The 2019 Samuel L. and Elizabeth Jodidi Lecture, "Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Nadia Murad in Conversation with Jennifer Leaning," took place on April 3 at the Memorial Church at Harvard. Nadia Murad is the corecipient of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize, and is a leading advocate for survivors of genocide and sexual violence. Murad’s peaceful life was savagely interrupted in 2014 when Daesh attacked her homeland in Sinjar, with the intention of ethnically cleansing Iraq of all Yazidis. Like many minority groups, the Yazidis have carried the weight of historical persecution. Women in particular have suffered greatly, as they have been—and continue to be—victims of sexual violence. Much of Murad’s advocacy work is focused on meeting with global leaders to raise awareness about Daesh and its genocidal campaign against the Yazidi people.
Moderator Dr. Jennifer Leaning is an expert in public health rights-based responses to humanitarian crises. Jennifer Leaning, MD, SMH, is the Professor of the Practice of Health and Human Rights at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. About Nadia's Initiative Founded in September of 2016, Nadia’s Initiative is dedicated to rebuilding communities in crisis and advocating for victims of sexual violence. Through its two initiatives, Sinjar Action Fund (SAF) and Survivors Action Response (SAR), Nadia’s Initiative challenges world leaders to act—to make “never again” a reality, not an empty promise.