Freeport High School holds annual Human Rights Symposium

The Freeport High School Human Relations Club was honored to welcome Ms. Consolee Nishimwe to their annual Human Rights Symposium. She is a 1994 Rwandan genocide survivor and spoke to the students about the great adversity and abuse she experienced by her perpetrators.

During her presentation, she shared her account of the trauma she endured and how she survived such a traumatic experience. Her courage, determination and perseverance inspired all who attended. In her closing statements to the audience, she stated, “Be kind to one another, always have hope and be grateful.” 

Nishimwe is an author, a motivational speaker and a survivor of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. She is a committed speaker on the genocide, a defender of women’s rights and an advocate for other genocide survivors. In 2012, Nishimwe released her memoir, “Tested to the Limit: A Genocide Survivor’s Story of Pain, Resilience and Hope.” In recognition of her courage and accomplishments, Nishimwe was awarded the 2013 Association for the Study of African American Life and History Living Legacy Award. She also received a Hero Lifetime Achievement Award from Huntington National Bank and the New York City Citation Award in recognition of her tolerance as a victim of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. 

In addition to the assembly, interactive workshops were presented in Freeport High School’s Digital Learning Center throughout the day by Dr. Avi Marcovitz, director of education for the Nassau County Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center. Workshops included Courageous Conversations, Deconstructing Hate, Teaching Tolerance and Diversity: Celebrating Differences. 

The Freeport High School Human Relations Club explores various issues of justice and human rights to promote the realization that students at Freeport High School can make a difference in the world. The club is advised by Ms. Pamela Mary Schmidt and Ms. Kerri Loper-Rivera, and its goals are to raise awareness of the marginalized and oppressed through activism and social awareness. Students participate in philanthropic fundraising activities and community service locally and globally.