. Oath is a data-driven political giving platform designed to help donors make more strategic decisions about where to direct their contributions. By analyzing thousands of races across the country, Oath helps donors identify candidates and campaigns to support. Brian is one of Meredith's favorite go-to political strategists, helping people navigate complex political issues and election cycles through his trusted whiteboard breakdowns. Our conversation begins with shared Ohio roots, from the University of Cincinnati to Ohio State University, before turning to some of the most pressing political questions facing the United States today. We explore the continued dismantling of the Voting Rights Act and the growing impact of gerrymandering across the South. Together, we examine Trump’s escalating corruption, the influence of billionaire money in politics, and the role media algorithms increasingly play in shaping public opinion. The conversation also explores voter engagement, Latino voting trends, the future of the Democratic Party, and why helping people believe politics can improve their lives remains one of the most important challenges facing American democracy today. SHOW NOTES Episode Transcript Here [https://www.fireonthebluff.com/sites/fireonthebluff.com/files/HRP_Brian_Derrick_episode_final_transcript.pdf] Brian Derrick & Oath Oath Website - Become a Donor  [https://app.oath.vote/] Follow Brian Derrick on Instagram: @brianderrick [https://www.instagram.com/brianderrick_/] Follow Oath on Instagram: oath.vote [https://www.instagram.com/oath.vote/] Politico Magazine featuring Brian Derrick's Interview, “Democrats Have a Billionaire Problem. This App Is Trying to Fix It." [https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/02/06/democrats-campaign-donation-app-00139666/] Voting Rights & Democracy The New York Times Editorial Board, “There Has Never Been an Example of Presidential Corruption Like This” [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/20/opinion/trump-doj-slush-fund-criminals-corruption.html] Business Insider,“Viral ‘Last Breath of the Confederacy’ Speech Puts Louisiana Man on Political Map” [https://www.msn.com/en-us/politics/government/viral-last-breath-of-the-confederacy-speech-puts-louisiana-man-on-political-map/ar-AA23vOhd] Podcasts The Right for Your Vote to Count Podcast: [https://open.spotify.com/episode/376VP34Id4y8DzijQzP0zi?si=4qoDqCMJQhu9xmbt74bxjQ&nd=1&dlsi=768f1d3407324764] Featuring Brian Derrick Stacey Abrams' Podcast, Assembly Required: * Episode: “How SCOTUS Is Erasing Black Voters” [https://open.spotify.com/episode/42LsdRpA6ys9LBj2q3F9Cd?si=41NJuY__QOiS5UnuQjuIZw&nd=1&dlsi=1454ae32433341af] featuring Abby Phillip * Episode: “What’s Next for Voting Rights and Why Activism Matters” [https://open.spotify.com/episode/1AGYsuZz6SRjDrHPbVBNaD?si=gSuiXSHNQoOOOOF9grKTwQ&nd=1&dlsi=7766a4daad354f41] featuring Jane Fonda

