Speaker Bio: Menen Hailu

Writer, Director, Producer, Young Voices, New Dreams

Menen Hailu is a Sociology/Anthropology and Black World Studies graduate from Ohio Wesleyan University; and a graduate of Columbia University with a Masters in Human Rights, concentrating on child rights and women's rights.

Her documentary feature Young Voices, New Dreams stems from her thesis research: “Human Rights of Street Children in Addis Ababa: a Gender Analysis and Perspectives of Street Children.” She has worked with the Mothers and Children Multi-Sectoral Development Organization (MCMDO) during her research. Her previous research includes women living with HIV/AIDS and discrimination with the Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association (EWLA).

She has taught human rights in combination with the creative arts to at-risk youth at Impact Repertory Theatre in New York. She is also a photographer based in New York City.