May 9, Rick Halperin, director of the SMU Dallas Human Rights Program, for a commentary in which Professor Halperin contemplated the future of his graduating human rights scholars while recalling his personal journey of protests as an undergraduate 50 years ago. Published in USA Today: https://bit.ly/3f3RFrx
It is that time of year when university students complete end-of-semester projects and prepare for exams in May.
Many graduates will pivot to advanced studies in graduate school while others head into the for-profit and nonprofit worlds. Some may be embarking on a gap year to wait out the lingering effects of the pandemic.
I anticipate many of my students in the Southern Methodist University Human Rights Program, where I teach, will remain active in social justice causes for Black Lives Matter, women’s and LGBTQ rights, anti-hate activism and beyond.
For many, an uncertain personal and national future is looming – circumstances I find personally familiar.