Latest speaker in Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum's Funk Family Upstander Speaker Series is Jeanne Celestine Lakin who at age 9 was thrust into the horrors of the Rwandan Genocide Against the Tutsis, fleeing violent militias with her siblings and forced to survive in the wilderness. Despite the brutality she experienced and the tragic loss of her family, she discovered a wellspring of inner strength that led her to a path of resilience, education, and advocacy.

Today, Lakin has been appointed Chairwoman for the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights International Survivors of Trafficking Advisory Council, acting as a formidable force against global human trafficking. Her contributions have influenced high-level United Nations events, furthering the cause of justice on an international stage. Passionate about helping disadvantaged children, Lakin also established the nonprofit One Million Orphans, providing sustainable educational support to some of the most vulnerable children around the globe.