Sites Unseen
2024 State of Truth Webinar Series
Despite the ubiquitous nature of news today, there are countless communities around the world who receive little to no media coverage although they are plagued by conflict, human rights abuses, and legacies of systemic injustice.
A range of factors dictate this – from large media conglomerates that recycle singular and simplistic narratives to pervasive racial and ethnic biases that still prioritize white experiences over those of Black and Brown people, despite the latter constituting the global majority.
As a worldwide network, the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience (ICSC) is on the ground in over 65 countries, providing it unique access to the most silenced voices of the past and present. In 2024, we are dedicating our virtual programming to shining a light on these sites unseen. With the support of members, and anchored by the findings in our 2023 State of Truth in the World Report, we will feature a series of webinars, each focusing on one of our six regional networks: Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, MENA, and North America. These webinars will be amplified by other activities, including social media campaigns and newsletters, and will be listed here as they are confirmed. Please check back regularly, and address any questions to coalition@sitesofconscience.org. For past recorded webinars, please click here.
Africa
March 2024
Violent extremism, ethnic-based conflict, forced migration, and the legacies of colonialism are just some of the challenges facing the African continent today. With the goal of highlighting the impact and intersectionality of these struggles – as well as local solutions to them – this 90-minute webinar included short presentations by members and partners from Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Sudan, followed by a roundtable discussion with others from The Gambia, Guinea, and South Sudan.
Recording available here.
Europe
May 2024
Alongside the war in Ukraine, European countries are facing a rise in nationalistic sentiments and xenophobia connected, in large part, to an increase in migration. This webinar will bring together European Sites of Conscience working to foster empathy through dialogue, support collaboration between migrant groups and host countries, and address questions of accountability for the continent’s colonialist histories.
Registration will open soon.
Latin America
June 2024
The Latin American and Caribbean Sites of Conscience Network, which unites a wide range of communities and topics across Central and South America as well as the Caribbean, focuses on building the capacity of sites remembering periods of violent internal conflicts, state terrorism and the region’s colonial past in order to strengthen democratic values, combat impunity, influence in the construction of peace in the region, and prevent all forms of authoritarianism in future generations. This webinar will likely focus on Colombia, Haiti, Mexico, and Venezuela, while addressing other underreported crises in the region.
Asia
August 2024
This webinar will gather ICSC members and partners in Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and Rohingya communities in Bangladesh to share insights into the silenced and underreported challenges facing the region, including ethnic cleanings, political and religious extremism, and forced migration. Participants will also share how actors in the region are seeking accountability for crimes past and present.
Middle East and North Africa
October 2024
A year after Hamas’s attacks on Israel and Israel’s subsequent and disproportionate war on Gaza, members and partners in the region will reflect on the long-term impact of conflict on civilians, as well as share experiences and lessons learned from other countries in the region, including Lebanon, Tunisia, and Syria.
North America
December 2024
From residential schools for Indigenous children to the legacies of slavery on African Americans today, this webinar will explore some of the crucial underreported crises facing marginalized groups in the United States as the country’s 2024 Presidential election comes to a close and the country anticipates its upcoming 250th anniversary.