Unity Dow is an author, human rights activist and former judge and the first woman to serve on Botswana’s High Court. She delivered the University of Maine School of Law’s inaugural Justice for Women Lecture. Her talk is titled “Juggling Truths – When Justice is a Moving Target.”
Dow is one of the world’s foremost advocates for the rights of women and indigenous groups. In 1998 Dow became the first female judge appointed to the High Court of Botswana, and she served on the court until 2009. One landmark case during her tenure involved a group of Botswana’s Bushmen who won the right to live and hunt on ancestral lands in the Kalahari. She is also the author of four novels and a non-fiction book. Her latest book, “Saturday is for Funerals,” was published in 2010. The book examines recent successes that Botswana has had in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
This talk was recorded March 27, 2012 at the Abromson Community Education Center in Portland.