Each year, the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) brings democracy and human rights to the forefront of discussions at South by Southwest (SXSW), the world’s largest creative conference in Austin, Texas. HRF remains committed to promoting freedom, reaching new audiences, and bringing people together to join our common cause: defeating tyranny.
With your votes, HRF will again bring human rights to the world’s attention. This year, HRF has six sessions up for consideration, featuring prominent activists and experts in various fields. Read about HRF’s sessions below and create a Panel Picker account to vote for them today!
Community voting is open until Sunday, Aug. 18.
More and more people are learning of the fashion industry’s complicity in the ongoing Uyghur genocide. But numerous other industries, from automobiles and fishing to technology and aluminum, may be implicated in forced labor. Learn from experts in the field how to eliminate forced labor and modern slavery from your home.
This panel will feature Transparentem founder and president Ben Skinner, CEO of Freedom Fund Nick Grono, founding director of Walk Free Grace Forrest, and policy adviser, US Department of Homeland Security, Laura Murphy.
Today’s social media networks are flawed and broken. They are either subject to single points of failure issues or dependent on questionable cryptocurrency tokens. Nostr provides a different way of doing this. This simple but robust social network and protocol has grown rapidly over the past few years and promises to bring the Internet back to its decentralized roots. Hear from three of its biggest advocates on how it’s going to change the world.
This panel will feature managing partner at Ten31 and cofounder of OpenSats Matt Odell,founder of Lyn Alden Investments and author of “Broken Money” Lyn Alden, and CEO of Primal Mijan Braticevic.
This panel will explore the various ways AI threatens democracies globally and the tools available to tackle these threats. It will discuss tactics such as AI-powered surveillance methods, automated warfare, and the use of AI-generated images, or deepfakes, particularly during election time.
This discussion will feature journalist and researcher Arthur Holland Michel, executive director at WITNESS Sam Gregory, executive director at Digital Rights Foundation Nighat Dad, and content policy researcher at Global Partners Digital Jacqueline Rowe.
Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) are on the rise. More than 125 countries are researching them, more than 60 have built a prototype, and more than 20 have rolled them out to the public. However, they pose existential risks for civil liberties. Hear from CBDC experts who will focus on China and Nigeria and give a global overview of what’s happening and how we can push back.
This panel will feature policy analyst at the Cato Institute and HRF fellow Nick Anthony, author and journalist Roger Huang, and CEO of Mango Digital Strategies Charlene Fadirepo.
This discussion offers perspectives and global case studies on how artivism can be a potent tool for peaceful, creative dissent by illuminating democratic pathways. Join a diverse group of artists from different corners of the world, using various media, including performance art, film, visual arts, and music, as they wield their creativity as a force for change. Each renowned artist has experienced the profound impact of their art-driven activism on the democratic landscape, substantially shaping the future of democracy, even in the midst of severe personal persecution.
This discussion will feature the director of “Invisible Nation” Vanessa Hope, Iranian visual artist and activist Alireza Shojaian, South Sudanese hip-hop artist and former child soldier Emmanuel Jal, and co-founder and artistic director of Belarus Free Theatre Natalia Kaliada.
Since Sergei Eisenstein’s “Battleship Potemkin,” filmmakers have used their medium to combat and expose authoritarian regimes the world over. What challenges do activist filmmakers face today, and in what way, shape, or form do they come? Our discussion will emphasize the enduring power of film as a medium for social change. Despite the significant challenges faced by activist filmmakers, their work continues to inspire and mobilize audiences around the world, contributing to the ongoing fight against authoritarianism and for a more just and equitable society.
The panel will feature filmmaker David Henry Gerson, documentary film director Aunel Arneth Kimbembe Makaya, producer of the Academy Award-winning film “Nalvany” Odessa Rae, and director of “Invisible Nation” Vanessa Hope.
With your support, HRF will continue to bring people together to discover and learn more about the struggle for freedom.
