Human Rights: Conversations Across Generations

Bert & Meredith Lockwood
  • 5.0 (12)
  • Society & Culture
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For over fifty years, Professor Bert B. Lockwood has had a front-row seat to the evolution of international human rights law. He is the longtime Director of the Urban Morgan Institute for Human Rights at the University of Cincinnati College of Law and has served as Editor-in-Chief of Human Rights Quarterly since 1982. 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 podcast exploring the multifaceted and evolving world of human rights. Through engaging, intergenerational conversations, Bert and Meredith connect with distinguished guests from around the world, including Nobel Peace Prize recipients, former Presidents, political leaders, lawyers, scholars, activists, journalists, authors, and changemakers. Conversations span a wide range of important topics, including international human rights law, women’s rights and gender equality, racial justice, democracy and the rule of law, climate and environmental justice, migration and displacement, economic justice, modern slavery, and business and human rights. Through the personal stories and expertise of their guests, the show connects the history of the human rights movement with the urgent challenges shaping its future. If you have suggestions for future guests or conversation topics, please reach out to us. We would love to hear from you! Email: humanrightsconversations@gmail.com Website: www.meredithlockwood.com 

  1. 5h ago

    A Free Iran: A Daughter's Legacy & the Fight for Democracy

    As a young girl, Zolal Habibi blew out the candles on her birthday cake with a wish for a free Iran. It was a hope nurtured by her parents, whose commitment to human rights shaped her childhood. Decades later, that wish remains at the heart of her life's work. Growing up in a family deeply rooted in human rights activism, Zolal understood the meaning of courage and sacrifice from an early age. Her father, Mohammad Hossein Habibi, was a writer, sociologist, and human rights activist who was killed by the Iranian regime in 1988, when Zolal was just seven years old. His legacy, alongside her mother's unwavering commitment to the Iranian resistance, helped shape the values and convictions that continue to guide her today. Now an Iranian American human rights and women's rights advocate, Zolal has spent more than 25 years championing democracy, equality, and fundamental freedoms in Iran. As a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), she works to bring international attention to political prisoners, human rights violations, women's leadership, and the movement for a free, secular, and democratic Iran. In this deeply personal conversation with father-daughter co-hosts Professor Bert Lockwood and Meredith Lockwood, Zolal reflects on her childhood, her father's legacy, and the generations of Iranians who continue to stand for freedom. From the human cost of political repression to international accountability, the conversation examines the challenges of building a democratic future. At a time of war and uncertainty, Zolal's story reminds us of the enduring power of one generation's values to inspire the next, and the importance of keeping Iranian voices at the center of the conversation. SHOW NOTES Zolal Habibi: Biography and Guest Profile National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI): Foreign Affairs Committee News, reporting, and information about the NCRI's activities and political positions. Maryam Rajavi's Ten-Point Plan: A proposed framework for a future secular, democratic Iran, including women's equality, democratic elections, and minority rights. United Nations: Human Rights in Iran UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran: Mai Sato Information about the independent UN expert's mandate, monitoring, and reporting on human rights in Iran. Mai Sato: 2026 Report to the UN General Assembly UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran: Independent investigations and documentation concerning serious human rights violations in Iran. Films and Books Mentioned in Our Conversation Reading Lolita in Tehran: Film (2024) Directed by Eran Riklis and adapted from Azar Nafisi's memoir Persepolis: Animated Film (2007) Written and directed by Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud The Complete Persepolis: Graphic Memoir by Marjane Satrapi: The original autobiographical work on which the film Journey from the Land of No: A Girlhood Caught in Revolutionary Iran: Book by Roya Hakakian A memoir exploring Hakakian's experiences growing up in a Jewish family in Tehran during and after the Iranian Revolution.

