Human Rights: Conversations Across Generations

Bert & Meredith Lockwood

For over fifty years, Professor Bert Lockwood has had a front-row seat to the evolution of international human rights law. Now, he and his daughter, Meredith Lockwood, who has followed in his footsteps, are sharing that expertise with you. Human Rights: Conversations Across Generations is a compelling podcast dedicated to exploring the multifaceted world of human rights, co-hosted by this father-daughter duo. Through engaging, intergenerational dialogues, they connect to the powerful stories and insights of distinguished guests, including former presidents, Nobel Peace Prize recipients, political leaders, and the world’s leading scholars and activists. The show’s mission is to bridge the past and present, making complex human rights issues approachable and understandable for everyone. If you have any suggestions for future guests or topics for conversations, please reach out to us. We would love to hear from you! Email: humanrightsconversations@gmail.com Website: www.meredithlockwood.com 

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

    5 DAYS AGO

    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 The Advocacy Project 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 Behind the Disappearances: 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 Professor Cees Flinterman: Maastricht University

    1hr 12min
  2. Professor Richard Ashby Wilson of Princeton on Anthropology, Hate Crimes, and Human Rights

    8 MAY

    Professor Richard Ashby Wilson of Princeton on Anthropology, Hate Crimes, and Human Rights

    Professor Richard Ashby Wilson joins us for a timely and important conversation on human rights, hate crime enforcement, authoritarianism, and the widening gap between laws written on paper and justice experienced in everyday life. A longtime colleague and friend of Professor Bert B. Lockwood, Richard is currently Professor of Anthropology and Co-Director of the Princeton University Human Rights Initiative. Prior to Princeton, he founded and directed the Human Rights Institute at the University of Connecticut, where Bert also serves on the board. One of the world’s leading legal anthropologists, Richard is the author of eleven books examining transitional justice, international criminal tribunals, incitement, and the failures and possibilities of legal systems. Richard’s journey into human rights began in 1983 when, as an 18-year-old pre-med student at Johns Hopkins University, he learned that U.S. tax dollars were funding death squads in Central America. That moment changed the course of his life and led him into anthropology, determined to document stories and communities too often ignored or erased from public view. Over the next four decades, his work would take him from Mayan communities rebuilding after genocide in Guatemala to South African townships navigating the aftermath of apartheid and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. In this episode, we discuss Richard’s groundbreaking research on hate crime enforcement in the United States and the alarming reality that, despite more than 150 years of hate crime legislation, only a small percentage of actual hate crimes are ever charged or prosecuted. We explore why targeted communities often do not trust the systems meant to protect them, how police discretion and prosecutorial practices shape outcomes, and what these failures reveal in America today. Also, we discuss Richard's work helping draft hate crime reform legislation in Connecticut, as well as the growing pressures facing democratic institutions around the world. SHOW NOTES Episode Transcript PDF Professor Richard Asby Wilson, Princeton University Department of Anthropology Princeton University Human Rights Initiative UConn Human Rights Institute Key Publications and Scholarship The (Non)Enforcement of Hate Crime Laws in the United States, Richard Ashby Wilson, Annual Review of Law and Social Science, 2025 New Legal Realism at 20: Rethinking Law in an Era of Populism and Social Movements Richard Ashby Wilson, Jeffrey Omari, and Pablo Rueda-Saiz, Connecticut Law Review, 2024 Incitement on Trial: Prosecuting International Speech Crimes Richard Ashby Wilson, Cambridge University Press, 2017 Writing History in International Criminal Trials Richard Ashby Wilson, Cambridge University Press, 2011 The Politics of Truth and Reconciliation in South Africa Richard Ashby Wilson, Cambridge University Press, 2001 Maya Resurgence in Guatemala: Q’eqchi’ Experiences Richard Ashby Wilson, University of Oklahoma Press, 1995 Hate Crime Laws & Reform House Bill 6872: An Act Revising and Consolidating the Hate Crimes Statutes UConn Today Law: UConn Law Professors Lead Drafting of New Proposed Hate Crimes Bill Organizations to Support Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) ACLU: Immigrants’ Rights National Immigration Law Center

    1hr 9min
  3. Dina Francesca Haynes: Refugee Protection, Immigration Law, and the Responsibility to Defend Democracy

    1 MAY

    Dina Francesca Haynes: Refugee Protection, Immigration Law, and the Responsibility to Defend Democracy

