Following are my remarks:

I am often asked what advice I would give to students today who want to make a difference in a cause they believe in. My response is “to believe they can.” Taking on the difficult task of making change is as easy as starting there – with an individual’s determination that change can happen and belief that he or she can be an agent of that change.Each nominee for Inna’s Award this year knows this to be true. It was my privilege to consider each nomination and the decision of selecting this year’s recipient was, glady, a difficult one to make.

When I began working with Barb Frey back in late 2010 to plan an event for my book at the U, I knew it couldn’t just be me standing at a podium talking away. I didn’t want it to be a passive history lesson about a country that collapsed before college students today were born. I wanted to make my fight for Inna’s freedom and her indomitable courage and hope relevant and tangible—I wanted to make the story about now, not then; about you, not me; I wanted to pass it on. And so, I got the great idea of presenting a human rights award in Inna’s name and here we are, for the third year.

There are three criteria for the award:

1. That the student has demonstrated a personal commitment to the promotion and

protection of international human rights through significant work on a human rights cause during their time as an undergraduate;

2. That through their efforts, the student has raised the visibility of a particular human

rights issue among the University community or the broader public; and

3. That the student has made a positive difference in the life of other and given voice to those who might otherwise not be heard.

Katie Menke is the recipient of this year’s Inna Meiman Human Rights Award because she has knocked it out of the park on each one of these benchmarks. She has demonstrated her commitment to international human rights academically, as a teaching assistant for International Human Rights Law, and personally, by spending time at a home for abused and neglected girls in Ecuador, where she taught English as a second language and engaged herself in ways that created a positive environment for the girls. She volunteered locally for, “CTLU,” a Twin Cities organization dedicated to low-wage workers, and then raised public awareness to their plight when she organized a flash mob at Cub Foods and gave out information about the working conditions faced by cleaners who worked for Cubs. She also made a positive difference in the lives of many local homeless people by spreading information about free transportation provided by St. Stephan’s Outreach. When the call center became overloaded and the promoted transportation inaccessible, Katie didn’t give up, she got creative. She distributed hats, gloves and socks to homeless people and gave them something equally important, her time. Katie graduates this May and then is off to Argentina where she will work with a local human rights group.

The work that Katie has done, the work the Human Rights Program does, and any action to promote and protect human rights, is ultimately about bringing light into darkness and hope into despair, so the success is accomplished in the taking ofthe action alone.On that note, I would like to conclude with the words of Robert Kennedy, which inspired me each day of my 25 day hunger strike for Inna: “Each time a person stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he or she sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.

Congratulations, Katie, and I know you will continue to spread your light in each cause to which you devote your time, effort and passion.

I’m so happy to report that my book is featured in the “Women You Should Know” Holiday Gift Guide.

I often try too hard to describe what the book is about–there are so many themes. The introduction to my book in the Holiday Gift Guide did a nice job of hitting the nail on the head:

“What better gift to give a woman in your life than a story about friendship… we are thrilled to feature Swimming in the Daylight in the Women You Should Know 2012 Holiday Gift Guide!”

Here’s the link: www.womenyoushouldknow.net/holiday-gift-guide-2012/

There is, however, nothing better than a single case to illustrate the erosion of human rights in Putin’s Russia and that would be the two-year prison sentence imposed upon three members of the feminist punk band “Pussy Riot” in August for “hooliganism incited by religious hatred.”

(Misha Japaridze/AP Photo)

Yekaterina Samutsevich (left), Maria Alyokhina (center) and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova

That the Russian government would quash these three women’s voices for singing dissenting lyrics against its leader, demonstrates an oppressive paranoia reminiscent of that inflicted by Joseph Stalin. As Suzi Parker wrote in the Washington Post on August 20, 2012: “The women of Pussy Riot are 21st century lightning rods but also a cautionary reminder of what happens when unchecked authority is challenged.”

The photo below, Denis Sinyakov/Reuters, was taken of Pussy Riot’s performance in front of St. Basil’s Cathedral in Red Square in January:

Just a few months later, they committed the crime for which they are now in prison, in Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, where they dared to invoke a prayer to rid Russia of Putin. Here’s a link to the performance, courtesy of The Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/29/pussy-riot-protest-vladimir-putin-russia

Just like human rights activist under the Soviet regime smuggled truth from the walls of their confinement, Ms. Tolokonnikova smuggled a statement through her lawyer, which was published in GQ magazine last week: “We couldn’t even imagine that the authorities would be so dumb that they would actually legitimize our influence by arresting us.”

The appeal of their sentence is scheduled for October 10.

http://eyeonlifemag.com/eye-on-writing/swimming-in-the-daylight-historical-memoir-lisa-paul

Swimming in the Daylight, A Personal and Historical Memoir by Lisa Paul

eyeonlifemag.com

If there is anyone out there, that wonders deep in their heart, whether one person can really truly make a difference, I offer them this historical memoir? . . .

Thank you Freida!

“Super Mom Ready to Fly Again This Mother’s Day”

By Erin Mullen

My six year old and my eight year old know what Mommy asks for each Mother’s Day. “A day to sleep in and have a quiet morning”, is my traditional answer when my kids or husband ask what I want. The previous number of years I have been able to sleep to 8 or maybe even 9 o’clock before they pounce offering breakfast, cards and balloons. 2011 was different.

It was a tough year to say the least. I was challenged with many difficult decisions and situations during the year. Saying goodbye to my beloved father after he battled ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), leaving a corporate position, coordinating my family’s cross country move, and settling in to a new town had left me a bit frazzled. I really wanted to sleep in… and not just on Mother’s Day.

