During June-August 2010, Valerie Love, the Curator for Human Rights Collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center will be undertaking a project to conduct oral histories with human rights activists in the state of Connecticut.  If you might be interested in participating in the project, or have suggestions for people to interview, please contact Valerie at valerie.love@uconn.edu for more information. 

A slide from the Impact Visuals Photography Collection, Thomas J. Dodd Research Center, University of Connecticut.

The Thomas J. Dodd Research Center currently holds a variety of oral history collections, including:

Members of the African National Congress in South Africa, 1999-2006. 

Colt Strike of 1934, 1981

Connecticut Communist Party, 1986-1987

Connecticut Workers And A Half Century Of Technological Change, 1930-1980, 1981-1982

The Greater Hartford Process (Coventry Experience), 1972-1975

Holocaust Survivors In The Connecticut Region, 1980-1981

Manchester-Cheney Oral History Project, 1971-1991

Millworkers of Willimantic, 1979-1980

Peoples of Connecticut, 1973-1976

The Political Activities Of The First Generation Of Fully Enfranchised Connecticut Women, 1920-1945, 1980-1982

Voices From The Second World War: An Oral History, 1999-2000

Witnesses To Nuremberg, An Oral History Of American Participants At The War Crimes Trials, ca. 1997

A Woman’s Place, Hartford College For Women, 1983

Women In The Connecticut Legislature: Past And Present, 1996-1997

Today we are pleased to report that President Obama signed into law the Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act.  The Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act is named in honor of former Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl who was kidnapped and murdered by terrorists in Pakistan, just four months after the September 11th attacks.  For those who follow our blog and our events, know that this past October we were honored to award the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) with the Thomas J. Dodd Prize in International Justice and Human Rights.  The program allowed the University to learn more about the struggle for press freedom and about the work CPJ does to defend the rights of journalists around the world.   It also provided us with the opportunity to meet Mariane Pearl, wife of the late Daniel Pearl. 

President Obama and members of Daniel Pearl's family in the Oval Office. Photo by Luke Sharrett/The New York Times

 “Daniel Pearl’s tragic death shocked the world and, at the same time, opened our eyes to the abuse and harassment that many journalists face across the globe.  With this bill, we pay tribute to Daniel’s life and his work by shining a spotlight on this sort of all-too-frequent repression,” said Senator Chris Dodd, a champion of the bill.  Senator Dodd also introduced companion legislation in the Senate.

According to the press release from Senator Dodd’s office, this legislation calls upon the Secretary of State to greatly expand its examination of the status of freedom of the press worldwide in the State Department’s Annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices.  Specifically, the legislation requires the State Department to identify countries in which there were violations of press freedom; determine whether the government authorities of those countries participate in, facilitate, or condone the violations; and report the actions such governments have taken to preserve the safety and independence of the media and ensure the prosecution of individuals who attack or murder journalists.  The text of the legislation can be found here. 

President Obama was joined by Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), Congressmen Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Mike Pence (R-IN), co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus for Freedom of the Press, as well as members of Daniel Pearl’s family.

(from l-r) Photo 1: Sam Charters, Nanette Addesso Photo 2: Marisol Ramos, Sergio Mobilia Photo 3: Lesyn Clark, Anna Kijas, Sam Charters Photo 4: Laura Smith, two graduate students

On April 16, 2010, the staff of Archives & Special Collections held our second Open House to showcase archival materials in University archives, natural history, children’s literature, railroad history, Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian studies, the alternative press, human rights, and other curatorial areas.  Our reproduction services were highlighted as well as our extensive multimedia collections.  The new search feature on our web site that allows keyword searching across all finding aids was demonstrated as well as how to access photographs, maps, and other digital collections.  Sam Charters (in the blue shirt above ) delighted the audience by playing the Victrola he donated for the Samuel and Ann Charters Multimedia Room and discussing the music of the era. Marisol Ramos is shown with graduate student Sergio Mobilia, and Laura Smith speaks to two graduate students in Psychology about her collections.

