Last week, a handful of University of Iowa students attended a “Know Your Rights” training session geared to help them  educate immigrants about their constitutional rights and spread the message that no human should be considered illegal. The training was sponsored by the UI Center for Human Rights as part of its 10th anniversary celebration. 
 
The first of a two-part training program, Saturday’s session taught students how to deliver “Know Your Rights” presentations to educate immigrants on their rights in case of arrest or detainment.
 
Sandra Sanchez, director of the Immigrants Voice Program for the American Friends Service Committee, said many immigrants may be hesitant to attend presentations because of documentation issues — something in which trainees also must be prepared.
 
Jennifer Hagedorn, a second-year graduate student originally from Dortmund, Germany, is eager to educate immigrants about their rights.
 
“They don’t have to be afraid of who they are,” Hagedorn said.
 
Center officials expect students to plan presentations sometime next semester after the second orientation session.
 
The Center’s 10th anniversary celebration will also include speakers, films and a large human rights conference geared “to get ‘human rights’ in students vocabulary,” according to Chelsea Moore, a UI senior and intern at the Center.


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