Human Rights Expert Speaks at Bennington College: One Man's Crusade Against Genocide

September 22, 2005

Smith College professor Eric Reeves took an unexpected, unpaid sabbatical for more than six years to devote his professional and personal life to fighting genocide in Sudan-a country he's never visited--after what he describes as, "a life changing conversation." The Bennington College Social Science Colloquium hosts a talk with Reeves at 7:00 pm, on Tuesday, September 27, 2005, in Barn 100.

Reeves, who has testified before the House of International Relations Committee, the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, and the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, is relentless in his quest to end the violence in Sudan, where an estimated 10,000 people are killed monthly. "I know when I've seen a morally unambiguous situation and this is it," says Reeves when profiled by the Giraffe's Hero Project-a non-profit group that spotlights, "citizens who stick their neck out for the common good."

Reeves, who has gained international notoriety for his work, is often met with hostile criticism from the State Department, Wall Street and Sudan's Khartoum government. He is met with such resistance due to his scathing disapproval of European and Asian companies that have failed to suspend their commercial oil interests with the Khartoum government--a move he believes would end the "serial genocide." Despite the critique, Reeves continues to be a leading expert on the tragic situation and is frequently interviewed by media, ranging from The New York Times and the Washington Post to the BBC and the CBC.