Senator Christopher J. Dodd, Whitney Harris, UConn President Michael Hogan, October 1, 2007

The Dodd Research Center is involved with many causes, none of which is more powerful than the struggle for human rights.  U.S. Senator Thomas J. Dodd, for whom we are named, devoted his life to public service, the rule of law, and the rights of the oppressed.  It is while serving as a member of the Executive Trial Council in Nuremberg, Germany, Senator Dodd met Whitney Harris, a lawyer in the U.S. Navy.  And because of that unique connection between two men, the Dodd Research Center had the occasion to bring Mr. Harris to the University of Connecticut.

In Senator Christopher J. Dodd’s book “Letters from Nuremberg: My Father’s Narrative of a Quest for Justice,” letters from Dodd to his wife, Grace reference Mr. Harris.  From these writings, we learn that the two spent much time together during trips and at official dinners.  Mr. Harris even shuttled an anniversary gift back to the states for Grace.  Mr. Harris attended the program in which we launched the book with a series of readings, and read the following excerpt from a letter dated June 3, 1946: “Whitney Harris has been away all weekend.  He is a nice chap but not much company.  He sings all the time – and is generally too young for me.”  His laughter after recounting the late Senator’s words, gave the audience a glimpse of the humor and good nature that was Mr. Harris’ hallmark. 

We were honored to have Mr. Harris deliver a lecture in 2006 on the 60^th anniversary of the judgment at Nuremberg, where he spoke to an auditorium overflowing of students, who learned so much more from his lecture than from any text book.  He joined us again in 2007, when we awarded the Thomas J. Dodd Prize in International Justice and Human Rights, an event that keeps alive the idea that the rule of law and pursuit of human rights is still a necessity. 

As an archive, we know that it is through history that we can often learn about today, and we owe a debt of gratitude to all those who have gone before us and fought for what is right and true.  According to Matt Sepic of St. Louis Public Radio, Mr. Harris’ experience in Nuremberg made him “a leading advocate for international law and the modern war crimes tribunals that are Nuremberg’s legacy.”  We are saddened by the loss of such a true human rights activist, and extend our deepest sympathy to his family and friends.

Senator Christopher J. Dodd and Whitney Harris, April 10, 2006

l-r: Whitney Harris, October 1, 2007; Justice Robert Jackson decorating Lt. Colonel Whitney Harris (1945-46), from the Thomas J. Dodd Papers

Please join the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center for a special presentation and discussion with Taylor Krauss, Founder of Voices of Rwanda, for a discussion of his work to document stories of the survivors of the Rwandan genocide.

Voices of Rwanda:
A Conversation and Film Screening with Taylor Krauss

Tuesday, April 20, 2010
4:00 PM, Konover Auditorium

Sixteen years ago, in April 1994, genocide broke out in Rwanda. Over the course of 100 days, an estimated 800,000 people were brutally killed by their neighbors. Today, survivors, bystanders, rescuers, and perpetrators are all searching for ways to live with one another and with their difficult past.

Taylor Krauss, founding director of Voices of Rwanda, will be presenting clips from his filmed testimony  from survivors of the Rwandan genocide.  Krauss founded Voices of Rwanda in 2006 to record and preserve testimonies of Rwandans to ensure that their stories inform the world about genocide and help prevent future human rights atrocities.  Voices of Rwanda currently has a large film archive of testimony and is working with organizations and schools in Rwanda and the United States to make the testimonies available for education and research, as well as community healing.

To find out more information on Voices of Rwanda please visit:
http://www.voicesofrwanda.org/

Download the poster for the event (PDF, 1 MB)

Listen to a podcast with Taylor Krauss from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Voices on Genocide Prevention Podcast from December 17, 2009.

Don’t forget our open house is today from 4-6.  We just heard that Sam and Ann Charters will be our guests and will be spinning 78’s on the Victrola.  I know you don’t want to miss that!

4-6pm
John P. McDonald Reading Room

Please join us for an Open House at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center.  The event will include interactive displays, presentations and one-on-one conversations to facilitate the discovery of the rich resources in the Archives that will help with your classes and your own personal research. 

Wednesday, April 14
4:00-6:00pm
Dodd Research Center

You are welcome to come and go as your schedule allows, but if you have a particular interest in the presentations, the schedule is as follows:

4:15-Welcome
4:30-Exploring the collections with our new search feature
4:45-New tools for using our digital resources
5:00-The distinctive sounds of the Victrola

Refreshments will be provided.