Emma DeSouza
Emma DeSouza is a citizens rights campaigner and public speaker who has been widely lauded as a leader in the next generation of peace makers in Northern Ireland.
Having launched a successful grassroots campaign for the birthright provisions of the Good Friday Agreement Emma is now working on her first book on the power of rights movements and how individuals have changed the law and challenged the State. Drawing on her own campaign, that gained the support of the Irish Government, European Parliament and members of US congress and lead to a significant concession from the British Government that granted EU citizenship rights to the people of Northern Ireland.
She has given a number of keynote talks, including at the law society of Northern Ireland, Queen’s University Belfast, in the European parliament and in Westminster and appeared on several podcasts, radio and television channels, such as Sky News’ All Out Politics, Rte One’s Good morning Ireland, and LBCs James O’Brien show. She has also appeared as a political commentator of BBC Radio Ulster and BBC News NI and has written for publications such as The Guardian, The Irish Times, The Irish News and Euronews. Emma will also be contributing to the 2020 Journal for Cross Border Studies in Ireland on the subject of identity and citizenship under the Good Friday Agreement and continues to work as a citizens rights campaigner in Belfast where she lives with her husband Jake and three dogs.