FOR MORE INFORMATION

CONTACT:  Mary Anthony

mary.anthony@trinity.edu

Aug. 29, 2007

Nobel Peace Prize Recipient to Discuss Human Rights during

Trinity University Lecture

SAN ANTONIO – Jody Williams, winner of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize and founding coordinator of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), will present the Trinity University DeCoursey Lecture for the 2007-08 academic year at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 1, in Laurie Auditorium. The title of her talk is “The Individual’s Impact on Social and Political Change.” Her presentation is free and open to the public.

Williams is a renowned crusader against war and the lingering effects of armed conflicts. Named by Forbes as one of the 100 Most Powerful Women in the World, she speaks extensively on human rights.

Her work at ICBL includes building and coordinating an open partnership between governments, international agencies, and groups such as hers. "Imagine trying to get hundreds of organizations—each one independent—to feel that each is a critical element of the development of a new movement," explains Williams of her work. With the ICBL, she essentially redefined the rules of trans-national political action by utilizing technology and people power in unprecedented ways.

Williams' efforts came to fruition in 1997, when an international treaty banning antipersonnel landmines was signed by 122 nations; a week later, she became the tenth woman in history to win the Nobel Peace Prize.  Along with Laureate Shirin Ebadi of Iran, Williams took the lead in the establishment of the "Nobel Women's Initiative," which launched in 2006.

Today, Williams continues to crusade for human rights around the globe. In recognition of her expertise on the issue of landmines, Williams was invited to serve as a technical adviser to the United Nation's Study on the Impact of Armed Conflict on Children. Since 2003, she has held a faculty position of Distinguished Professor of Social Work and Global Justice at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work.

Doors to Laurie Auditorium will open at 6:45 p.m. on the evening of the lecture.  The lecture series is made possible by a gift from the late Gen. Elbert DeCoursey and Mrs. DeCoursey of San Antonio.

For more information, contact Trinity’s department of academic affairs at 210-999-8201.

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© 2007 Trinity University