Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P. and Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights

 are pleased to announce

Voices From Silence Post 9/11 Project Lecture Series

 “Voices From Silence: Personal Accounts of the Long-Term Impact of 9/11”

presented by

Laura Provinzino, Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P.
Abdi Aynte, Minnesota Monitor

 Wednesday, August 22, 11:30-1:00 P.M.

at

Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P,
2800 LaSalle Plaza
800 LaSalle Avenue Minneapolis, MN 55402

“It is not safe for us to speak out; you must speak out for us now.” The events of 9/11 fueled changes in attitudes and policies concerning counterterrorism, national security, civil liberties, and immigration – including here in Minnesota. Situated within the framework of Constitutional protections and international human rights standards guaranteed to all people, the report is an attempt to illustrate the impact that private discriminatory actions as well as public policies have had on real people. While many incidents reported in Minnesota do not rise to the level of a hate crime or the legal threshold for a discrimination suit, they reveal that incidents of personal hostility still occur all too frequently throughout Minnesota. The speakers will discuss the findings of The Advocates’ 2007 report, “Voices From Silence: The Long-Term Impact of 9/11,” as well as their interactions with others and their personal experiences in the post 9/11 world.

Laura Provinzino is an individual/mass tort litigation associate at Robins, Kaplan, MInner & Ciresi L.L.P. She was previously the inaugural Wellstone Legal Fellow of The Advocates for Human Rights and the principal author of the report, “Voices from Silence: Personal Accounts of the Long-Term Impact of 9/11.” She has a B.A. in history and international affairs from Lewis & Clark College and a B.A. in philosophy and economics from Balliol College, at Oxford University, where she studied as a Rhodes Scholar. She graduated from Yale Law School in 2003. Prior to her work at The Advocates, Ms. Provinzino was a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Diana E. Murphy of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.

Abdi Aynte is a senior fellow/reporter at the Center for Independent Media, writing for the Minnesota Monitor. Born in Mogadishu, Somalia, Abdi grew up in Egypt, where he went to high school, before moving to Minnesota to study writing and political science at the Metropolitan State University. Abdi also edits Hiiraan.com, the largest Somali bilingual (Somali/English) website in the world, with over one million visitors a week. For the past two years, he served on the board of the Twin Cities Media Alliance, which owns and operates the news aggregator, Twin Cities Daily Planet. Among the pressing issues Abdi covers for Minnesota Monitor are: immigration, education, labor, faith and values. He broke several national stories and appeared on CNN, MSNBC and a host of national radio stations, including NPR.  Abdi is a regular commentator for Minnesota Public Radio.

Please R.S.V.P. to Julia Kashaeva at The Advocates for Human Rights by noon on Monday, August 20. Phone: (612) 341-3302 ext. 127 • Email: jkashaeva@mnadvocates.org
Buffet lunch will be provided for those who RSVP.  Application will be made for one CLE credit.

This 9/11 speaker series will be held on the fourth Wednesday of every other month through August  2008. Lectures are free and open to the public (registration required). Lunch will be provided for those who pre-register. Application will be made for one Continuing Legal Education credit. For more information, please contact The Advocates for Human Rights. You may find directions to Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi at: http://www.rkmc.com/Minneapolis.htm