On Nov. 10, Loyola University Maryland’s global studies department hosted their annual Hanway Lecture. This lecture is the department’s highly anticipated signature event. The Hanway Lecture was particularly important this year, as the university is celebrating 50 years of women enrollment. Loyola commemorated this milestone by bringing Nobel Peace Prize recipient, ISIS survivor, and human rights activist, Nadia Murad, to speak to the campus community.
Students, faculty, staff, parents, and community members gathered in McGuire Hall for the event, while over 600 people joined the lecture virtually. This was the first major, in-person event the department has hosted since the start of the pandemic.
The event began with an introduction to the Hanway Lecture series, as Dr. Cheryl Moore-Thomas, the acting provost and vice president for academic affairs, welcomed the community and thanked Ellen and Ed Hanway for their generous donation to create this lecture series. Dr. Mary Kate Schneider, the director of the global studies program, then introduced Murad. Schneider highlighted Murad’s numerous accomplishments, such as being the author of the New York Times bestseller “The Last Girl: My Story of Captivity,” and “My Fight Against the Islamic State.”
Murad then began her keynote address where she recounted her life as a Yazidi woman and spoke about the genocide of 2014. She spoke about the horrors of the crisis and how her community worked to recover from it. Though the genocide occurred in 2014, its effects are still very evident in the Yazidi community.
“ISIS brutality is not over. The genocide has not ended for Yazidis still displaced in IDP camps, nor is it over for Yazidis trying to rebuild their lives without basic services, security, or governance,” Murad said.
The event continued with a moderated discussion with Murad as Schneider and Dr. Fabio Mendez, the Hanway chair in global studies, proposed questions to Murad previously submitted by Loyola students, faculty, and community members.
Some of the questions focused on the idea of “never again.” After many genocides, the phrase “never again” is used to instill the idea that the horrors of these events should never be repeated. Schneider asked Murad about how to make this phrase not ring hollow. Murad detailed her answer by acknowledging how shameful it is that we do not learn from these past genocides and protect minority groups. She spoke about the lack of essential U.S. involvement in protecting marginalized communities.
“The U.S. government has a long history with involvement in Iraq and that region. Unfortunately, they did not support the protection of minorities in that region. And they have supported the Iraqi governor for example, in Iraq with military support but did not focus on minorities and making sure those minorities have the protection they needed,” Murad said.
The lecture ended with Murad discussing her hopes for a better future. With all she has been through in captivity, and being an activist, she believes it is important to keep hope. Murad invited the audience to learn more and get involved with her nonprofit, Nadia’s Initiative, which is aimed at rebuilding communities in crisis while advocating globally for survivors of sexual violence.
Keep up-to-date with The Greyhound for more recaps of campus events.
Featured Image Courtesy of Meaghan Parsons
