Dr. William F. Schulz, Executive Director of Amnesty International USA, delivered the 2003-2004 Hillard Gold '39 Lecture on Wednesday, January 21st at 6:30pm on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Hanes Art Center, Room 121. Schulz's visit was sponsored by the James M. Johnston Center for Undergraduate Excellence, the Robertson Scholars program's collaboration fund, Carolina's student government, and both the Carolina and Duke University chapters of Amnesty International.

Speaking on the subject of his new book, Tainted Legacy: 9-11 and the Ruin of Human Rights, Schulz 's talk questioned the price of George W. Bush's "War on Terror," and built a case for balancing security and human rights in an age of terrorism. In Tainted Legacy, Dr. Schulz advocates an end to absolutes as the key to making progress and explores such nuanced topics as the relationship between human rights violations and terrorism; how a disregard for human rights harms the U.S., both home and abroad; and whether torture or other human rights violations are ever justified. He argues that respect for human rights will help win the war on terror.

The New York Review of Books described Schulz as the person who "has done more than anyone else in the American human rights movement to make human rights issues known to the United States."

Dr. Schulz was appointed Executive Director of Amnesty International USA in March 1994. An ordained Unitarian Universalist minister, he came to Amnesty after serving for fifteen years with the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, the last eight (1985-1993) as President of the Association. As President of the UUA, Dr. Schulz was involved in a wide variety of international and social justice causes.

During his years with Amnesty International, Dr. Schulz has traveled extensively, both in the U.S. and abroad. He has been an outspoken opponent of the death penalty and a supporter of rights for the disenfranchised and for racial justice. Dr. Schulz is also the author of In Our Own Best Interest: How Defending Human Rights Benefits Us All (2001).

"We're very excited about Dr. Schulz' visit and the chance to interact with him to explore such an important and timely topic," said Patrick Elliot, Group Coordinator of the UNC Amnesty International group.

The January 21st lecture was followed by a question-and-answer session, a book signing, and small reception in Hanes Art Center.

"William Schulz is an ideal Hillard Gold lecturer," said Dr. Randi Davenport, Associate Director of the Johnston Center. "He's demonstrated a strong commitment to working with students and his talk focuses on matters of great concern to undergraduates." The Hillard Gold '39 Lecture series was established by Carolina alumni James and Jonathan Gold as a memorial to their father and his commitment to liberal arts education. Hillard Gold lecturers interact with students both inside and outside the classroom.