Reflections: Human Rights Coursework

In Genocide in the 20th Century, my Rwanda research examined how narratives shape violence and its aftermath. I considered how naming, governance, and public memory influence whose experiences become recognized and which forms of grief and justice receive attention.

Writing the paper made me more careful about representation. An account can make harm visible while also narrowing the possibilities for understanding it. This matters to me as a researcher and communicator: I need to consider the sources I use, the categories I reproduce, and the experiences that might remain outside my argument.

My work on feminicide brought these questions closer to home. Mexico remains present in my studies through concern for people I love and through experiences from my professional life. In Trauma, Rights and Justice, I examined how structural impunity and the normalization of violence can become part of collective suffering. The project helped me connect psychological consequences with institutional responsibility.

My growing understanding of overincarceration raises related questions. Statistics Canada documents the persistent overrepresentation of Indigenous and Black adults in custody, alongside colonial and systemic conditions that contribute to it. This challenges me to examine how protection and punishment are distributed, and whose circumstances receive meaningful consideration (Statistics Canada, 2026).

My TRUSU advocacy work gives this learning a practical direction. Writing letters connected to Amnesty International’s Urgent Actions requires me to move from concern to a clear request: identify the issue, understand the rights involved, and communicate what authorities are being asked to do. My letters and related publications form part of the Union’s public advocacy work.

I also participate in Write for Rights, which connects local action with international solidarity. These activities have strengthened my understanding of advocacy as careful, sustained communication. Accuracy matters because a compelling message must remain accountable to the people and circumstances it describes.

Human rights learning has therefore changed the way I approach both research and action. I ask more specific questions, look more carefully at institutional responses, and connect emotional engagement with practical demands. In nonprofit work, I want to bring that combination to programs that support people while also addressing the barriers they encounter.