    A Free Iran: A Daughter's Legacy & the Fight for Democracy

  2. Nov 5

    130 Years of Impact: The People and Purpose Behind VOA with Ericka Fusilier

    For Ericka Fusilier, a commitment to serving others began long before she became a national leader at VOA, formerly Volunteers of America, one of the nation's oldest and largest human services organizations. As VOA celebrates 130 years of service in 2026, Ericka joins us to discuss the organization's enduring mission, its impact on communities across the United States, and the importance of dignity in human services. Founded in 1896, VOA has grown into a nationwide network of 30 affiliates and more than 15,000 professionals, serving over 2 million people annually. Its work spans affordable housing, veterans' services, behavioral healthcare, addiction recovery, and programs supporting older adults and families. Growing up in Beaumont, Texas, Ericka was shaped by a close-knit community, her mother's strength and determination in raising two daughters, and influential teachers who recognized and nurtured her gifts for writing and public speaking. Those early influences eventually led her into broadcast journalism, where one assignment in particular helped change the direction of her career. Through a weekly television segment featuring children in foster care awaiting adoption, Ericka discovered how storytelling could do more than inform audiences. It could connect people with opportunities for support and meaningful change. Today, Ericka serves as Executive Vice President of External Affairs at VOA, following more than a decade with VOA Texas. Professor Bert B. Lockwood and Meredith Lockwood join Ericka for a conversation about her journey into nonprofit leadership and the growing challenges of housing affordability and an aging population. Ericka shares how VOA is embracing innovative technologies, from robotic companion pets that help reduce loneliness among older adults to virtual reality tools that expand workforce opportunities, while ensuring that human connection, dignity, and independence remain central to its services. We shine a spotlight on Black women in leadership, the systemic challenges they continue to face, and the importance of representation and creating opportunities for future generations. Drawing on nearly three decades of professional experience, Ericka reflects on the importance of continuing to grow and adapt. As she encourages other women, “You just have to keep pushing forward and being open to change.” Beyond her leadership at VOA, Ericka is also the author of The Priceless Pact, a children's book that encourages young people to stand up against bullying and become advocates for others. Throughout her career, Ericka has carried forward a belief in the power of individuals to make a difference. As she reminds her own children, “If you don't see the helper, that means you're the helper.”   SHOW NOTES Full Episode Transcript (PDF) VOA (Volunteers of America) Website  VOA: Ericka Fusilier's Biography VOA Announces Ericka Fusilier as Executive Vice President of External Affairs VOA: 130 Years of Resilience (1896–2026) VOA: National Impact Report 2025 VOA: Support their Work   INNOVATION: HUMAN SERVICES VOA's Robotic Companion-Pet Pilot Watch: VOA Robotic Companion Pets (YouTube Video) VOA Florida Robotic Companion Pets and Senior Well-Being VOA Texas Virtual Reality and Workforce Development   BOOKS The Priceless Pact by Ericka Fusilier   BLACK WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP National Women's Law Center: Research and Advocacy

    130 Years of Impact: The People and Purpose Behind VOA with Ericka Fusilier

  3. Oct 30

    Rescuing Human Rights: A Radically Moderate Approach with Hurst Hannum

    For more than five decades, Hurst Hannum has helped shape the practice and understanding of international human rights law. From his early legal work in Northern Ireland during the Troubles to his scholarship on sovereignty, self-determination, and the responsibilities of states, Hurst has spent his career confronting some of the most difficult questions in international law. Professor Emeritus of International Law at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, Hurst has served as an adviser to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN Department of Political Affairs, and represented individuals before European, Inter-American, and UN human rights bodies. A former senior researcher at the University of Oxford's Bonavero Institute of Human Rights, he has also taught at Harvard, the University of Hong Kong, and Central European University, among others. The author and editor of numerous influential publications, Hurst serves on the editorial advisory boards of Human Rights Quarterly and Human Rights Law Review. Hurst joins Professor Bert B. Lockwood and Meredith Lockwood as they begin by reflecting on their remarkable friendship with the late human rights lawyer Kevin Boyle. In 1972, Hurst arrived in Northern Ireland, where he and Kevin embarked on legal work that would help shape both men's careers. We revisit the early years of international human rights advocacy and the challenges of protecting competing identities in divided societies. Drawing on his book, Rescuing Human Rights: A Radically Moderate Approach, Hurst challenges the tendency to frame every pressing global issue as a question of international human rights law. He argues that issues such as climate change, corporate accountability, and emerging technologies require a clearer understanding of what human rights law can accomplish and where other legal, political, and regulatory approaches are needed. Against the backdrop of the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, U.S. military action against Iran, and mounting challenges to international institutions, Hurst examines the limits of international law's ability to restrain state power and hold governments accountable. He draws important distinctions between human rights law, the laws of war, and the responsibilities of national governments, raising difficult questions about the international system's ability to enforce the protections it was created to uphold. Hurst challenges the human rights movement to confront a difficult question: Has the expansion of its ambitions begun to weaken the very protections it was established to defend? His call for a radically moderate approach is both a defense of the movement's achievements and a challenge to its future. International human rights law cannot solve every injustice, but understanding its limits may be essential to preserving its power. SHOW NOTES Full Episode Transcript (PDF) The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University Bonavero Institute of Human Rights, University of Oxford Books Rescuing Human Rights: A Radically Moderate Approach, Cambridge University Press (2019) Autonomy, Sovereignty, and Self-Determination: The Accommodation of Conflicting Rights, University of Pennsylvania Press Articles and Scholarship Saving Human Rights, OpenGlobalRights (2019) Reinvigorating Human Rights for the Twenty-First Century, Human Rights Law Review (2016) Podcasts, Interviews, and Public Talks Rescuing Human Rights | Rule of Law Talk, World Justice Project (2019) Rescuing Human Rights: A Radically Moderate Approach | Bonavero Institute of Human Rights, University of Oxford (2019) Back to the Future: Human Rights Approaches for the 21st Century, Princeton University (2011) Kevin Boyle: Books and Resources Are You With Me? Kevin Boyle and the Rise of the Human Rights Movement by Mike Chinoy Additional Resources The Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement (1998) | UK Government The Good Friday Agreement - Yale Law School, Avalon Project

