2012 Teach-In on Children’s Rights
What: Learn about the condition of children in various societies–including our society–through movies, videos, and forums.
Where and When: HM-4, Tuesday May 29
Why: Educate our community and clear up misunderstandings regarding children’s rights-related issues.
AI-VHS’s Campaign for Children’s Rights
AI-VHS’s Campaign for Children’s Rights
In light of Invisible Children’s KONY 2012 campaign, we would like to remind our community of AI’s ongoing fight for children’s right. Please view the Prezi for more.
Premiered during Club Day, November 2011.
AI-VHS Joins the KONY2012 Campaign
Throughout the year, AI-VHS has been struggling how to make our community more aware of the Invisible Children. Somehow, we got our answer 
On Friday, April 20, 2012, AI-VHS will host a teach-in on the plight of children in different parts of the world. We will be screening the original Invisible Children documentary and the KONY 2012 campaign video, as well as hold discussions about these. Guest speakers are expected to come; raffles for KONY 2012 material will also be held.
STAY TUNED!
Hurrah for Civil Rights in CA and WA
On February 7, 2012, a three-panel court from the Ninth Circuit Appeals confirmed the unconstitutionality of CA’s Prop 8–which attempted to bar same-sex couples from getting married–stating that it violates the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. Though this may be a milestone, victory has not been fully achieved yet: the ruling will not be enforced for two more weeks, the deadline for which Prop 8 supporters can appeal either to the full Ninth Circuit or to the Supreme Court.
The first option–the full Ninth Circuit–only prolongs the battle: whichever side loses can appeal to the Supreme Court, the real challenge. Because the jurisdiction of this case is very narrow (CA, so far is the only state to grant marriages and allow for divorces to same-sex couples), the Supreme Court may not even give it a writ of certiorari.
However, in the state of Washington, the ban on same-sex marriage has been lifted, its House of Representatives acting quickly after hearing the ruling. Currently, seven states and the District of Columbia have legalized same-sex marriage.
Sources:
REUTERS–http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/08/us-usa-gaymarriage-washington-idUSTRE81709W20120208
HUFFINGTON POST–http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/07/proposition-8-california-same-sex-marriage-ban-ruling_n_1260171.html
In protest of SOPA and PI…
In protest of SOPA and PIPA, AI-VHS’s Candlelight will blackout on January 18th.
AI-VHS at OpenCongress.org
Keep up with Congressional bills and possible hidden provisions that infringe on our rights.
AI Honors Vaclav Havel
As Mr. Vaclav Havel leaves this world at 75 years of age, he leaves a legacy that surpasses time, an influence immeasurable by numbers. Mr. Havel founded dissident groups in Czechoslovakia during the 1970s to counter government infringement of the right to speech, expression, and political opposition. As a result of his activism, the Soviet Union held him as a prisoner of conscience from 1979 to 1984. His works were eventually recognized with numerous prizes throughout many countries, including the US’s Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Mr. Havel achieved even greater strides for human rights in the post-USSR era. As the first president of the Czech Republic, he defended the rights of the Sudeten German to stay (Germans who moved into Czechoslovakia as a result of Hitler’s annexation of the Sudetenland) and freed prisoners who were incarcerated unjustly under the former Communist government. Mr. Havel also extended his help to victims of Nazism and Stalinism.
Rest in Peace | Vaclav Havel 1936-2011
