Vermont Law School students will host a screening of documentary film “Mountains of Resistance,” followed by a panel discussion with environmental justice and human rights advocates, from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 25, in Oakes Hall, Room 012, on the VLS campus. The event is free and open to the public and press.
“Mountains of Resistance” follows land defenders from a village in Thailand as they embark on a journey to Oaxaca, Mexico, to meet other communities fighting mining pollution and mine expansion. The film depicts a rare moment when activists from different parts of the globe come together and share common experiences of fear, danger and triumph as they resist environmental injustices and try to protect their land and natural resources for food production.
Audience members will be invited to join guest panelists for a discussion after the screening. Panelists include:
– Kathleen Falk: Douglas Costle Visiting Professor of Law, Vermont Law School; former Regional Director, United States Department of Health and Human Services; Special Advisor and Government-Wide Lead for Human Services for the Flint Water Crisis
– Stephanie Farrior: Professor of Law and Director, Center for Applied Human Rights, Vermont Law School
– Samantha Ryals: “Mountains of Resistance” Film Crew and Community Liaison, Education Network for Global and Grassroots Exchange (ENGAGE)
– Nicha Rakpanichmanee JD’20: Environmental Mission Scholar, Vermont Law School; former Policy and Communications Officer, Ecological Alert and Recovery–Thailand (EARTH)
VLS students plan to produce a report on the event and provide a Thai translation to the village and Thai media. In addition, students will raise funds to support the resistance movement in the village by selling scarves made by the Radical Grandma Collective. Sponsoring VLS student groups include the Food and Agricultural Law Society, Social Justice Mission Scholars, Environmental Mission Scholars, Environmental Law Society, International Law Society, Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, Native American Law Students Association, and Black Law Students Association.
Thai and Mexican refreshments will be served during the event. For more information about the film screening and panel at VLS, email Nicha Rakpanichmanee JD’20 at RNicha@vermontlaw.edu or Nico Lustig JD/MFALP’19 at NicholetteLustig@vermontlaw.edu.
For more information about “Mountains of Resistance,” visit engagegrassroots.org/mountains-of-resistance.
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Vermont Law School, a private, independent institution, is home to the nation’s largest and deepest environmental law program. VLS offers a Juris Doctor curriculum that emphasizes public service; three Master’s Degrees—Master of Environmental Law and Policy, Master of Energy Regulation and Law, and Master of Food and Agriculture Law and Policy; and four post-JD degrees —LLM in American Legal Studies (for foreign-trained lawyers), LLM in Energy Law, LLM in Environmental Law, and LLM in Food and Agriculture Law. The school features innovative experiential programs and is home to the Environmental Law Center, South Royalton Legal Clinic, Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic, Energy Clinic, Food and Agriculture Clinic, and Center for Applied Human Rights. For more information, visit vermontlaw.edu, find us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.