    Rescuing Human Rights: A Radically Moderate Approach with Hurst Hannum

  4. Oct 22

    Climate Change: A Case for Optimism with Alex Miskho

    Fresh off the whirlwind of New York City's Climate Week, Alex Miskho, a climate lawyer and environmental justice advocate, returned home to the Midwest feeling energized with a renewed sense of optimism. Following a week of conversations with community organizers, scholars, activists, policymakers, and more, what stood out to her was a focus on global solutions. Alex joins us for today's episode to explore climate change, balancing the many challenges we face with the significant advancements being made to address them. Alex is a Fellow and Lecturer at the Abrams Environmental Law Clinic at the University of Chicago Law School. Previously a Senior Advisor to Secretary John Kerry in the Biden administration, she helped negotiate international climate agreements and advance policies on climate resilience. A graduate of MIT and Yale Law School, Alex's career spans engineering, environmental law, international diplomacy, and global human rights. “We are not asking for pity. We are asking for help in partnership.” This is a message to the world from 13-year-old Melelusi Sokotia in Tuvalu, a Pacific island nation where rising seas threaten the future of entire communities. Thousands of miles away, devastating floods along the Nepal-Tibet border have displaced families and upended lives. Their experiences bring us to one of the most pressing questions in climate justice: How do we protect the people most vulnerable to climate change while ensuring they have a voice in shaping their own futures? Climate change can feel overwhelming. It is important to remember that meaningful progress is happening in real time. Alex reminds us that progress is not measured by a single breakthrough. Every fraction of a degree matters. Every life improved matters. And every individual contribution has a place in the work ahead. SHOW NOTES Alex Miskho | University of Chicago Law School Key Research Discussed: weADAPT | Climate Adaptation Research and Resources: Research and case studies on climate adaptation, including planned community relocation International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD): Research on climate change, glaciers, and environmental risks in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region, including Nepal United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR): Resources on disaster preparedness, resilience, and climate-related risks Organizations and Resources Al Jazeera: Girl Pleads for World Leaders to Save Her Country from Climate Change, October 7, 2026 More Perfect Union | We Went To The Town Elon Musk Took Hostage, February 19, 2025 More Perfect Union | THIS Is What It's Like Living Next to SpaceX and Elon Musk, October 7, 2026 Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane: An exploration of rivers, their relationship with human communities, and the movement to recognize the rights of nature. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP): Scientific research and international environmental policy Earthjustice United Nations University Climate Week NYC The Climate Reality Project

