![\"Dorothy](\"http:\/\/doddcenter.files.wordpress.com\/2009\/10\/dscn2508.jpg?w=300\")
<\/p>\nDorothy Q. Thomas spoke to an engaged crowd at the 18th\u00a0Sackler Distinguished Lecture in Human Rights last week.\u00a0 The lecture,\u00a0titled “Are American’s Human: An Ex-Patriot’s Guide to the Future of Progressive Politics in the U.S.” also served as the keynote to the Human Rights Institute’s conference, “Human Rights in the USA.”\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Thomas, a\u00a0self-described progressive, gave\u00a0the audience a personal, and at times moving look at the\u00a0journey that has\u00a0shaped her into the\u00a0highly respected independent human rights consultant of today.\u00a0\u00a0 Those personal insights, coupled with her undeniable sense of humor, engaged the crowd into a conversation about what it means to be progressive in the United States.\u00a0 Ms. Thomas, who\u00a0often posed questions to\u00a0the crowd, asked\u00a0if a\u00a0progressive could also be a patriot?\u00a0<\/p>\n
She used her personal stories, including\u00a0the early days of her professional career working for the civil rights movement up through today where she works on behalf of human rights in the United States, to\u00a0challenge the crowd\u00a0to consider what being a patriot means, how\u00a0the continued struggle for human rights can be a catalyst for inclusion\u00a0of\u00a0differing views, and whether those with progressive views will be able to find friendlier times ahead where they are not to be made to feel like\u00a0traitors to\u00a0their own land.\u00a0 At the end of the lecture, a first year law school student who is also serving in the military, thanked Ms. Thomas for her views.\u00a0 As a member of the military, he said, it is\u00a0difficult to be progressive and still be accepted by your peers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dorothy Q. Thomas spoke to an engaged crowd at the 18th\u00a0Sackler Distinguished Lecture in Human Rights last week.\u00a0 The lecture,\u00a0titled “Are American’s Human: An Ex-Patriot’s Guide to the Future of Progressive Politics in the U.S.” also served as the keynote … Continue reading