Saturday, October 6, 2012

Human Rights Activist To Speak At USD

October 6, 2012 
 
VERMILLION — The W.O. Farber Center for Civic Leadership at the University of South Dakota, in cooperation with the USD Political Science League, welcomes international human rights activist Arn Chorn-Pond at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 9, at Farber Hall, which is located inside historic Old Main on the USD campus.

Chorn-Pond, the subject of the documentary “The Flute Player,” will present the program “A Child of War and A Man of Peace” and share the story of his life growing up in the “Killing Fields” of Cambodia. A victim and a survivor of the Cambodian genocide, he has grown up to become an internationally-recognized human rights leader. In addition to founding Children of War — an international youth leadership organization for building community, activism and healing for teenagers — Chorn-Pond is the founder of Cambodian Living Arts that teaches a new generation of Cambodians (both in the United States and Cambodia) about traditional Cambodian music and art forms.

Following Chorn-Pond’s keynote address, he will sign copies of the book, “Never Fall Down,” at 9 p.m. in Farber Hall.

The only leadership program in the state — as well as the oldest and most well-established leadership program in the Midwest — the W.O. Farber Center for Civic Leadership was established by the South Dakota Board of Regents in 1997 as a Center of Excellence. Housed within the Department of Political Science at USD, the W.O. Farber Center for Civic Leadership annually hosts programs, Farber Forums, designed to give students and the public insight into national and state politics, campaigns and elections, public administration and international relations.

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