ISU Human Rights Day set for March 19

The Indiana State University (ISU) Human Rights Day Committee has scheduled the 2025 Terre Haute Human Rights Day for 9 a.m.-2:50 p.m., on Wednesday, March 19.

This year, Terre Haute Mayor Brandon Sakbun will serve as the keynote speaker and will conduct a “fireside chat” with area high school students and others in the ISU Sycamore Banquet Center in the Hulman Memorial Student Union.

During the “fireside chat,” Mayor Sakbun will share his insights on civic leadership, policy initiatives and ways in which communities can work together to create a more inclusive and just society. Students will also have an opportunity to ask questions following the discussion.

The keynote will begin at 8:55 a.m., and conclude at 9:50 a.m., and will be followed by four breakout sessions for all to attend at various locations within the student union.

The first breakout session will begin at 10 a.m., and conclude at 10:50 a.m. Four different speakers will be featured, including Kristine Bunch (A focus on the case of Kristine Bunch v. State of Indiana, Sycamore Banquet Center); Sara Baldwin (Saving Lives by Avoiding Fast Fashion: A Guide to Choosing Quality and Sustainable Clothing, Dede I); Zoe Newbold (Stewardship of Public Lands and Invasive Species, Dede II); and Danielle Drake (Protecting Civil Rights in Indiana: An ACLU of Indiana Presentation, Dede III).

The second breakout session will begin at 11 a.m., and conclude at 11:50 a.m. Four speakers will be featured, including Kristine Bunch and Fran Watson (Indiana Innocence Project, Sycamore Banquet Center); April Holloway (What is Human Trafficking? Dede I); Jessica Murphy (Food Insecurity, Dede II); and Katrina Babb (The Economics of Us and Them: Wealth Inequality in the U.S., Dede III).

Following the second breakout session, those in attendance will have time for lunch before the beginning of the third session at 1 p.m.

The third session, which will conclude at 1:50 p.m., will feature three speakers. They include John Michael Elmore (Everything is Connected: How Agriculture Impacts all Culture, Sycamore Banquet Center); Laura Burdick (Stages of Awareness of Human Rights, Dede I); and Sister Emily TeKolste, SP (Legislative Advocacy 101, Dede II).

The final breakout session will begin at 2 p.m., and conclude at 2:50 p.m. The session will feature April Holloway (What is Human Trafficking? Dede I).