'Black's Laws: Chewable Theory You Won't Find in the Stacks'

“Thinking for one’s self is always an act of defiance.” Jan Black challenges us to confront paradox in her final book, “Blacks’ Laws”

A world of wisdom that fits in your pocket, BLACK’s Laws offers pithy, powerful, and provocative perspectives on the human endeavor.

Among one of the first generation of Peace Corps volunteers to serve in Chile, Dr. Jan Knippers Black became a globally recognized expert on Latin America and its political dynamics; she was likewise world-renowned for her scholarship and advocacy for human rights protection, as well as a prolific author and academician.

The event will feature readings and stories from Jan’s books and life. Alumni award recipients, Amy Clark and Anab Mohamed, will be featured along with summer 2024 Amnesty International Student Fellow, Nadia Pshonyak.

5:30 pm

Pre-Event Reception

(McCone Atrium)

6pm

Presentation

and

Alumni Award Recipients

(Irvine Auditorium and Zoom)

Anab Mohamed, MA

Originally from Sudan, Anab grew up in Monterey and has been involved with local leadership and initiatives. Anab’s work as an international development practitioner in Sudan, focused on supporting gender-sensitve programming, and addressing misinformation during the Covid-19 pandemic. Anab is an avid advocate of locally-based development and aid localization to empower marginalized communities. She currently serves as grants manager with Community Human Services, and volunteers with Sudanese diaspora-led groups and initiatives to support and amplify the voices of the people of Sudan, so they can flourish and thrive. Through her “glocal” mentality, she hopes to weave diverse perspectives to inspire collective action.

Amy Clark, J.D.

As perpetual student and instigator of conflict, this retired litigation attorney’s trajectory has propelled her through the hallowed passages of U.S. District Courts, Middlebury Institute of International Studies, Colombian jungles, marginalized regions of Mexico, prison sallyports, and cislunar space. Most of Amy’s pre-COVID lockdown time was spent behind bars in her roles of Lead Facilitator and Interim/Acting Project Director for Alternatives to Violence Project, an association of volunteer groups offering experiential workshops in conflict management, responses to violence, and personal growth. Her Juris Doctorate is from the University of Denver and her Graduate Certificate in Conflict Studies from MIIS.