Charlie Tuggle to Appear on “Conversations at The Carter Center”
Former President Jimmy Carter will turn the spotlight on a documentary produced by UNC-Chapel Hill faculty member, Charlie Tuggle, Wednesday, July 16, 2014, 7-8:30 p.m. at the Carter Center in Atlanta, GA.
The film, “Search for Identity: Reflections on Human Rights Abuses During Argentina’s Dirty War” is about the tens of thousands of individuals who were arrested, tortured, and killed during Argentina’s “Dirty War” from 1976-1983, which then U.S. President Jimmy Carter protested by withdrawing U.S. economic and military support.
“Conversations at The Carter Center” is a series that brings people up close with Carter Center experts, policy makers, and other special guests to discuss the issues that shape our world.
The July 16th event will start with Tuggle’s, 45-minute documentary “Las Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo and the Search for Identity,” which describes efforts to track down grandchildren missing as a result of the atrocities. A discussion featuring central figures in the film will follow, led by President Carter, whose focus on human rights continues today through The Carter Center.
Hodding Carter, UNC Professor and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs, will serve as co-panelist, along with Tex Harris, former U.S. Embassy officer in Argentina, and Bob Cox, former editor of the English-language Buenos Aires Herald.
“To be on that national stage with the former President discussing the importance of human rights, is one of the highlights of my professional career,” Tuggle said.
Longtime UNC Professor of Journalism Dr. Charlie Tuggle has dedicated more than four years to telling the story of Las Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo, an Argentinean human rights organization of grandmothers committed to finding their lost grandchildren.
In Tuggle’s film, the grandmothers interviewed say their grandchildren were abducted by the Argentinean government during the country’s military dictatorship.
“Those kidnapped became known as Los Desaparecidos or ‘the disappeared.’ Many of the babies were taken from their mothers and given to families sympathetic to the ruling regime. Tuggle explained that all information regarding the babies’ identities was changed.
“The main thing is that average people can make a difference. We have the grandmothers who were just a bunch of little old ladies with no political power whatsoever, and yet they changed the government of their country,” said Tuggle.
Tuggle is the Director of the Master’s Program in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Until recently, he was the faculty head of Carolina Week, an award-winning student-run news program. He also helped to launch the student-run Sports Xtra, which is a dedicated to covering Tar Heel athletics.
Hodding Carter is currently professor of leadership and public policy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Among his publications are The Reagan Years and The South Strikes Back. He worked for two successful presidential campaigns, Lyndon B. Johnson’s in 1964, and Jimmy Carter’s in 1976. President Carter appointed him Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs and spokesman for the State Department, where he became the public face for the administration during the Iran hostage crisis.
Our “Conversations at The Carter Center” series brings you up close with Carter Center experts, policy makers, and other special guests to discuss the issues that shape your world. Following their discussion, panelists take questions from the audience. The Carter Center, in partnership with Emory University, is guided by a fundamental commitment to human rights and the alleviation of human suffering. It seeks to prevent and resolve conflicts, enhance freedom and democracy, and improve health.
http://www.cartercenter.org/news/upcoming_events/conversations/index.html
Category: Press Releases
