ABSTRACT
Human rights advocates seek to remedy discrimination. Yet, some judicial systems and modes of human rights practice can reinforce inequality. This chapter grapples with the question: can human rights pedagogy equip students and advocates to adopt an anti-racist, decolonial approach to advocacy to address systemic inequalities? This chapter is written through two case studies. The first is of my experience as a lawyer and educator in India, and my response to witnessing how sexism in the judiciary inhibited change. It explores how I realized socialization begins early, chose to focus on prevention of discrimination, and founded Schools of Equality, a non-profit that runs experiential programs in schools, which enable students to examine and shift discriminatory attitudes and practices. The second case study is of my experience as an advocate and educator in the United States. It examines the ways in which terms like “anti-racism” and “decolonization” can be co-opted within the human rights field. I felt discomfort with how human rights advocacy can be taught and practiced in ways that exert supremacy over impacted communities as well as advocates and knowledge from the Global South. This motivated me to adopt a decolonial approach to clinical teaching and create spaces for the next generation of advocates to unlearn hegemonic practices and engage in transformative, critically-responsive advocacy.