Professor Tara Van Ho: Business, Human Rights, and International Law

Today we are joined by Professor Tara Van Ho, a leading scholar in the field of business and human rights whose work examines the growing intersection of corporate power, economic inequality, international law, and human dignity. Tara is a Professor of Law and Director of the International Legal Studies Program at St. Mary’s University School of Law. Prior to joining St. Mary’s, she taught at the University of Essex School of Law and worked closely with the Essex Human Rights Centre, one of the most influential institutions in the development of modern international human rights law. Her scholarship and advocacy have focused on corporate accountability, climate justice, investor-state dispute settlement, and the responsibilities of multinational corporations under international law. This conversation also carries a special connection for us personally. Tara is a fellow Ohioan from Cleveland, a graduate of the University of Cincinnati College of Law, and a former fellow of the Urban Morgan Institute for Human Rights. Throughout the episode, we reflect not only on the evolution of the business and human rights movement, but also on the importance of mentorship, community, and the shaping the next generation of human rights scholars and advocates. We dive into growing legal and moral questions surrounding climate accountability, and why business and human rights has become one of the most important and rapidly evolving areas of international law today. Tara also shares insights into her own path into the field, her experience studying under pioneers of human rights law, and how legal education can help students think critically about systems of power, governance, and justice in an increasingly interconnected world. SHOW NOTES Episode Transcript Here [https://www.fireonthebluff.com/sites/fireonthebluff.com/files/HRP_tara_van_ho_episode_final.pdf] Professor Tara Van Ho: St. Mary’s University School of Law Faculty Profile [https://law.stmarytx.edu/faculty/tara-van-ho/] Academic Journal Article George, E., Martin, J. and Van Ho, T., (2021). Reckoning: A Dialogue about Racism, AntiRacists, and Business & Human Rights [https://digitalcommons.law.uw.edu/wilj/vol30/iss2/7/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] Human Rights Quarterly: Defining the Relationships: "Cause, Contribute, and Directly Linked to" in the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights [https://commons.stmarytx.edu/facarticles/812/] by Tara Van Ho Resources Business and Human Rights Resource Centre [https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/] Essex University: Human Rights Centre [https://www.essex.ac.uk/centres-and-institutes/human-rights-centre] UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights [https://www.ohchr.org/en/business-and-human-rights] The Nathaniel R. Jones Center for Race, Gender, and Social Justice [https://foundation.uc.edu/give/jones] - University of Cincinnati

Iain Guest: The Advocacy Project, Transitional Justice, and Disappearances

Iain Guest is a journalist, human rights advocate, founder of The Advocacy Project, and former adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, where he taught human rights after decades of work across international media, the United Nations, and grassroots advocacy movements around the world. From documenting disappearances in Argentina and producing BBC documentaries, to working with the United Nations in Cambodia and Haiti, Iain’s career has consistently focused on amplifying the voices of communities directly affected by violence, repression, and conflict. Iain and Professor Bert Lockwood first came to know one another through Iain’s early manuscript on Argentina’s Dirty War, which became the first book published in the University of Pennsylvania Press Human Rights Series edited by Professor Bert Lockwood. Their friendship and shared commitment to international human rights work continues throughout this conversation. In this episode, we reflect on disappearances from Argentina to Nepal, the evolution of international accountability mechanisms, the role of the United Nations, and the importance of survivor-led advocacy rooted in local communities and historical memory. This conversation was recorded on April 1st, 2026, several weeks before we lost Theo van Boven on May 9th at the age of 91. Theo, the pioneering Dutch human rights scholar and former UN official, was a dear friend and colleague to both Iain and Bert, and his work and influence are reflected throughout much of this episode. He will be deeply missed. SHOW NOTES Episode Transcript PDF [https://www.fireonthebluff.com/sites/fireonthebluff.com/files/HRP_Iain_Guest_episode_transcript.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com] The Advocacy Project [https://www.advocacynet.org] Founded by Iain Guest in 1998, The Advocacy Project partners directly with grassroots organizations and survivor-led movements around the world, supporting community-driven initiatives focused on transitional justice, storytelling, reparations, education, advocacy, and historical memory. The Advocacy Project: Grassroots Grants Campaign [https://www.advocacynet.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2025-GG-fundraising-button-Jan-24.pdf] Behind the Disappearances: [https://www.pennpress.org/9780812213133/behind-the-disappearances/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] Argentina’s Dirty War Against Human Rights and the United Nations: University of Pennsylvania Press Theo van Boven: A former Director of the United Nations Division of Human Rights, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, and one of the central architects of modern international human rights accountability mechanisms. International Commission of Jurists — Tribute to Theo van Boven [https://www.icj.org/icj-mourns-the-passing-of-theo-van-boven-a-leading-light-in-the-human-rights-movement/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] Professor Cees Flinterman: Maastricht University [https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/events/prof-dr-cees-flinterman?utm_source=chatgpt.com]