A Wehr Physics lecture hall became a venue for political discourse on Nov. 5 when German biologist and human rights activist Pia Klemp came to visit Marquette University. The event, sponsored by the Marquette Democracy Project, facilitated conversation on immigration, human rights and other high-profile issues in global politics.
While Klemp may not be a familiar name in the U.S., her work is well-known on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.
Like the United States, Europe has faced an ongoing influx of migrants in the last decade. Many are refugees fleeing ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and northern Africa and seeking asylum is Western countries such as Germany, France and the United Kingdom. In 2023, more than 385,000 such migrants entered Europe seeking a better life outside zones of conflict.
The journey to seek asylum in Europe is dangerous. Smugglers based in North African countries such as Libya and Tunisia take what little money that migrants have and pack them into small rubber boats to cross the Mediterranean Sea.
The crossings are often fatal for refugees. A report by the United Nations found that more than 20,000 people have died or disappeared over the central Mediterranean in the last decade, including around 3,500 children.
Klemp’s work sought to ease these dangers for those seeking a better life in the European Union. Her non-governmental organization “Sea Watches Fleet” has been credited with saving more than 14,000 migrant lives from the dangerous and deadly crossings of the Mediterranean Sea.
She also faced up to 20 years in prison after the Italian government accused her of aiding in human trafficking and illegal immigration. After a years long legal fight, the charges were eventually dropped.
Noelle Brigden, professor of political science, introduced Klemp to the audience, highlighting some of her achievements and commending her for her bravery.
“I will call Captain Klemp a hero,” Brigden said. “She saves lives at the risk of her own liberty.”
While Klemp’s work is more Eurocentric, her remarks touched on issues relevant in American political discourse. She spoke with students about the importance of accounting for nuances when talking about politics, citing the word “freedom” as an example.
“[Freedom] is such an easy word to say. But what are we actually talking about?” Klemp said. “Are we talking about freedom as individual personal possession, or are we talking about freedom as a communal way of living together? It’s two very different things.”
Klemp focused much of her remarks on the importance of productively channeling emotions in order to foster change. These sentiments resonated with some students in attendance, including Val Martinez, a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences.
“Knowing how to identify certain emotions and recognize them is one of the best ways to engage in activism,” Martinez said.
One emotion Klemp specifically mentioned was anger. She talked about the power that anger can have in motivating someone to act against injustice.
When asked by students to distinguish between anger and hate, Klemp explained that the difference comes in the form of action.
“Hate is an emotion of death and destruction, and anger is a motivator,” Klemp said.
The event was hosted by the Marquette Democracy Project, an initiative led by Jessica Rich, professor of political science. The initiative is designed to teach students how to be engaged global citizens and make an impact in the world.
“Activism is essential for democracy to thrive,” Rich said in her opening remarks. “Our mission is to Marquette’s call to ‘Be the Difference’ into practice—helping students take what they learn inside the classroom and carry it out into the world.”
Rich hopes to continue working on the initiative every fall semester. In practice, that will depend on whether they receive future funding from the university. This semester they received a one-time Teaching Enhancement Grant from the College of Arts & Sciences to fund activities related to the three courses being taught through the Marquette Democracy Project.
While the future of the Marquette Democracy Project may be uncertain, Klemp left students with parting words about the future, reminding them to think about creating solutions to problems in addition to eliminating the problems themselves.
“We need visions and stories of the future,” Klemp said. “We can think about the negative narratives, but we also need ideas of how we want the world to be.”
This story was written by Sahil Gupta. He can be reached at [email protected].