    Climate Change: A Case for Optimism with Alex Miskho

  5. Oct 15

    A Story of Family, Land, and Legacy in Old Hawai'i with Sara Kehaulani Goo

    In Hawaiian, Kuleana means "Our Responsibility." 'Āina means "The Land".  For generations, Sara Kehaulani Goo's family has held onto their ancestral land on Maui's eastern coast. In her memoir, Kuleana, Sara takes us through the high and low tides of protecting this land. And the profound responsibility to care for it while honoring those who came before. More than 90 acres, stretching from the road to the sea. Land that has survived the overthrow of a kingdom, generations of displacement, and mounting pressure to sell. In 2019, an email from Sara's father, Dennis, popped up in her inbox with alarming news. The family's property taxes had increased by nearly 500 percent.  Sara is an acclaimed journalist and author whose career has taken her from The Wall Street Journal to The Washington Post, NPR, and Axios. Today, she serves as President of The Washington Post's Creator Network. In Kuleana, Sara turns her reporter's eye toward her own family story, uncovering a history of Hawaiʻi that many of us were never taught.  In our conversation, we go beyond the familiar image of Hawaiʻi as a lush tropical paradise. Sara guides us through Native Hawaiian land loss, the extreme wealth reshaping the islands, and the hardship on families to remain in their ancestral homeland. We discover how language, hula, and storytelling carry culture across generations. Together, Bert, Sara, and Meredith ask, "What do we owe those who came before us and those who will come after? You can explore Sara's work and purchase her book through her website: www.saragoo.com. SHOW NOTES Full Episode Transcript  Sara Kehaulani Goo Sara's Bio: The Washington Post Her Memoir Kuleana  “What Hula Taught Me”: The Atlantic Podcast: Story & Craft featuring Sara Kehaulani Goo, with Marc Preston Podcast: Justice Matters - “Protecting Native Land in Hawaii,” featuring Sara with Maggie Gates

    A Story of Family, Land, and Legacy in Old Hawai'i with Sara Kehaulani Goo

  6. Oct 2

    Elisa Massimino: Human Rights Advocacy in a Changing World

    Today's guest is Elisa Massimino, one of the nation's leading human rights advocates and Executive Director of the Human Rights Institute at Georgetown University Law Center. For more than three decades, Elisa has worked at the intersection of human rights, national security, refugee protection, and U.S. foreign policy. Before joining Georgetown, she spent 27 years at Human Rights First, including a decade as President and CEO. Throughout her career, Elisa has testified before Congress dozens of times and helped shape some of the most consequential human rights debates in Washington. Following 9/11, she helped assemble an influential coalition of retired generals and admirals to challenge U.S. policies authorizing torture. In 2026, Washingtonian once again named Elisa among Washington, D.C.'s 500 Most Influential People, recognizing her work on torture and U.S. military assistance and human rights. Today, she brings those decades of experience into the classroom at Georgetown, helping prepare the next generation of human rights advocates. In this conversation, we begin with Elisa's own path into human rights, from philosophy and refugee advocacy to discovering what she describes as her calling. We explore the two qualities she believes effective advocates need: chutzpah and humility. Elisa takes us inside her Georgetown classroom, where students learn not simply to care about injustice, but to develop practical strategies for changing it, including listening to those who disagree, building unlikely coalitions, understanding power, and knowing when compromise can move an issue forward. We also examine the challenges facing democracy and human rights today, the importance of civic engagement beyond elections, and the rapidly evolving promise and danger of artificial intelligence. Elisa reflects on one of the defining campaigns of her career, the effort to end U.S. torture after 9/11, and why successful advocacy sometimes requires asking whether we want to make a point or actually make a difference. Throughout this episode, we return to an idea that has shaped both Elisa's work and ours: human rights begin in the places closest to us. Even amid rising authoritarianism and increasing challenges to democratic institutions, Elisa sees an opportunity to rebuild a broader movement for freedom, democracy, and human rights rooted in our homes, schools, communities, and everyday lives. SHOW NOTES Episode Transcript PDF Elisa Massimino: Georgetown Law, Visiting Professor of Law; Executive Director, Human Rights Institute Human Rights Institute: Georgetown Law Washingtonian: Washington DC's 500 Most Influential People of 2026 Chutzpah and Humility: Twin Virtues for Changing the World - Watch Elisa Massimino's Robert F. Drinan Chair Lecture at Georgetown Law Religion and Human Rights: A Conversation with Elisa Massimino - Read Elisa's conversation with Georgetown University's Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs. Global South World: Interview "Don’t wait for the UN to act" Sara Kehaulani Goo: Her new book, Kuleana

