#19. Executive Director of UC Berkeley’s Human Rights Center Alexa Koenig: Using Social Media to Fight For Human Rights

In this episode, Darren Reinke chats with Alexa Koenig, Executive Director of UC Berkeley’s Human Rights Center (HRC) and Co-Founder of the Human Rights Center Investigations Lab. Alexa discusses the spark that led her to fight for human rights, how the HRC uses social media to prosecute war criminals, and some of the tools leaders can use to build alignment when working with groups that may share different values or priorities.

The Human Rights Center at the UC Berkeley School of Law promotes human rights and international justice worldwide and trains the next generation of human rights researchers and advocates. They are an independent research and training center that applies innovative technologies and scientific methods to investigate war crimes and other serious violations of human rights. Based on their findings, they recommend specific policy measures to protect vulnerable populations and hold perpetrators accountable.

 Show Notes:

• An Overview of UC Berkeley’s Human Rights Center and Human Rights Center Investigations Lab [0:58]
• How Alexa Became Involved in Human Rights [3:34]
• How the Investigations Group Partners With Third Parties to Tackle Key Human Rights Issues [6:15]
• How Alexa’s Team Uses Social Media as Evidence to Prove Human Rights Abuses [9:36]
• The Range and Magnitude of the Human Rights Issues Alexa Faces Day to Day [13:10]
• What the Human Rights Center Does to Prosecute War Criminals and Transform Legislation [15:45]
• How Alexa Ensures Alignment Among the Different Teams She Works With [18:16]
• What Sparked Alexa’s Book Titled “Graphic” [21:50]
• What Today’s Leaders Need to Do to Support Current Causes [25:40]
• The Importance of Taking Enough Vacation Time [36:00]
• Why Organizations Need to Adopt Individual, Cultural, and Structural Shifts to Recharge Employees [36:55]

Links:

• Human Rights Center Website: https://humanrights.berkeley.edu
• Human Rights Center on Twitter: https://twitter.com/hrcberkeley
• Human Rights Center on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hrcberkeley/ Human Rights Center on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/human-rights-center-uc-berkeley/