Fourth Annual Human Rights in the Field Lecture hosts speaker Omar Shakir

By Ivy Choe, Staff Writer

The 295 seats of the University Union Theatre were filled with students, faculty and advocates Monday during the fourth annual Human Rights in the Field Lecture, sponsored by Towson University’s History department.

The event, titled Gaza, Palestine, and Israel: Do Human Rights Matter? had speaker Omar Shakir, the Israel and Palestine Director at Human Rights Watch, speak about the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

On Oct. 7, 2023 the Hamas group attacked Israel, killing over 1,200 people and taking another 250 hostage. In the year since, over 41,000 Palestinians have died from the ongoing conflict, according to Palestinian health authorities.

History Professor and head organizer of the event, Kimberly Katz PhD opened the discussion with multiple points, including an overview on student protests surrounding the ongoing conflict and university reactions across the country. 

“I appreciate that our university allows us to do this,” Katz said in reference to being allowed to hold the event.

Shakir shared the sentiment. 

“I want to echo the thanks to administration for letting these conversations take place. I’ve been kicked out of four countries for my work, so I appreciate, always, the chance to present our research and advocate discussions around them,” Shakir said.

Shakir started by talking about the history of conflicts between Israel and Palestine before and after Oct. 7, 2023, and the timeline of international responses to these events.

“We are seeing unprecedented challenges but also unprecedented opportunities to challenge that oppression and to change the reality on the ground,” Shakir said. 

Shakir also spoke on his experiences in getting to his position, emphasizing the importance in university involvement and seizing opportunities as they come.

“My coming of age as a human rights lawyer began at university. It began with attending events and organizing events. Getting to know professors who worked in the Middle East,” Shakir said. “As a student, the first thing I would do is to take advantage of the opportunities you have here on campus. You have some incredible faculty which I’ve already met, who are fountains of knowledge.”

Shakir also touched on future change.

“The arch of the moral universe is long but it bends to justice,” Shakir said. “I believe that the shifts we’re seeing on college campuses and in the government will lead to something better. That’s why I get up every morning. Ultimately, the way that the pendulum swings may depend on what you all do and the years to come.”

At the end, attendees were able to ask questions through cards that staff handed out earlier in the event. 

The lecture had a large turnout with a long line of people outside the theater waiting to get in. University President Mark Ginsberg was in attendance. The Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, Chris Chulos PhD and History Department Chair, Christian Koot PhD were both also at the event.

A FOX45 news team covered the event, interviewing Katz, Ginsberg and Caren Leven who is the Executive Director of Baltimore Zionist District. 

“Why is it okay for a speaker to come in and speak about anti-zionist or anti-Jewish rhetoric?” Leven told FOX45.

Leven and at least 20,000 members of the group sent TU an email to cancel the event upon first hearing of Shakir’s invitation to speak, according to the news broadcast. 

“I think people do have a right to express their point of view whether we agree with it or not,” Ginsberg told FOX45. “We’re a public university, this is a public place, and that’s important.”