Natika Kantaria

Human Rights activist :: May 2024

You are carrying on the spirit of Sullivan Ballou by devoting your life to an ideal greater than yourself. You have said that as a displaced person yourself in Georgia, your passion lies in safeguarding the rights of those whose voices have often been marginalized. You are a person who speaks four languages, has travelled widely, and is highly educated and accomplished in the fields of public relations and business administration.    Yet you pursued your passion by studying human rights and  working for the UN, the Council of Europe, and other organizations on human rights issues such as women’s rights and climate justice.

Your dedication to this work has made you knowledgeable and experienced in the human rights work of the UN and other international human rights agencies. And now with the academic background you have developed at the Human Rights Program here in Minneapolis, you are headed for an exceptionally productive and beneficial career in international human rights advocacy. We hope that this award will provide some support for you as you begin that career at the International Service for Human Rights in New York. But even more important, we hope that this award will help you identify yourself as a hero in this field with special abilities and high expectations.

Congratulations!
Elissa and Bruce Peterson, Founding Members

Sullivan Ballou letter