On Thursday, September 13, the event hosted by the International Relations Council, “An Evening with Sarah Margon,” took place in the heart of Kansas City at Stinson Leonard Street Law Firm. As the Washington director of Human Watch Rights, Ms Margon serves as the organization’s main point of contact with the U.S. government and provides strategic and advocacy guidance, including legislative and policy development. Interviewed by Christina Arnone, a lawyer from Stinson, Ms Margon responded to diverse questions regarding foreign policy and international relations.
After enjoying some food and refreshments during the reception, the audience was ready to listen to the speaker to gain insight on what is going on around the world in a relaxed and informative atmosphere. She addressed issues ranging from Iran and the global refugee crisis to human rights in Africa.
In addition to providing an overview of human rights issues in 2018, she also elucidated the operations of Human Rights Watch, an organization that has a presence in 90 countries, including the U.S. In order to decide the countries to focus most strongly on, Human Rights Watch researches the places where the most atrocious human violations happen and raises awareness. Ms Margon also touched on the subject of funding for Human Rights Watch and said that they do not receive any funds from governments and are supported by contributions from private individuals and foundations worldwide.
After the interview, the audience had the opportunity to ask questions, which Ms Margon answered impartially and with expert knowledge. Various topics from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to the Puerto Rican natural disaster were explored.
The “Evening with Sarah Margon” was a great moment that encouraged people from our community to understand international issues, while bringing awareness on other parts of the world to people of Kansas City.
About the Author
Grace Komoe is the Fall 2018 events intern for the IRC and is a junior at Park University studying Political Science and Legal Studies.