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Atlanta, GA | Posted: November 17, 2014
Rebecca Keane
Director of Communications
rebecca.keane@iac.gatech.edu
Summary Sentence:
The 2014 Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Social Courage was awarded to Zimbabwean human rights attorney Beatrice Mtetwa, the first woman to receive the award, during November 11 and 14 events.
Full Summary:
The 2014 Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Social Courage was awarded to Zimbabwean human rights attorney Beatrice Mtetwa, the first woman to receive the award, during special events hosted by Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts November 11 through 13 events.
Allen Prize 2014 Presentation
Human Rights Symposium
Dialogue with Mtetwa and Filmmaker Lorie ConwayThe 2014 Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Social Courage was awarded to Zimbabwean human rights attorney Beatrice Mtetwa, the first woman to receive the award, during special events hosted by Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts November 11 through 13.
On November 11 the documentary Beatrice Mtetwa and the Rule of Law was presented on campus. Ivan Allen College Dean Jacqueline Royster moderated a dialogue with Mtetwa and filmmaker Lorie Conway. Mtetwa emphasized that the rule of law is central to all economic and societal development, and especially so in her home country of Zimbabwe where laws that are both understandable by the people and fair in nature have been consistently undermined by the government of Robert Mugabe.
Mtetwa has received numerous international awards for her defense of journalists, activists, and citizens who have been brutalized by the Mugabe regime. She discussed her own experience being arrested and beaten and her refusal to be intimidated into backing down from her work.
“This is my job. I shouldn’t be harassed for doing my job. I’m not doing anything illegal. It’s what I’m entitled to do…If everybody is afraid, nothing gets done.”
The annual Allen Prize Symposium on November 13 showcased the theme of Human Rights and the Rule of Law. The panel was moderated by journalist Charlayne Hunter-Gault and featured Sarah Hager (Amnesty International), Deborah Richardson (National Center for Civil and Human Rights), Jeffrey Smith (Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights), and John Stremlau (The Carter Center).
Hunter-Gault noted the lack of media attention in the U.S. saying “People always looked at me like I was crazy when I came back decrying the situation in Zimbabwe. This wasn’t helped by American media, which didn’t cover anything after Rhodesia became Zimbabwe and Mugabe took power.”
Mtetwa extended the conversation to women’s rights and their leading role in the fight for democracy in Zimbabwe.
“It is women who are at the forefront. If, as women, we cannot even say one of us should become president, then we are failing.” She also pointed out the difficulties women face including exclusion from juries, instances of sexual assault, the struggle to provide for the basic needs of their families, and the distancing of the female vice president of Zimbabwe from any real decision making.
In presenting Ms. Mtetwa the Allen Prize, Georgia Tech President G.P. “Bud” Peterson and Ivan Allen College Dean Jacqueline Royster celebrated her optimism and hope in spite of incredible challenges, as well as her commitment to social justice similar to that of Mayor Ivan Allen Jr., after whom the prize is named. In Mtetwa's acceptance speech, she expressed her suprise in being selected for an award recognizing her efforts, stating that she views her work as a moral duty.
Georgia Tech awards the Ivan Allen Prize to recognize individuals who, by standing up for clear moral principles in the social arena, have positively affected public discourse at the risk of their own careers, livelihoods, and sometimes lives. The Prize is supported in perpetuity through a commitment by the Wilber and Hilda Glenn Family Foundation.