    Elisa Massimino: Human Rights Advocacy in a Changing World

  7. Sep 4

    Alice Achan: The School of Restoration & Te-Kworo Foundation

    Alice Achan is the Founder and Executive Director of the Te-Kworo Foundation, a community-based organization providing education, maternal and child healthcare, and social protection to girls, women, and children in northern Uganda. Founded in 2002, Te-Kworo has grown to include three boarding schools and has educated more than 4,000 girls, while its healthcare programs have expanded from mobile clinics and maternal care to a new hospital in Agago. Alice’s commitment to educating girls is rooted in her own extraordinary story. She was 13 when the Lord’s Resistance Army first terrorized her village, beginning years in which war repeatedly forced her from school and sent her family running and hiding to escape rebel abduction. Through those years, her father remained unwavering in his belief in his daughter’s education. Alice eventually completed her education and trained in social work before returning to northern Uganda to work with girls coming home from LRA captivity, many of whom returned with children of their own. They faced stigma and rejection within their own communities. Alice shares how gatherings with women beneath a kworo tree became the beginning of what she calls a “School of Restoration.” By listening to the needs of girls and young mothers, she developed an approach to healing and education that extended far beyond the classroom. Today, that vision extends from education into maternal and child healthcare. In this episode, we discuss the remarkable full-circle story of former students who became nurses and midwives and are now caring for women in their own communities. SHOW NOTES Episode Transcript Te-Kworo Foundation Support and Donate: Te-Kworo Foundation 2025 Annual Impact Report: Te-Kworo Foundation Book: Alice Achan & Philippa Tyndale: The School of Restoration Resources & Podcast Episodes: Fix The News Podcast: How Education Is Rebuilding Northern Uganda: Girls, Hope & Healing featuring Alice Achan UC Berkeley Human Rights Center: Pader Girls Academy Human Rights: Conversations Across Generations Podcast, Professor Eric Stover

    Alice Achan: The School of Restoration & Te-Kworo Foundation

  8. Aug 17

    Professor Paul Hunt: Reimagining the Future of Human Rights

    Professor Paul Hunt is a British-New Zealand human rights lawyer and Emeritus Professor at the University of Essex. His work has been particularly influential in advancing social rights and establishing the right to health as a practical human rights framework. Paul served on the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights before becoming the first UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health. He later advised the World Health Organization and served as Chief Human Rights Commissioner of New Zealand. His experiences in Palestine and The Gambia shaped that work from its earliest years. Paul and our co-host, Professor Bert B. Lockwood, also share more than thirty years of friendship through Human Rights Quarterly and the University of Essex. “Human rights are meant to control states, but states control human rights,” Paul writes in his 2026 Human Rights Quarterly article, “Empowering Human Rights for Revolutionary Change.” Paul argues for strengthening human rights from the ground up and placing greater power in the hands of people and communities. At a time when the movement is confronting renewed authoritarianism, Paul continues to look ahead. His vision is not to abandon the human rights framework, but to rethink where power sits within it. It is a call to build on decades of progress while making human rights more responsive to the people they are meant to serve. SHOW NOTES Episode Transcript Here Professor Paul Hunt, University of Essex Human Rights Quarterly Articles: Empowering Human Rights for Revolutionary Change, Human Rights Quarterly Children’s Rights in West Africa: The Case of The Gambia’s Almudos, Human Rights Quarterly Configuring the UN Human Rights System in the “Era of Implementation”: Mainland and Archipelago, Human Rights Quarterly Resources: Articles, Reports, and Media Right to the Highest Attainable Standard of Health, The Lancet Equality: The Road Less Travelled, TEDx University of Essex In Conversation with Professor Paul Hunt, RightsCast Podcast Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health: Mission to Sweden, Uganda, the World Bank and the IMF, United Nations Maranga Mai! Te Kāhui Tika Tangata Human Rights Commission

    Professor Paul Hunt: Reimagining the Future of Human Rights
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
12 Ratings

About

For over fifty years, Professor Bert B. Lockwood has had a front-row seat to the evolution of international human rights law. He is the longtime Director of the Urban Morgan Institute for Human Rights at the University of Cincinnati College of Law and has served as Editor-in-Chief of Human Rights Quarterly since 1982. 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 podcast exploring the multifaceted and evolving world of human rights. Through engaging, intergenerational conversations, Bert and Meredith connect with distinguished guests from around the world, including Nobel Peace Prize recipients, former Presidents, political leaders, lawyers, scholars, activists, journalists, authors, and changemakers. Conversations span a wide range of important topics, including international human rights law, women’s rights and gender equality, racial justice, democracy and the rule of law, climate and environmental justice, migration and displacement, economic justice, modern slavery, and business and human rights. Through the personal stories and expertise of their guests, the show connects the history of the human rights movement with the urgent challenges shaping its future. If you have suggestions for future guests or conversation topics, please reach out to us. We would love to hear from you! Email: humanrightsconversations@gmail.com Website: www.meredithlockwood.com 

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