Northeastern Illinois University will host the 12th Annual Genocide and Human Rights in Africa and the Diaspora (GHRAD) Conference from March 2 to March 4. The event will take place at the university’s main campus in Chicago, located at 5500 N. St. Louis Ave., as well as online via Zoom.
The conference is open to the public without charge, but those wishing to attend in person are asked to register ahead of time.
Jeanine Ntihirageza, Ph.D., Northeastern Professor and Coordinator of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages and Director of the GHRAD Center, explained the purpose behind this year’s conference theme: “The GHRAD Conference offers attendees — be it students, educators, activists or community members — the chance to learn about the atrocities that have taken place in Africa and the diaspora and empowers people to find solutions on a local and global scale.” She added, “The conference theme this year is ‘From Remembrance to Prevention’ because it was really important to the GHRAD Center that we not just talk about what happened in the past, but we examine what is happening today and how future generations will be impacted by our collective actions or inactions.”
This year’s program includes panel discussions on topics such as reparations within Chicagoland communities, confronting silence around genocide in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, healing processes, prevention strategies, and more. The keynote address will be delivered by Mamphela Ramphele, Ph.D., who co-founded South Africa’s Black Consciousness Movement with Steve Biko. Ramphele has played significant roles both as an anti-apartheid activist and academic leader—serving as Vice-Chancellor at University of Cape Town—and later held a leadership position at the World Bank.
Dr. Ntihirageza expressed enthusiasm for Ramphele’s participation: “We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Mamphela Ramphele to the GHRAD Conference this year,” she said. “Her background as an activist, educator, businesswoman and more can offer a unique perspective on how oppression can take root and what can be done to counteract it.”
Northeastern Illinois University maintains an oral history archive focused on survivors of Burundi’s 1972 genocide. Established in 2023 under the title “Mass Atrocity Testimonies — An Oral History Archive,” this project continues through interviews conducted by university students and staff traveling to Burundi.
Dr. Ntihirageza highlighted why survivor testimony matters: “Genocides are often hidden from history,” she said. “When survivors are centered and given the chance to share their stories, we need to listen. It’s so important to remember what has happened before so that it doesn’t happen again.”
The GHRAD Conference forms part of Northeastern’s College of Arts and Sciences themed semester called “Staying the Course for Human Rights: From Awareness to Action.” This initiative focuses on integrating principles from the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights into coursework and public events throughout Spring 2026.