Then, in October 2011, I felt a lump in my breast. It wasn’t lost on me that October is breast cancer awareness month. There is a history of breast cancer in my family so I started having mammograms at age 38 and I even had one in January 2011 that didn’t show anything abnormal. I’ve attended walks and races over the years and planned corporate events to benefit breast cancer research. Those pink ribbons seemed like they were everywhere I glanced – magazines, billboards, yogurt – as I made the appointments that I knew I should and waited to find out more. I prayed that this was going to be an easy thing to check off my to do list.

On October 26th the phone rang. I remember the exact spot in the kitchen where I was standing when I answered and heard the radiologist tell me that the biopsy was positive. Holy crap. I am a 41 year old with two amazing kids and an awesome husband. I am a strong girl. I am in good shape. I eat well. I played soccer. I’ve run marathons (granted it was before kids and over a decade ago). I can handle this. Well, maybe not the entire overwhelming, multi-decision, brain racking, huge ball of news… but I can handle today. I went for a run. And then I had to make some decisions.

I was diagnosed with Stage 2 invasive ductal carcinoma, the most common type of breast cancer. Since then, I’ve had some tough days and I’ve had some great days. I’ve had two surgeries including a double mastectomy with reconstruction and will need at least two more surgeries later this year. I did six rounds of chemo and twelve infusions of Herceptin. I stayed strong and optimistic and smiled more than I expected to. Moms are tough… we have to be. I even joked and laughed as my husband and kids helped me shave my hair this past January. Losing my hair was one of my least favorite side effects from chemo treatments, but hair is something I would give up forever if I get to stay a little longer on this Earth.

I am thankful that I caught the cancer early. Talking to other cancer survivors (some older, many younger) going through similar cancer treatments really helped. Cancer Survivor Mentors Dixie, Missy, Gen, Tamara, Jeanette, Lori and Maryann shared their stories, calmed my fears, and helped answer my questions about treatment options. I found an awesome medical team in Wisconsin including: my Breast Surgeon, who is a triathlete and overachiever herself; a perfectionist Plastic Surgeon; a knowledgeable Oncologist; and a very skilled Physical Therapist.

I exercised as much as I could during treatment. Some days I ran, some days I went to spinning or did yoga, some days I walked at a snail’s pace down the street. Exercise has always been great therapy for me both physically and mentally. Luckily my medical team supported and encouraged my need to exercise. I like having goals and something to work toward besides doctor’s appointments and infusion rooms. A triathlon has always been something I have thought about but usually talked myself out of. Midway through treatment, I committed to train alongside other cancer survivors for my first triathlon this August. It’s a big goal considering the year I’ve had but I know I can do it. I am thrilled to be finishing up the chemo portion of my cancer treatment by Mother’s Day and can’t wait to cross the triathlon finish line come August. Cancer, take that!

This Mother’s Day, I am not sleeping in. This year I will be up early, before the kids, running, biking or swimming, happy to be cancer free and ready to be Super Mom again. This year I’ve learned to be more patient and to enjoy the little things. I am looking forward to the smell of bacon and their homemade cards. I will squeeze my family tighter this year and continue to be grateful to share the day with these wonderful people.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the amazing Moms, including mine.

>The student has demonstrated a personal commitment to the promotion and protection of international human rights through significant work on a human rights cause during their time as an undergraduate;

> Through their efforts, the student has raised the visibility of a particular human rights issue among the University community or the broader public;

> The student has made a positive difference in the life of others, and has given voice to those who might otherwise not be heard.

Last year, there were two recipients: Nora Radke and Morley Spencer. Both were involved in working with Child Protection International to advocate for child rights in South Sudan. I hope to see Nora and Morley at this year’s presentation.

Morley Spencer (left) and Nora Radtke (right), Minnesota Daily, March 9, 2011.

An estimated 5,000 to 10,000 people demonstrated near the Kremlin this week to protest an election international observers concluded was rigged. Vladimir Putin and his party, United Russia, won the election but lost seats in the parliment. He will face voters in the presidential election in March. The photograph to the left was taken by Ivan Sekretarev of the Associated Press. The protestors are holding signs that say, “This Election is Farce” and “Give the Country Choice Back.”

The word from Putin is that future unsanctioned rallies will be stopped. I hope the turnout becomes greater and the voices of the opposition gets louder. I also hope this generation of opposition will be inspired by the generation before it, which gave the gift of a precedent–of how it can be done. In Chapter 10 of my book, I wrote about and gave tribute to Larisa Bogoraz and the seven others who joined her for a moment of extraordinary defiance, when they stood in Red Square on August 25, 1968 to protest the Soviet government’s invasion of Czechoslovakia. They could only dream of a day like yesterday, when more than 5,000 protestors flooded the streets of Moscow to demonstrate.

Today, the AAUW consists of a network of more than 100,000 members and donors, 1,000 branches, and 500 college and university partners. The work it does to foster equity and positive societal change, through funding for education, research and development programs for women, is impressive. Each year, the AAUW Educational Foundation provides $3.5 to $4 million in fellowships, grants, and awards for outstanding women and for community action projects.

For 20 years, the AAUW’s Legal Advocacy Fund has raised money to support women fighting sex discrimination in higher education. As an attorney who represents women in sex discrimination cases I know first-hand how important it is for a woman who brings a sex discrimination to have financial resources to prepare and advance her case.

The bottom line is the AAUW is all about women helping other women and that is a mission I enthusiastically support.

That’s me on the bottom right and Kjirsten is right next to me. Can’t see us real well? Here’s another photo of us:

It was such a fun night and so nice to reconnect with Kjirsten and meet her amazing and kind friends.

I spent the day before in Boulder with Naum Meiman’s daughter, Olga Plam, and her husband, Misha. I met them both in the States in the mid-80s and last saw Olga at Inna’s funeral. It was incredible to spend time with them, so many years later–yet, another “high” I have experienced since my book was published! Here is a photo of Olga and Misha: