All posts filed under: Press Releases

American Alliance for Automotive Corporate Social Responsibility (AAACSR) report: The People v. The People’s Car

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The People v. The People’s Car: How Volkswagen’s Corporate Culture is Primed to Deceive As part of its #DefeatTheVice campaign, the American Alliance for Automotive Corporate Social Responsibility (AAACSR) announces the publication of a report analysis: The People v. The People’s Car: How Volkswagen’s Corporate Culture is Primed to Deceive. Download here for free. Earlier this year, the U.S. government “formally labeled the Chinese government’s policies targeting ethnic Uyghur Muslims and other minorities in the northwest region of Xinjiang as ‘genocide,’” constituting serious crimes against humanity. “Malfeasance at Volkswagen in the 21st century did not begin with the so-called ‘dieselgate’ scandal in 2015 but is perhaps what the company is best known for state-side,” reads the report.​​​​​​​ Changchun FAW-Volkswagen worker representative Ai Zhenyu was detained by Chinese police in 2017 for organizing for equal pay. Following his release from police custody, Ai told the China Labour Bulletin: “Volkswagen and Audi have been exposed for their discriminatory practices against Chinese agency workers, they’ve totally disregarded the human rights of Chinese workers.” AAACSR serves as a watchdog to …

IWMF Howard G. Buffett Fund for Women Journalists Grant for “Burge Victims Speak”

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Thrilled to announce for the first time in my life, I am being given a grant by the International Women’s Media Fund (IWMF) Howard G. Buffett Fund for Women Journalists to stay home and work. I’ll be spending the next year at least in Chicago interviewing and photographing survivors of municipal police torture under former Commander Jon Burge, who imported techniques such as electrotorture which he learned as a military police officer in Vietnam onto the streets of Chicago for nearly 20 years to force confessions from 1972 until he was suspended from the force in 1991 and fired in 1993. He later served four years for perjury but still receives a full city pension. Very special thanks to everyone who has lent time, expertise, knowledge, and patience to this project so far, there are many of you to thank and a few of you who would rather I didn’t but know you have helped tremendously and I am filled with gratitude.

Art Works Projects Exhibits Touring Europe

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Big news! My first museum show is opening in a little over a week. Here is a little teaser from Art Works Projects: Exciting exhibits are touring Europe – ART WORKS is bringing “Sanctuary and Sustenance” to Cologne and “Sustenance: Chicago and the Food Chain” to Milan! Thanks to our collaborators Amanda Rivkin Photography, the U.S. Consulate General Milan, Manifest Media, and Art und Amen.

Khaled Hosseini Joins Call to Free Jailed Azerbaijani Journalist Khadija Ismayilova

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Khaled Hosseini, the author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, released a statement yesterday through PEN International calling for the release of my friend and colleague, jailed Azerbaijani journalist, Khadija Ismayilova. Khadija translated The Kite Runner into Azerbaijani. Hosseini told PEN: “I am deeply saddened by the news that the Azerbaijani government has arrested Khadija Ismayilova,” said Hosseini in a plea for the release of his Azeri translator. “As a writer, I value as sacred the freedom to write and share ideas without fear of persecution, a liberty essential to any sort of meaningful dialogue. The Azerbaijani government’s many attempts to silence Khadija and strip her of this freedom speak volumes about her courage and influence in the face of extreme oppression.” […] “I am honored that Khadija was the voice that brought my story to Azerbaijan,” said Hosseini. “Now it is my time to add mine to hers. I hope the world will join me in calling for her immediate release and unconditional return to her important work as a journalist.” …

VII Mentor Program at VII Photo

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VII For Immediate Release June 5, 2012 VII Photo announces new additions to the VII Mentor Program VII is pleased to welcome four new photographers to the VII Mentor Program: Gazi Nafis Ahmed (based in Bangladesh), Laura El-Tantawy (based in London and Cairo), Jošt Franko (based in Slovenia) and Amanda Rivkin (based in Azerbaijan). (To download full release click here.) Gazi Nafis Ahmed is a documentary photographer born in Dhaka, Bangladesh. He sees Bangladesh as a place with many social, political, economic and environmental challenges, and feels compelled to use photography to document the constant changes and impact the collective state of mind of the people. After graduating from Bangladesh International Tutorial High School in 2003, Ahmed continued his education at the London Guildhall University in Art & Design. He received a B.A. with Honors in 2008 from Pathshala, the South Asian Media Academy, with his final semester conducted abroad at the Danish School of Media and Journalism. Ahmed will be mentored by John Stanmeyer. http://www.gazinafis.com — Laura El-Tantawy is an Egyptian photographer living between …

Press Release: Amanda Rivkin Receives Fulbright Award

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The Fulbright Program The United States Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: James A. Lawrence Date: 8/4/11 Telephone: 202-632-3241 Amanda Rivkin Receives Fulbright Award Ms. Amanda Rivkin of Georgetown University has been awarded a Fulbright U.S. Student Program scholarship to Azerbaijan in Photography, the United States Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board announced recently. Rivkin is one of over 1,600 U.S. citizens who will travel abroad for the 2011-2012 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations and foundations in foreign countries and in the United States also …

Press Release: Amanda Rivkin Receives U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarship

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U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs 2011 Critical Language Scholarships for Intensive Summer Institutes PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: James A. Lawrence Date: May 12, 2011 Telephone: 202-632-3241 Amanda Rivkin Receives U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarship Amanda Rivkin of Georgetown University has been awarded a U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) to study Azerbaijani in Azerbaijan during the summer of 2011. Amanda Rivkin is among the approximately 575 U.S. undergraduate and graduate students who received a scholarship from the U.S. Department of State’s CLS Program to study Arabic, Azerbaijani, Bangla/Bengali, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Indonesian, Japanese, Persian, Punjabi, Russian, Turkish, or Urdu languages. U.S. students will spend seven to ten weeks in intensive language institutes this summer in 14 countries where these languages are spoken. The CLS Program provides fully-funded, group-based intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment experiences. CLS Program participants are expected to continue their language study beyond the scholarship and apply their critical language skills in their future professional careers. The 2011 CLS Program …