Senior Katie Cincotta decided to create the new club at Fairfield after working with Amnesty International in Australia.
What is your major?
International Studies.
What would you like to do upon graduating?
I have applied for a Fulbright to study newspapers/media in Argentina. If I do not get that, I would like to find a job with an international organization before attending grad school.
Why did you decide to start the club?
In Fall of 2008, I studied abroad in Brisbane, Australia where I had an internship at Amnesty International. When I returned to Fairfield my advisors (Jermain Griffin and Janie Leatherman) suggested that I start an Amnesty club on campus.
What is your experience with Amnesty International?
In Australia, I worked on the “priority campaign team” which at the time was dealing with the end of the humanitarian issues brought up in China with the Olympics. Our main focus was on censorship. I organized a book launch in Brisbane for the author of a book called “The Blogging Revolution,” by Antony Loewenstein, which is about censorship in repressed countries.
How have you promoted this organization at Fairfield?
I have just spent the past two months trying to increase interest in humanitarian activism, in addition to club membership, on campus. We went to Yale last Saturday for a state conference where we got some useful ideas on how to maintain interest, progress as an individual club, and work as a state toward activism. We also had a tabling event on Friday (Oct. 23) in the BCC where we were promoting two humanitarian issues.
The first was the case of Aung San Suu Kyi, a Burmese woman who has been under house arrest for about 13 of the past 19 years. She was imprisoned without a trial for being the opposition leader in the country. We had a petition and a letter to the foreign minister of Myanmar requesting her release. Our other campaign was for the people of Bhopal, India. In 1984 a Union Carbide pesticide plant in the city accidentally released toxic chemicals overnight. The government recognizes nearly 4,000 deaths related to the chemical disaster, but it has been suggested that there have actually been over 10,000. At our table we had a letter to the prime minister of India requesting further investigation into the disaster, and greater consideration for the victims. Throughout the day we had over 30 people stop by to support our causes.
Are there other Amnesty International clubs on college campuses?
Yes, Amnesty International chapters exist throughout the world. They are prevalent on many college campuses, as well as within localities. Amnesty International groups exist in over 150 countries. Fairfield prep even has a chapter of Amnesty.
What are your goals for the club?
Because we are so new I would just like to create a successful foundation so the club can continue beyond this year, and create a greater awareness on campus of human rights abuses.
How many members do you have?
Our membership varies. We have a core group of five members, and a number of additional members who attend meetings.
Have you had any fund-rasiers or do you have any fund-raising plans?
We have not had any fundraisers yet, but we have a few ideas for the future. One of our exciting ideas for next semester is a “Jamnesty,” which would be a concert on campus with local bands where we charged a small fee to support our cause. Some of the proceeds may go to a pressing issue in humanitarian rights at the time.
What are your plans for the rest of the year?
We hope to have more tabling events throughout the year on Urgent Action issues. We also plan to attend the Amnesty International Northeast Regional Conference at Boston University on Nov. 14th where we will meet members of the organization from all over the Northeast. Our next meeting is Thursday, Oct. 29 at 4 p.m. in BCC 204.
Leave a Reply