On March 20, Boston Latin School celebrated Human Rights Day, an annual tradition dedicated to educating students about global issues and world peace.
The event was organized by the Topol Fellows, a group of students who advocate year-round for international peace and nonviolence.
Held in the Seevak Room, the event’s main focus this year was human rights violations occurring in Eastern Congo, featuring Congolese advocate Amani Mataboro Tom as a guest speaker. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) faces a massive military conflict, with many displaced or lacking basic resources such as medical care and food. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimates that 21.2 million people are in need of support in 2025. Tom’s nonprofit, Action Kivu, works to provide job training, health, leadership education and aid for the survivors of the violence.
Penelope Duff-Wender (I) shares, “I learned about different people’s experiences and a part of the world where there are these awful things that I didn’t know about before. [Tom’s presentation] gave me a new perspective.”
The event held various presentations about topics other than the DRC throughout the day that teachers could bring their classes to. Sessions included discussions around current immigration policies in Boston, fundraising for non-government organizations, the humanitarian crisis in Haiti and collaborations with Mosaic: Interfaith Youth Action, a group that unites people of different religious backgrounds to build understanding and take action for social justice.
BLS Amnesty International, a student service club, also hosted a screening of three short films addressing different global rights issues. Co-presenters worked together on each project, meeting weekly in the months leading up to the presentation.
One hallmark of Human Rights Day is the T-shirt sale, which this year saw a color change from the traditional bright orange to blue. Proceeds from the sale were donated to the Congo Peace School. Traditionally, students who buy the shirts receive a statistic to read out when they attend a presentation, but this year, that aspect was removed. Topol Fellow Ita Berg (I) explains, “We’ve noticed that in past years, a lot of students sitting in the auditorium […] have not been engaged with the presenters.”
The Topol Fellowships in Peace and Nonviolence were founded by Sidney Topol ‘41, who passed away three years ago. Topol, known for his foundation and key innovations in the cable television industry, created the program mostly for college students, hoping to inspire the next generation of peacemakers.
In a special gesture to his alma mater, however, Topol created a fellowship specifically for BLS students, ensuring that students who roamed the same halls he did would have opportunities to learn about conflict resolution, international diplomacy and ethical leadership.
BLS teacher Ms. Paula Bowles, who teaches Facing History and Ourselves, an elective that gives an in-depth analysis of international injustice and violence in the 20th century, oversees the fellowship. The course is a prerequisite to the fellowship. As a new requirement this year, applicants also submitted proposals for potential projects, six of which would be chosen to be executed during their fellowship.
Ms. Bowles shares, “We can all find ways, great and small, to make life better for people who we see everyday and for people halfway across the world.”