Human Rights Educators USA, or HRE USA, has named Keith David Watenpaugh, professor and founding director of Human Rights Studies at UC Davis, the recipient of its O’Brien Award for individual achievement for 2021.

The annual O’Brien awards were established in 2015 in memory of Edward O’Brien, a pioneer in street law programs. They honor individuals and organizations who have made outstanding contributions to human rights education in the United States.

The organization will recognize the professor during its online Human Rights Day Celebration Dec. 10.

In announcing the award, HRE USA said Watenpaugh has led important educational initiatives at UC Davis and in collaboration with partners in the Middle East, including those to address the needs of displaced and refugee university students and professionals.

HRE USA highlighted his roles in developing Human Rights Studies at UC Davis into the largest program of its kind in the UC system, and as founding director of Article 26 Backpack. The latter, available in five languages, uses face-to-face counseling and cloud-based technology to help refugees and other displaced people document and share their educational accomplishments.

Read the full article at the UC Davis News website

Related

• Read the announcement from the UC Davis College of Letters and Science
• UC Davis' Article 26 Backpack Digital Human Rights Tool Expands to Rwanda