An American response to the Uyghur genocide is the topic of an upcoming program at the University of Missouri - Kansas City (UMKC) cosponsored by multiple organizations, including ones in the Jewish community.
The program, being led by Jewish community member Sheila Sonnenschein, will take place on Thursday, April 18, at 6 p.m. at UMKC’s Student Union Room 201 (5100 Cherry St, Kansas City, MO 64110). Registration is required at tinyurl.com/mry2cu87.
Panelists Dr. Lina Lenberg, a human rights educator and scholar, and Rayhan Asat, a human rights lawyer and advocate, will discuss the Uyghur Genocide and the necessity of an American response. The event will conclude with a Q&A session and the Muslim Maghrib prayer.
The Uyghurs are a Muslim ethnic minority in northwest China that the Chinese government has been persecuting and committing human rights violations on since 2014. Reports of mass detention, surveillance, enforced sterilization, forced labor, crimes against humanity and genocide against the Uyghurs have come out of the Xinjiang region of China.
Community programs involved in the program at UMKC include the Jewish Community Relations Bureau | American Jewish Committee and the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education. They are among many additional collaborators, including multicultural student associations from UMKC and Johnson County Community College. A full list of sponsors is available when registering.