Weinberg/Newton Gallery, a non-commercial gallery dedicated to promoting the work of social justice causes, today announced plans to host a free virtual conversation in honor of International Women’s Day on Monday, March 8 at 5pm CT. The event will feature Mindy Uhrlaub, author of the recently released novel Unnatural Resources, in conversation with Rona Peligal, vice president of development at The Fund for Global Human Rights.
Described as a “searing debut” by Publishers Weekly, Unnatural Resources tells the story of Therese, an 11-year-old girl living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). When her village is destroyed by an invading militia group, Therese becomes stranded in a war-torn jungle and is forced to make a choice: lie down and become another victim of the war, or stand up and survive. Uhrlaub has traveled twice to the DRC with Human Rights Watch and Eve Ensler’s V-Day to gather testimony of rape survivors and child soldiers, and her debut work of fiction dares to tell the story of one of the worst ongoing human atrocities happening in the world today, bearing witness to the cruelty and bravery that it encompasses.
Uhrlaub and Peligal will explore the themes of women’s empowerment present in Unnatural Resources, the symbol of hope that the novel’s heroine embodies, as well as the human rights issues the DRC continues to face. The conversation will be followed by a participant Q&A, with Q&A participants given the opportunity to receive a free, signed copy of Unnatural Resources.
Register for this free event at tinyurl.com/UnnaturalResources.
About Mindy Uhrlaub
Mindy Uhrlaub has traveled twice with Human Rights Watch and Eve Ensler’s V-Day to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and has taken testimony of rape survivors and child soldiers. Her interest in preventing the pillage of resources in Congo has also led her to visit Virunga National Park and to sit on the committee for Human Rights Watch’s Voices for Justice Dinner.
Prior to writing Unnatural Resources, Uhrlaub wrote and produced STALLED, a feature-length film (distributed by Concorde New Horizons). She was also a music reviewer and copy editor for Denver’s PULP magazine. In addition, Uhrlaub plays keyboards in 40th Day, a band that has toured with Kansas and performed with groups including The Smashing Pumpkins. She is a contributing author in the anthologies Mamas Write and She’s Got This (named 2019 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Finalist, Kindle Book Awards Reader’s Choice, and Best Book Awards Finalist). She has spoken several times at San Francisco’s Litquake and lives in the Bay Area with her husband and sons.
About Rona Peligal
Rona Peligal joined The Fund for Global Human Rights (HRW) in July 2017 as vice president for Development and Communications. Peligal brings to the Fund a unique set of skills: knowledge of human rights issues, fundraising experience, and the ability to create materials and messages to promote the human rights cause. From 1999-2015, Peligal worked at HRW in two main capacities. For the first nine years, Peligal served as deputy director of Development and Outreach, where she was responsible for raising approximately one third of HRW’s revenue from foundations and program-specific donors. For the latter six years, Peligal was a deputy director of the Africa division. In that capacity, she oversaw HRW’s work on Nigeria, Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, among other countries. In 2014, Peligal authored an HRW report entitled “Whose Development?,” which investigated human rights abuses connected with iron ore in Sierra Leone. She has also contributed to HRW reports on LGBTI rights and women’s rights. Peligal has a Ph.D. in African history from Columbia University, where she also specialized in women’s history.
About Weinberg/Newton Gallery
Weinberg/Newton Gallery is a non-commercial gallery with a mission to collaborate with nonprofit organizations and artists to educate and engage the public on social justice issues. Through artwork and programming, the gallery provides a vital space for open discourse on critical contemporary issues facing our communities. Connecting artists with social justice organizations, we work to drive change and cultivate a culture of consciousness.
History of Weinberg/Newton Gallery
In 2016, David Weinberg Photography became Weinberg/Newton Gallery. The change reflected the values of The Weinberg/Newton Gallery Family Foundation, which has been led jointly by David Weinberg and Jerry Newton since 2009.