Bernstein Symposium: “Rethinking Human Rights in America”

As the global human rights landscape evolves, the United States faces growing challenges in aligning its domestic policies with international human rights norms. While the U.S. has historically championed human rights on the world stage, its own record is increasingly under scrutiny—both at home and abroad. Issues such as racial injustice, economic inequality, and restrictive immigration policies raise fundamental questions about the country’s role as a human rights leader.

At the same time, U.S. exceptionalism has had profound consequences for international human rights governance. American influence shapes global institutions, policies, and movements, yet it often diverges from the very norms it has helped establish. This year’s Bernstein Symposium will examine these tensions, exploring the state of human rights in the U.S., the costs of U.S. exceptionalism, and the role of human rights advocates in reshaping the future.

RSVP REQUIRED¹ / Click HERE⁵ to view the full program 

Panel 1: Human Rights in the U.S., Global Norms, U.S. Policy 

• Jamil Dakwar, Director ACLU Human Rights Program
• Baher Azmy, Legal Director, Center for Constitutional Rights 
• Claudia Flores, Clinical Professor of Law, Yale Law School (moderator)

Keynote Address:  
Ilze Brands Kehris, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

Panel 2: U.S. Exceptionalism’s Global Cost 

• Jeffrey Prescott, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations in Rome; former Deputy to the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N.
• E. Tendayi Achiume, Professor of Law, Stanford Law School, Former U.N. Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance
• Kristine Beckerle, Deputy Director, Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Office (moderator)