Decolonizing Law at the Intersections of Health Justice, Racial Justice, & International Law

Addressing critical current events including the human rights crisis in Iran, bodily autonomy and women’s rights, and white saviorism vs. sovereignty, global panelists share their views on what decolonizing law means to them and why an intersectional lens is necessary to understand our existing systems.

At the NYC Bar Senior Lawyers Committee, “We believe anybody who invites change invites disruption, and that it is honorable work to disrupt the status quo for meaningful transformation from a legacy of oppression to a legacy of justice”.

Our inaugural panel includes:

Alaso Olivia Patience is a social worker by profession, born and raised in Jinja, Uganda. She is Founder of No White Saviors, a Black/African woman-led community organization connected with the Kusimama Africa non-profit organization. Her work is dedicated to education, advocacy, and action creating awareness about the white savior industrial complex and its effects on the African continent.

Okot Robert is an Advocate of the High Court in Uganda who specializes in Corporate Law, Human Rights, and Legislative Advocacy. He is a member of the Uganda Law Society, East Africa Law Society, and the Network of Public Interest Lawyers. He is also the attorney for No White Savior.

Huda Syyed is an international PhD student and has been lecturing in Pakistan & Australia. Her research focuses on gender based violence, female genital cutting, human rights issues, and political activism. She recently taught a course on Indigenous communities and the intersection of white possession and its impact on the socio-economic conditions and future generations. She is passionate about understanding the impact of socio-economic discrimination within systems and furthering research on bodily autonomy in Pakistan.

Priscillia Kounkou-Hoveyda is a human rights jurist and advocate, based in Sierra Leone, West Africa. She is a filmmaker and the founder and creative director of the Collective for Black Iranians.