Lynette Jackson, Professor of African History and Women’s Studies, will be joining us as our guest speaker. 

From “Bring Back Our Girls: Why the World Is Finally Talking About Nigeria’s Kidnapped Students” by Brian Ries:

“There were dozens of them — suspected jihadis with the Boko Haram Islamic group — and they were heavily armed. After shooting the guards, and setting fire to houses, the terrorists kidnapped nearly 300 of the girls and drove off into the woods. That was on April 15. The girls haven’t been heard from since. And the media, for the most part, has remained largely silent. But now, three weeks later, a hashtag associated with their disappearance has been tweeted nearly 1 million times…There is a petition calling on the Nigerian government and all enabled international parties to rescue them. But getting to this point was no mere accident. It was the direct result of a semi-coordinated campaign to make world leaders, the media — and you — aware of the plight of Nigeria’s missing girls.”  

 

How — and when — did you first hear about this story? Why did it take weeks for a global response? What role, if any, should the U.S. government play in rescue efforts? How would you assess the media’s coverage of the story, and what role should the media play? What would be the impact if the media reports the girls’ identities?