"From Hate to Hope in the Digital Age" - A Panel Discussion as Part of the Vigod Memorial Lecture Series

Please join us on Thursday, October 22 at 7 pm via Zoom for a panel discussion on ‘Hate to Hope in the Digital Age’. 

REGISTER HERE:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/9016014087615/WN_9Jcue9eSQXayg1nOihamXA

Bernie M. Farber, an expert on hate crime, antisemitism, and white supremacy, will examine how social media evolved from early bulletin boards to the platforms of choice for hate-mongers, Islamophobes, anti-Semites, and conspiracy theorists and has become the recruitment tool of choice for haters and extremists. Recognized by the courts, media, and law enforcement as an expert in human and civil rights, he is one of few in the field to be accepted by the judicial system as an expert in hate crime, antisemitism, and white supremacy. He has also worked closely with Canadian Indigenous communities on historical redress. 

Marc-Alain Mallet, Director of the New Brunswick Human Rights Commission, will speak on the role of human rights commissions in influencing mindsets in a chaotic and often mean online world. The New Brunswick Human Rights Commission is responsible for administering the Human Rights Act and as Director,  he aims to help create healthy, inclusive, and innovative organizations, assess the effects of emerging technologies on human rights, and ensure the Commission’s efforts and its legislation remain relevant. 

Karen Shai, a criminal prosecutor with the Ministry of the Attorney General in Ontario, will focus on the criminal law surrounding the prosecution of hate crimes in Canada including an overview of the relevant Criminal Code provisions and case law in the prosecution of these offences. Shai is a criminal prosecutor with the Ministry of the Attorney General in Ontario. Among other roles, she served as counsel to the Assistant Deputy Attorney General (Criminal Law Division) where she was involved in hate crime prosecutions. She trains police officers in the investigation of hate crime and currently serves as vice-chair of Ontario's Hate Crime Working Group. 

Canadian historian and educator Dr. Bernie Vigod was a lifelong advocate of human rights and civil liberties. An outstanding teacher and scholar, Dr. Vigod was a Professor of History and Associate Dean of the School of Graduate Studies and Research at UNB. He spoke and published extensively on human rights issues and was an advisor to public officials on human rights issues. This lecture series is dedicated to his memory and has featured distinguished speakers on human rights issues.