Dr. Lesser Speaks at LRCC

Photo: (11/17/11) Dr. Mishy Lesser speaks at Lakes Region Community College about the 1994 genocide in Rwanda and the new film Coexist about the aftermath of that tragedy and the efforts toward reconciliation in that African nation.

An audience of over fifty Lakes Region Community College (LRCC) students, faculty, and staff had the opportunity to hear a presentation by Dr. Mishy Lesser (Waltham, MA) on the 1994 genocide in Rwanda recently. Dr. Lesser showed the film, Coexist, for which she was the learning director. The speaking engagement involved workshops that focused on genocide itself and on the process of reconciliation in the aftermath of genocide. It was sponsored by LRCC's Student Senate, Equity Committee, and the Department of Arts and Sciences.

Dr. Lesser obtained her doctorate from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. She currently works for Missy Lesser Associates, a consulting firm dedicated to community peacemaking and building youth leadership.

A long-time human rights and peace activist, Dr. Lesser has worked extensively in Latin America during her career. She was a young student in Chile in 1973 when the Chilean military overthrew the democratically-elected government of that country and installed a brutal military regime and killed and "disappeared" thousands of people, including Dr. Lesser's friends. She barely got out of the country alive and recently returned to Chile to find and thank the family that hid her from the authorities.

"Dr. Lesser is a brilliant and well-informed human rights activist," said History Professor Scott Cracraft (Gilford- not pictured) who arranged the event. "She not only informed the audience about one of the major horrors of the Twentieth Century but also discussed how people and nations can go through a process of reconciliation to heal themselves and their society."

About LRCC: Lakes Region Community College is a fully accredited, comprehensive community college located in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire that serves over 1,200 students annually. LRCC offers 23 associate degree programs including Nursing, Fire Technology, Energy Services, Media Arts, Culinary Arts, Automotive, and Marine Technology, as well as short-term certificate programs. In addition, LRCC provides a strong background in Liberal Arts for students who choose to do their first two years at a community college and then transfer to a four-year college or university for a baccalaureate degree. LRCC is part of the Community College System of New Hampshire.

 

Top