Tusculum College “Bonner Leaders” Learn Human Rights Basics

On January 9, Turn South Director Rachel Fowler served as featured speaker for the Tusculum College Bonner Leader Program’s first session of the 2017 spring semester.

Rachel introduced the student leaders to human rights and how they relate to the U.S. experience, especially in the context of addressing poverty. Participants were then tasked to think about how human rights relate to their efforts to address hunger and promote conservation in the Greeneville, TN community. The Bonner Program is a national program that “provides diverse low-income, under-represented, and first generation students with the opportunity to attend college,” and at Tusculum is an initiative of its Center for Civic Engagement. Student leaders’ commit to civic engagement, community building, diversity and social justice. The session was the first of a two-part human rights education program. A follow up session is being planned which will explore how advancing human rights protects food insecure women and other community members, promotes conservation and undergirds social justice efforts.