Since this blog is dedicated to the Campaign for International Justice, I was hoping to a get around writing an About Me page. But those who know me remind me that who I am and what I do is one and the same these days, so here are a few introductory notes…
I’m 29 and I live and work in Washington, D.C. I’ve wanted to work on international justice (IJ) issues since the fifth grade. Admittedly I didn’t know to call it “international justice” at the tender age of 10, but I knew early on what my calling was. My passion for IJ advocacy stems from a lot of personal experiences, but fundamentally it comes down to one thing: I don’t know how else to show my gratefulness for living a life free from ethnic cleansing, wide-scale conflict, and systematic brutality.
I graduated from law school in 2003 with an emphasis in public international law and have traveled extensively inside and outside the U.S. I’ve been tackling IJ issues professionally for the past seven years and the International Criminal Court (ICC) in particular. As the field of IJ breaks unprecedented ground in the fight against impunity, I can confidently say that now is the most exciting and impactive time to advocate for IJ.
But enough about me—here’s where you come in. I learned something about Americans early on: from young to old, Midwesterner to Cosmopolitan, Americans posses a great deal of passion and compassion. I started this blog because the IJ policy briefs, Hill meetings, and lectures I write, go to, and give are necessary but not enough: Americans need to speak up on war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, and we need to speak now. I was a Rhetoric major in college, but I’m a much bigger fan of action. And if you’re like me, you simply can’t accept that millions of men, women, and children around the world are still being subjected to widespread and systematic rape, mutilation, and murder while the perpetrators buy condos in Europe or come to live in the U.S. (true story).
This blog is part of my latest efforts to achieve concrete, grassroots action in the U.S. on issues like Darfur and the ICC. I’m counting on you to join me in the Campaign for International Justice. One American at a time, I think we can give true meaning to “Never Again.”
