Recipients
2019
Julia Anne Hall has been a ceaseless advocate for human rights for nearly a quarter of a century, and is an internationally known and respected expert on criminal justice, counter-terrorism and human rights. In her current position at Amnesty International in London, England, Ms. Hall focuses on accountability for human rights violations in countries with a history of political violence, and for violations committed in the context of the global “war on terrorism.”
From 1996-2009, Ms. Hall served as senior legal counsel in the Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism Program at Human Rights Watch, working to end violations committed in the context of national political conflicts and counter-terrorism operations. Following the 9/11 attack on the United States, she focused on counter-terrorism operations by the U.S. and in Europe, including the military commissions and resettlement of Guantanamo Bay detainees. During the past decade, as Amnesty International’s expert on criminal justice, counter-terrorism, and human rights in Europe, she has covered the conflicts in Northern Ireland and Bosnia, and researched migration and asylum issues in the European Union. Read the full Statement of Commendation.
Ellen Dussourd (left), Committee co-chair, and Anne Wadsworth, after receiving the award.
2018
Anne R. Wadsworth is the founding Executive Director of Girls Education Collaborative (GEC), an organization dedicated to advancing educational opportunities for girls in the developing world, currently with a specific focus in Africa. In the summer of 2011, Anne proposed the launch of a non-profit that would become the Girls Education Collaborative in January 2012. The seeds for this venture germinated at the University at Buffalo’s Buffalo Tanzania Education Project formed as a result of two D’Youville College graduate students from Tanzania -- nuns of the Immaculate Heart Sisters of Africa – meeting a staff member from the University at Buffalo. The Immaculate Heart Sisters’ goal for twenty years had been to provide secondary education for girls as government-sponsored education is not provided for girls in Tanzania beyond the ages of 7-8. Based in Kitenga, a small town in the Mara region of northwestern Tanzania close to Lake Victoria, the nuns and GEC began a collaboration that led to the successful development of the Kitenga Girls High School on a 1,000 acre campus. GEC raised nearly $2,000,000 for the school and, with Anne’s leadership and oversight, the design, building, and opening of the school -- complete with science center, library, classrooms, a guest house, dormitories, wells, and even a road -- became a reality in January 2017. Read the 2018 Press Release.
““There is a wonderful symmetry to the fact that Anne receives this award from the Alison Des Forges committee tonight, because Alison’s own lifelong engagement with Africa began as a volunteer teacher in Tanzania about 50 years ago, before she became an advocate for education in the Buffalo Public School district during the 1970s. There is no question that Anne’s work perfectly embodies and advances the legacy of activism and vision that Alison pioneered.”
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2017
Aaron Bartley is Co-Founder and Executive Director of People United for Sustainable Housing (PUSH) Buffalo. Born and raised in Buffalo, Aaron has been described as a “pivotal figure in founding, developing, and sustaining PUSH, a community development engine of unparalleled power and impact on our City.” Aaron has emerged as a local and national voice for justice and human rights, moving people’s hearts and minds with thoughtful writings and persuasive public speaking. He has been cited by Bill Moyers as an “Activist to Watch” and by the Huffington Post as one of the “twenty Activists who are changing America.” Read the full Statement of Commendation.