    We are thrilled to welcome Professor Dina Francesca Haynes, Executive Director of the Schell Center for International Human Rights at Yale Law School, and a nationally recognized expert in immigration and refugee law, human trafficking, and gender and conflict. Her work has taken her to some of the world’s most challenging environments, including Rwanda, Bosnia, and Afghanistan, where she worked alongside international institutions to support displaced communities and strengthen legal protections in fragile settings. She has clerked on the Constitutional Court of South Africa and represented hundreds of clients seeking asylum in the United States, bringing both legal rigor and compassion to her practice. Dina studied under Professor Bert Lockwood as both a student and an Urban Morgan Human Rights Fellow at the University of Cincinnati College of Law, a connection that makes this conversation especially meaningful across generations. Dina has spent her career showing up, in airports, in courtrooms, in conflict zones, and in classrooms, and the body of work she has built stands as a powerful testament to what conviction, courage, and compassion can achieve. In our conversation, she shares insight into the realities facing migrants and asylum seekers, the legal challenges shaping immigration policy today, and the responsibility lawyers carry when institutions are under strain. SHOW NOTES Episode Transcript PDF Professor Dina Francesca Haynes, Executive Director, Schell Center for International Human Rights, Yale Law School Schell Center for International Human Rights, Yale Law School Urban Morgan Institute for Human Rights, University of Cincinnati College of Law Books On the Frontlines: Gender, War, and the Post-Conflict Process, Oxford University Press Handbook on Gender and Conflict: Edited by Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, Naomi Cahn, Dina Francesca Haynes, and Nahla Valji, Oxford University Press Article Celebritizations of Human Rights: Dina Francesca Haynes: This article examines how celebrity advocacy can shape public attention, policy conversations, and funding priorities in the human rights field, while also raising important questions about representation, accountability, and the voices of affected communities.

    1hr 6min
  4. Joe Tomain: Energy, Infrastructure, and the Decisions Shaping Our Future

    24 APR

    Joe Tomain: Energy, Infrastructure, and the Decisions Shaping Our Future

    In this episode of Human Rights: Conversations Across Generations, we welcome Professor Joe Tomain, former Dean of the University of Cincinnati College of Law and the Wilbert and Helen Ziegler Professor of Law, a distinguished scholar in energy law and policy and a longtime colleague and supporter of the Urban Morgan Institute for Human Rights. Drawing on decades of leadership in higher education and public policy, Professor Tomain reflects on the evolving relationship between energy systems, climate policy, and democratic governance. Our conversation explores the increasing demands on energy infrastructure driven by emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and data centers, and the policy choices that will shape environmental sustainability and economic stability in the decades ahead. We also revisit a defining historical experience shared by Professor Tomain and Professor Bert Lockwood – traveling to South Africa in 1994 as legal observers during the country’s first democratic elections, when citizens, including hospital patients, waited patiently in long lines to cast their ballots in the country’s first democratic vote. Together, this conversation offers thoughtful reflection on leadership, public service, and the responsibilities of institutions navigating the interconnected challenges of energy, climate, and democracy. Show Notes Professor Joe Tomain: University of Cincinnati College of Law Books and Publications Referenced Energy Law and Policy (4th Edition, 2026) Joseph P. Tomain, Lincoln L. Davies, Alexandra B. Klass, Uma Outka, Hari M. Osofsky, Elizabeth J. Wilson Energy Law in a Nutshell (4th Edition, 2022) A foundational text examining the structure of modern energy systems and the transition toward clean and net-zero energy policy. Smart Energy Paths: How Willie Nelson Saved the Planet (2006) Joseph P. Tomain Institutions Referenced Urban Morgan Institute for Human Rights — University of Cincinnati College of Law International Commission of Jurists

