2022 Justice for Women Lecture

The eleventh annual Justice For Women Lecture was presented virtually on April 25, 2022, at 12:00 pm EDT. Maine Law welcomed Winnie Byanyima, UNAIDS Executive Director, who presented her lecture: The Struggle for a More Equal World – Why It’s Essential and How We Can Win. Winnie Byanyima is the Executive Director of UNAIDS and an Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations. A passionate and longstanding champion of social justice and gender equality, Ms. Byanyima leads the United Nations’ efforts to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030. Ms. Byanyima believes that health care is a human right and was an early champion of a People’s Vaccine against the coronavirus that is available and free of charge to everyone, everywhere. Before joining UNAIDS, Ms. Byanyima served as the Executive Director of Oxfam International, and was elected for three terms and served 11 years in the parliament of her country, Uganda. Ms. Byanyima led the establishment of the African Union Commission’s Directorate of Gender and Development, served as Director of Gender and Development at the United Nations Development Programme, and founded the Forum for Women in Democracy. A global leader on inequality, Ms. Byanyima has co-chaired the World Economic Forum and served on the World Bank’s Advisory Council on Gender and Development, the International Labour Organization’s Global Commission on the Future of Work and the Global Commission on Adaptation. Ms. Byanyima is a recipient of several awards, including an honorary doctorate from the University of Manchester, United Kingdom, an honorary doctorate from Mount Saint Vincent University, Canada, and the 2018 Human Rights and Solidarity among Peoples Prize, awarded by the Latin American Council of Social Sciences. She holds a master of science degree in mechanical engineering from Cranfield University and an undergraduate degree in aeronautical engineering from the University of Manchester. Before the Lecture, Dean Leigh Saufley also conferred the 2022 Courage is Contagious Award. This year's award recipient was Chanbopha Himm. Ms. Himm is a pillar in the Portland immigrant community. She is an advocate for all women, empowering them to become the leaders they are meant to be. Ms. Himm co-founded Unified Asian Communities (UAC), Cambodian Community Association of Maine (CCAM), and is a member of the Maine Public Health Association. Chanvopha Himm currently works at the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) on the COVID-19 Community Care Team as a Program Officer for COVID-19 Social Support. Her responsibilities include successful management of COVID-19 community care/social support and vaccination equity for the community through partnerships, transparent access plans, and collaboration with stakeholders. Apart from her community involvement and her day job, she is a highly qualified medical Khmer (Cambodian) Translator. Maine Law also had the pleasure to host Deqa Dhalac, mayor of South Portland, a South Portland City Councilor representing district 5, and the Family Engagement and Cultural Responsiveness Specialist for the Maine Department of Education. Deqa is a passionate advocate for the immigrant community with extensive experience in social services, public health, and community building. She is a leader in the Somali Community Center of Maine, and a Board member for Northern Light Mercy Hospital, I am Your Neighbor Books, and Emerge Maine. Deqa is the co-founder of Cross-Cultural Community Services where she and her colleagues provide cultural competency trainings to organizations in Maine to better understand the challenge BIPOC communities go through.