The School of Humanities and Social Sciences (SHSS) at North South University (NSU) successfully hosted a webinar On 29 May as part of the NSU SHSS Distinguished Webinar Series on “Hierarchy & Human Rights”.
This online discussion convened a diverse audience of esteemed faculty members, students, academics, and legal professionals. The guest speaker for this session was Professor Matiangai Sirleaf, Nathan Patz Professor of Law at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law and Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
Dr. Cynthia McKinney, Assistant Professor and Director, Office of External Affairs at NSU, moderated the session and expressed her gratitude to the distinguished guest for gracing the event with her presence.
Professor of Law and Dean of SHSS at NSU, Md. Rizwanul Islam provided the introductory remarks, where he highlighted the negative implications of glorifying one race and vilifying another in the aspect of human rights and its historical roots.
Professor Sirleaf’s presentation shed light on how the conventional scholarship overlooked the early articulations of rights and contributions of Black individuals. She elaborated on the ‘Master Narrative’ of human rights that is not only instilled with anti-Blackness but also endorses White supremacy by neglecting and disregarding the rightful claims of Black people historically.
Thereby, concluding how the global standard and true intention of the field have failed to resonate with the universality of human rights through a racially biased narrative. She made it a priority to reimagine human rights. During the Q&A segment, faculty members and students engaged with Professor Sirleaf on various issues concerning the historical struggles of Black people. She concluded by reiterating, ‘All lives cannot matter until and unless Black Lives Matter.’