Human rights should be part of every American's basic education! You can't graduate from high school without a course that covers American History, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. But although the words "human rights" appear daily in the newspaper, most Americans don't even know the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) exists. That's the task for Human Rights USA _ to make the UDHR a living document for Americans.
Nancy Flowers, Amnesty International USA
Human Rights Educators' Network
Introduction
Although most Americans have never heard of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), it is an extremely important document in both U.S. and world history. In reaction to the terrible atrocities that occurred during World War II, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the UDHR as a statement of intent and as a common standard of behavior for all people and governments to promote and respect human rights. Human rights _ civil, political, social, economic, and cultural rights _ are basic to our existence as human beings, and common to all humanity.
To increase Americans' awareness and understanding of human rights and to honor the 50th Anniversary of the UDHR, the National Institute for Citizen Education in the Law (NICEL), the Center for Human Rights Education (CHRE), Amnesty International's Human Rights Educators' Network and the Partners in Human Rights Education Program, a joint initiative of the University of Minnesota Human Rights Center and the Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights, with support from the Ford Foundation, have formed a partnership to bring the global human rights movement to communities in the United States.
The principal goal of this human rights initiative is to achieve a new
awareness of the relevance and meaning of human rights in the United States
through community and school-based human rights education programs. Human
Rights USA will reach thousands of educators, social justice advocates,
students, and the general public. The four organizations forming Human
Rights USA will help establish local and school-based coordinating committees
in four major cities (Atlanta, Georgia; Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota;
St. Louis, Missouri and San Antonio, Texas). Human Rights USA will provide
the local coordinating committees with human rights education (HRE) training
and technical assistance in implementing human rights educational models
in their communities and K-12 schools, with the assistance of students
and faculty at local colleges and universities.
National Strategic Planning Meeting and Media Campaign
The Human Rights USA initiative coincides with the 50th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in 1998. A National Strategic Planning Meeting on July 25-27, 1997 at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC will bring together diverse social justice, civil rights, and human services organizations to plan events and programs which will celebrate and publicize the 50th anniversary. National organizations are invited to be involved in this unique conversation, to discuss the types of educational activities and events which can be planned to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the UDHR and to develop collaborative efforts with a human rights framework.
Human Rights USA's media campaign will heighten awareness about the relevance and meaning of human rights in the United States. A nation-wide survey of Americans' attitudes about human rights will be conducted and released in 1998 at a high-profile event. This survey will be an educational tool itself and a useful resource for community and school human rights education programs.
The global cry for democracy is an expression of the universal human desire to construct a value system, expressed politically, that protects human rights. Human rights education is values education. It forms the very core of social education for civic responsibility. The vitality of our democracy rests on the ability of Americans to exercise the responsibilities of citizenship in the light of moral and intellectual integrity.
Loretta Ross, Executive Director
Center for Human Rights Education
Educating for Action
Incorporating human rights education throughout the U.S. will help educators teach students that human rights values can build individual character and transform communities. Students will also learn how the economic and social issues the U.S. faces today, such as inadequate health care and education, poor race relations, economic disparities, and crime all involve human rights. Such human rights education supports and enhances local community action. School programs which incorporate service learning will discover the relevance of HRE for students, educators, and other members of their communities.
Groups and individuals can develop a greater expertise in human rights education by participating in various Human Rights USA training sessions at national, regional, and local educational conferences, community HRE forums, and Human Rights USA's National Strategic Planning Meeting in July. Multi-media educational kits will be created by Human Rights USA for human rights education training. The kits will contain specific elementary, secondary, and community HRE manuals, sample HRE lessons, advocacy project ideas, and many other educational tools. The kits and other HRE materials can be ordered through Human Rights USA's Clearinghouse (located at the University of Minnesota Human Rights Center) or through Human Rights USA's World Wide Web site. The Clearinghouse and Web site will provide access to background information about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and many other human rights topics, and resources from organizations and projects in the U.S. and other countries. The Web site will feature interactive human rights discussions, youth poster contests, and opportunities for students, educators, and community activists to share ideas about human rights and human rights education. It will be equipped to give advice on HRE methodology and curriculum design, and link to other Web sites, including Amnesty International USA and a UDHR 50th site, which will provide information about 50th anniversary events throughout the world.
Human Rights USA calls for a new human rights movement in the United States, a movement that challenges diverse Americans to rethink their attitudes about human rights and a movement that challenges organizations to discuss ways to use a human rights framework to further their missions and promote unity.
Together as individuals and organizations, we can build a human rights culture!
