{"337501":{"#nid":"337501","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Social Courage Prize Honors African Lawyer","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech will award its fourth annual Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Social Courage to Beatrice Mtetwa, an African lawyer who has devoted herself to human rights, social justice, and gender equality for more than 20 years.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMtetwa grew up in Swaziland with no electricity or running water. She became the first in her extended family to attend high school and went on to study law at the University of Botswana and Swaziland.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAfter pursuing a career as a government prosecutor, she became disillusioned by selective justice, so she moved into private practice where she hoped to be able to conduct human rights work without political interference. Still, she has endured threats and assaults for defending those who suffer at the hands of government.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cShe permits us to connect, in a very dramatic way, the legacy of Ivan Allen Jr., for whom the award is named, to courageous social and ethical action as a global need and commitment,\u201d said Jackie Royster, dean of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts and a member of the award\u2019s nominating committee. \u201cAs the official trustees of the Allen legacy, we are very pleased to make this local connection to such an important global issue.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMtetwa was announced as this year\u2019s Allen Prize recipient in May. A nominating committee deliberated the selection over the past year.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe want this award to be very clear in honoring social courage, not just extraordinary leadership,\u201d said Joe Bankoff, chair of the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs and of the nominating committee.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe committee uses the work of Ivan Allen, who served as Atlanta mayor from 1962-1970, as its anchor and inspiration when considering award winners. Allen is known for his leadership in integrating City of Atlanta facilities, advocating for African-Americans in white communities, and asking Atlantans to set an example for the world by eliminating racial segregation. He faced death threats for his outspoken leadership during the turbulence of the Civil Rights movement.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cBeatrice has the kind of courage the mayor shared on issues of critical importance to the society she lives in, but also to the rest of the world,\u201d Bankoff said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMtetwa will be recognized at a symposium and celebration on Thursday, Nov. 13, at the Biltmore in Midtown.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe symposium will feature special guests including Charlayne Hunter-Gault, an author, journalist, and the first African-American female to enroll at the University of Georgia; Sarah Hager of Amnesty International; Jeffrey Smith of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights; Deborah Richardson of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights; and John Stremlau of the Carter Center.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBankoff hopes the prize and its events serve as a learning experience for everyone on campus.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe want students to be aware of the legacy that is left by leadership that doesn\u2019t just solve problems of today,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is not just history. Our current exemplars can guide the next generation on where we need to go from here.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.calendar.gatech.edu\/event\/334211\u0022\u003Escreening of \u201cBeatrice Mtetwa and the Rule of Law\u201d\u003C\/a\u003E will take place in the LeCraw Auditorium, Scheller College of Business, on Nov. 11 at 6 p.m. The documentary film made in 2013 tells the story of Mtetwa\u2019s life of being arrested, jailed, and beaten during the course of her work in Zimbabwe defending peace activists, journalists, and other citizens.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Tech community will have the chance to meet and interact with Mtetwa at both the symposium and film screening.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022I hope that her story will inspire our students to be bold and courageous in what they choose to do, and to do what they can in making the world a better place,\u201d Royster said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe award is meant to underscore Tech\u2019s mission of improving the human condition by honoring individuals who, by asserting moral principles, have positively affected public discourse at the risk of their careers, livelihoods, and sometimes lives. It comes with a $100,000 stipend, funded by an endowment from the Wilbur and Hilda Glenn Family Foundation.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022The Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Social Courage illuminates the legacy of a great alumnus and civic leader, former Atlanta Mayor Ivan Allen Jr.,\u0022 said President G. P. \u0022Bud\u0022 Peterson. \u0022It also shines a light on those around the world who bravely act to improve the human condition, often in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges. Our goal is that the same light will be carried by our graduates, not only to be preeminent in their fields but also to be leaders guided by values, compassion, and courage.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMtetwa is the first female and international figure to win the award.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELearn more about the award or RSVP to attend the film screening or symposium at \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.ivanallenprize.gatech.edu.\u0022\u003Ewww.ivanallenprize.gatech.edu.\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Mtetwa First Female to Earn $100,000 Award"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFilm screening and symposium will let the campus community engage with this year\u0027s award winner.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Film screening and symposium will let the campus community engage with this year\u0027s award winner."}],"uid":"27469","created_gmt":"2014-11-05 15:39:10","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:17:19","author":"Kristen Bailey","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2014-11-05T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2014-11-05T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"298421":{"id":"298421","type":"image","title":"Beatrice Mtetwa","body":null,"created":"1449244552","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 15:55:52","changed":"1475895000","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:50:00","alt":"Beatrice Mtetwa","file":{"fid":"199470","name":"beatrice-mtetwa-city-of-london.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/beatrice-mtetwa-city-of-london_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/beatrice-mtetwa-city-of-london_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":100072,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/beatrice-mtetwa-city-of-london_0.jpg?itok=nZeqs1j9"}}},"media_ids":["298421"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/ivanallenprize.gatech.edu\/node\/10","title":"2014 Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Social Courage"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"93381","name":"Beatrice Mtetwa"},{"id":"10007","name":"Ivan Allen Prize"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:kristen.bailey@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EKristen Bailey\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInstitute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:rebecca.keane@iac.gatech.edu\u0022\u003ERebecca Keane\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIvan Allen College of Liberal Arts\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}