    1hr 21min
  5. Mark Gibney: Human Rights and Film

    18 APR

    Mark Gibney: Human Rights and Film

    This week, we welcome Professor Mark Gibney to the show. Mark Gibney is the Carol G. Belk Distinguished Professor at UNC Asheville, longtime director of the Political Terror Scale, and one of the leading voices in international human rights scholarship. He is a longtime friend and colleague of Professor Bert Lockwood, marking more than 40 years of friendship this year. Meredith’s own friendship with Mark is rooted in a shared passion for storytelling through human rights film and documentary, which frames this conversation. In this episode, we explore the intersection of human rights, storytelling, and global accountability through the lens of Mark’s extraordinary career. We discuss the Political Terror Scale and the role of data in documenting torture, disappearances, political imprisonment, and extrajudicial killings, as well as his recent scholarship calling for a more nuanced system of graded responsibility in international law. We also examine the power of film as a human rights tool through Mark’s course on human rights cinema and a wide-ranging discussion of documentaries, including The Alabama Solution, Mr. Nobody Against Putin, Collective, and Darwin’s Nightmare. Together, we reflect on how film can expose hidden abuses, humanize legal frameworks, and expand public understanding in ways traditional institutions sometimes cannot. Grounding the conversation in the realities of this moment, we also discuss human rights challenges unfolding in the United States and around the world, from democratic backsliding and prison abuses to the crises in Iran and Palestine, and where Mark sees possibilities for accountability and change. We hope this discussion encourages our listeners to reflect on how one measures injustice, how we bear witness, and how law, storytelling, and civic engagement can work together in the pursuit of international human rights. Show Notes Episode Transcript PDF Professor Mark Gibney, UNC Asheville Political Terror Scale (PTS) “Taking Human Rights Obligations (More) Seriously,” Human Rights Quarterly (Vol. 47, 2025) Films & Documentaries  The Alabama Solution Mr. Nobody Against Putin Collective Darwin’s Nightmare Put Your Soul in Your Hand and Walk The Lives of Others Flint’s Deadly Water, Frontline PBS Video Resources & Article AP News Article: Sonny Burton’s commutation Epstein Exposed

    1hr 16min
  6. Catherine Filloux: Award-winning Playwright and the Power of the Arts & Activism

    7 APR

    Catherine Filloux: Award-winning Playwright and the Power of the Arts & Activism

    "The theater places stories in front of hearts and minds as an experience that is living and transforming." These words from award-winning playwright and librettist Catherine Filloux capture the visceral power of the arts in the pursuit of human rights. For over 30 years, Catherine has used her creative compass to navigate the complexities of genocide, displacement, and environmental justice. An alumna of New Dramatists who received her M.F.A. at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Catherine has been honored with the 2019 Barry Lopez Visiting Writer in Ethics and Community Fellowship and the 2017 Otto René Castillo Award for Political Theatre. In this episode, the conversation explores Catherine’s prolific body of work, which spans from the history of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia to the urgent, present-day crisis of climate change. As a co-founder of Theatre Without Borders, Catherine has spent decades building bridges between artists in conflict zones, ensuring that dialogue survives even when legal and political structures fail. Having taught playwriting at institutions including Vassar, Wesleyan, and Bennington College, she brings a deep pedagogical perspective to how we witness history through performance. The discussion examines the three-dimensional prism of the stage and the unique chemistry of a live audience. Catherine also shares the inspiration behind her newest play, Olivia, which centers on a mother-daughter rift over fossil fuel dependency; a theme that resonates deeply with the intergenerational mission of this podcast. From the "oil spilled rainbows" of environmental destruction to the "psychosomatic blindness" of war survivors, Catherine’s work serves as a form of accountability and a source of hope. She transforms the stage to become more than a space for performance, but a vital instrument of accountability, transforming the most complex global crises into a shared, human experience. Show Notes Episode Transcript PDF Catherine Filloux Website Theatre Without Borders Catherine Filloux Archive, held at the Ohio State University Libraries Resources and References Fellow Travelers Opera: 10 year anniversary Sir Trevor McDonald Interview: A raw perspective on systemic issues through interviews with incarcerated women in America

    1hr 12min
  7. Lacey Stone: United Nations Refugee Agency, Building Futures for Refugee Women and Girls

    27 MAR

    Lacey Stone: United Nations Refugee Agency, Building Futures for Refugee Women and Girls

