What: Esam Boraey—“Youthful Hopes, Painful Realities: Looking Back at the Arab Spring”
When: March 22, 7–8:30 p.m.
Where: Sussman Theater, Olmsted Center

Esam Boraey is a human rights activist working for freedom and democracy in the Middle East. This passion led him to play a key role in the Egyptian revolution of 2011, which helped overthrow dictator Hosni Mubarak. Esam taught classes and studied for his master’s degree in international relations at Cairo University.

During the Mohamed Morsi presidency, Esam worked for U.S. Agency for International Development and later left the country after being sentenced in Egypt’s criminal court to two years in prison for his work for human rights and democratization in the Middle East. Esam then moved to Washington, D.C., where he continued his work for human rights, working for the U.S. Institute for Peace.

He has worked with a number of civil society organizations (CSOs) in both the Middle East and the United States, fostered close professional relationships with political leaders throughout the region, and advised policy makers in the U.S. and European Union. This experience provides Esam a nuanced perspective to an understanding of Egyptian, Middle Eastern, and Islamic affairs that takes into account the concerns of stakeholders at various levels, both in the Middle East and beyond its borders.
—The Principal Financial Group Center for Global Citizenship