Yale Daily News: Dwight Hall Peace Initiative Teach-in on Rohingya Genocide in Myanmar
On Saturday, three human rights experts and student advocates gathered over Zoom to call the Yale community’s attention to the Rohingya Genocide in Myanmar.
“Justice for Burma,” moderated by Yale Genocide Studies Program Director David Simon, aimed to educate the public on the origins of Rohingya prejudice in Myanmar, the approaches the international community has taken against the genocide and the steps the Yale community can take to address the atrocities. The Dwight Hall Peace Initiative joined other external organizations including Action Corps, Justice for All, Burma Task Force and International Campaign for the Rohingya to organize the teach-in. Guest speakers included political advisor to the Rohingya legal case Hassan Abdein, human rights advocate Wai Wai Nu, international counsel Arsalan Suleman and student activists Jan Jan Maran and Sirazul Islam.
Lydia Burleson served as the Communications and Alumni Engagement Associate for Dwight Hall at Yale, Center for Public Service and Social Justice from June 2021-June 2022. A first-generation low-income student from rural Texas, Lydia graduated from Yale cum laude in 2021 with a degree in English and a nonfiction creative writing concentration. During her college years, Lydia increased awareness of marginalized voices with the public writing she did for The Yale Daily News and the Yale Admissions office. Her Dwight Hall experiences included free college advising with student-led member groups REACH and Matriculate. Dwight Hall empowered Lydia to uplift other disadvantaged students and to increase access to education for people who might not have otherwise received these resources. She is currently completing an English PhD at Stanford University with a Knight-Hennessy Fellowship.