    We are honored to welcome Lacey Stone to Human Rights: Conversations Across Generations. As the Chief Development Officer at USA for UNHCR, the U.S. partner of the United Nations Refugee Agency, she works at the intersection of philanthropy, partnerships, and global humanitarian impact. With more than two decades of experience across organizations, including UNICEF USA, PATH, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Lacey has built a career grounded in connecting people, resources, and ideas to create meaningful change. In this conversation, Lacey shares what it means to bear witness to the stories of refugee women and girls and to help translate those stories into action, visibility, and support. We discuss the DAFI scholarship program, the Building Better Futures campaign, and the urgent need to invest in higher education, mentorship, and wraparound support for refugee women and girls as they rebuild their lives and strengthen their communities. Lacey also reflects on the evolving nature of philanthropy, from transactional giving to transformational partnerships, and why storytelling must remain at the center of that shift. This episode is a powerful reminder that education is more than access. It is dignity, agency, leadership, and a pathway toward long-term change. From Lacey’s own journey as a first-generation college student to Bert’s perspective on the legal evolution of the 1951 Refugee Convention, this episode examines what happens when philanthropy becomes a relational partnership aimed at fueling the next generation of global leadership. We encourage our listeners to take action by supporting USA for UNHCR and the Building Better Futures initiative. By contributing, you are providing more than a scholarship; you are ensuring that courageous students have the resources to secure their human rights, reclaim their narratives, and build a more equitable future for displaced communities worldwide. Show Notes Show Transcript PDF USA for UNHCR USA for UNHCR Website UNHCR Donate Building Better Futures Building Better Futures Video  DAFI Scholarship Program 2024 DAFI Annual Report Referenced in Conversation Article: Fundraising Wasn’t Built for Women. So We Built Something New, Inside Philanthropic Study Trust (UNHCR partner in South Africa)

    55 min
  8. Dr. Xanthe Scharff of The Freedom Fund: Ending Modern Slavery and Supporting Frontline Communities

    20 MAR

    Dr. Xanthe Scharff of The Freedom Fund: Ending Modern Slavery and Supporting Frontline Communities

    This week, we welcome Dr. Xanthe Scharff to the show. She is the Managing Director for External Affairs and Editor-at-Large at the Freedom Fund, where she works to strengthen global efforts to end modern slavery by supporting and investing in frontline partners who are closest to the problem and best positioned to drive lasting change within their own communities. With more than 20 years of experience across journalism, research, and nonprofit leadership, Xanthe brings a powerful perspective to this work, one grounded in storytelling, partnership, and systems change. At the Freedom Fund, she plays a critical role in advancing solutions that address the often hidden and disproportionate exploitation of women and girls, ensuring that local leaders have the resources, visibility, and support they need to prevent exploitation and help survivors rebuild their lives. In our conversation, Xanthe helps unpack the reality that modern slavery is not a thing of the past, but a growing global crisis, with an estimated 50 million people affected worldwide. From forced labor and domestic servitude to trafficking within the United States and the complexities of global supply chains, she brings clarity to both the scale of the issue and the pathways toward sustainable change. She also reflects on her earlier work as co-founder of the Fuller Project, where she helped reshape how stories about women are told and understood across the globe. This episode is an invitation to deepen awareness and to take meaningful action by supporting organizations like the Freedom Fund and the courageous frontline leaders working every day to prevent exploitation, protect human dignity, and build safer futures for women and girls around the world. Show Notes: Show Transcript PDF The Freedom Fund 2025–2030 Strategic Plan To Make a Donation Research Library Featured Article ‘Invisible’ children born in the brothels of Bangladesh finally get birth certificates, The Guardian National Human Trafficking Hotline Call: 1-888-373-7888 Text: 233733 Website Learn More U.S. National Human Trafficking Prevention Month 1926 Slavery Convention: 100th Anniversary The Fuller Project - Website Further Reading & Resources Women’s Empowerment and Child Labor in Cocoa: Ghana & Côte d’Ivoire Child Labor is Helping Power the Clean Energy Transition Voice of Change Podcast, “Empowering Change: The Syrian Women’s Political Movement” Bonded by Brick documentary, The Centrum Media

    1hr 14min
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About

For over fifty years, Professor Bert Lockwood has had a front-row seat to the evolution of international human rights law. Now, he and his daughter, Meredith Lockwood, who has followed in his footsteps, are sharing that expertise with you. Human Rights: Conversations Across Generations is a compelling podcast dedicated to exploring the multifaceted world of human rights, co-hosted by this father-daughter duo. Through engaging, intergenerational dialogues, they connect to the powerful stories and insights of distinguished guests, including former presidents, Nobel Peace Prize recipients, political leaders, and the world’s leading scholars and activists. The show’s mission is to bridge the past and present, making complex human rights issues approachable and understandable for everyone. If you have any suggestions for future guests or topics for conversations, please reach out to us. We would love to hear from you! Email: humanrightsconversations@gmail.com Website: www.meredithlockwood.com 

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