Episode 1: Martin Macwan and Stephen Pittam
About this Event
You are invited to participate in a conversation between Martin Macwan and Stephen Pittam, two seasoned activists from two different countries but united in their commitment to social justice, human rights and peacebuilding work. This will be a candid conversation in which drawing on his own extensive experience from UK and in particular Northern Ireland, Stephen will talk to Martin about his activism in India to end caste based discrimination, violence and the historic social, economic, and political suppression of the Dalits. They will talk about what it takes, on the ground, to create transformative change, to build peace that lasts and what is the role of philanthropy in all this? There will be an opportunity for you to share your reflections, your experience as well as to ask questions.
2020 has laid bare that crisis and confict are not just something ‘out there’. They are here and now and touch all our lives. And while the deficiencies of our existing models for creating just and peaceful societies are being revealed, so are the enduring sources of resilience in our world. It is now imperative to do things differently – to listen, share and learn from the extraordinary stories of peacebuilders working in contexts of entrenched injustices, in deeply divided societies and understand what does it take to build just and peaceful societies in an era of escalating inequalities, polarization,conflicts and injustices and of fast eroding human rights and democracies.
Through the ‘let’s build peace, here & now’ series the Foundations for Peace (FFP) network and its partners are creating a space for telling the stories of those who have been closest to the ground. Our approach is to tell our stories through deep and authentic conversations. Stories and narratives are powerful because they stick, narratives can convey complex ideas, help transcend borders and artificial divides speaking to us all as one and inspire to forge new ideas, behaviours and connections. Often in the fields of development and philanthropy stories are watered down by the need for brevity, bullet points and reporting templates. We want to change that and share our narratives freely, authentically, directly and provide an opportunity for people, who are looking for ways to #buildbackbetter, to listen deeply.
About Martin Macwan
Martin is a Dalit Human Rights activist from Gujarat, India. As a young law graduate in the 1970s Martin Macwan was involved in a sustained effort to establish consciousness within the Dalit community to fight socio-economic exploitation. The educational process led large sections of the community to assert their land rights and question their unequal and unjust social relationships. Dalits began to stand up and demand for their rights. In January 1986, the members of a dominant caste of Golana village in Gujarat brutally attacked the Dalit community and those supporting it. Four of Martin’s colleagues were gunned down on the spot, eighteen others were badly wounded, and many houses were set on fire. Martin was deeply affected by the tragic murders at Golana. This prompted him to found Navsarjan as a charitable trust in 1988 with the intent to pursue and intensify the fight to eradicate caste discrimination.
Today, Martin Macwan is extensively involved with the Dalit movement at grassroots, national, and international levels. As national convener of the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR) between 1999 and 2001, he led the Indian Dalit contingent to the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance (WCAR) in Durban. As treasurer and founding trustee of the National Centre for Advocacy Studies, and founding member and chairperson of the Indian Institute of Dalit Studies and the Dalit Foundation, Martin has actively facilitated cooperation between Dalit groups across India and South Asia, helped train activists and leaders and improve upon the quantity and quality of research on Dalits at all levels in order to achieve better results in the fight against inequality and discrimination.
Winner of the 2000 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award and recipient of the Gleitsman Foundation’s Activist of the Year Award, Martin has also been honoured for his work by the Human Rights Watch.
About Stephen Pittam
Stephen was the Trust Secretary of the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust (a progressive UK based endowed foundation) from 2001-2012. He joined JRCT in 1986 and during his progression to the senior position was responsible for the foundation’s programmes on racial justice, democracy, human rights and corporate accountability in the UK, and on peacebuilding in Ireland. Stephen serves on the board of the Global Fund for Community Foundations. In the UK he is a Trustee of the British Institute of Human Rights and the Polden Puckham Charitable Foundation, and he sits on the steering committee of the Environmental Funders Network. Locally, Stephen chairs the York Travellers’ Trust (working with Gypsies & Travellers) and the York Human Rights City Network and he is on the advisory committee of the Centre for Applied Human Rights at York University.
About FFP
Foundations for Peace (FFP) is an international network of independent local philanthropic organizations working towards peace and social justice. As local activist funders, we play a vital role in delivering and sustaining peacebuilding and social justice programs. With local knowledge and direct access to affected communities, we are the “bridge” to create relationships and work towards achieving equity and diversity.
We seek to positively influence the global agenda for change and the development aid architecture in conflict/post-conflict regions. We do this by developing and sharing learning, training and other resources to enhance local leadership, skills and potential to deliver sustainable peacebuilding work.
For more information about this event and FFP contact Rasha Sansur at infoffpn@gmail.com