By Sarah Bishop,
The United Nations General Assembly’s adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) on this date in 1948 marked a milestone in the history of human rights – creating “a foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.”
Sixty-two years later, the Declaration, with its broad range of social, political, cultural and economic rights, continues to outline and inspire an international standard for human rights.
Human Rights Day 2010 has chosen to focus on human rights defenders who act to end discrimination. A prominent example is Liu Xiaobo, this year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner, helped to author Charter 08, which calls for peaceful political reform in China, and lost his freedom as a result. There’s also Aung San Suu Kyi, a woman who has spent most of the last 20 years in some form of detention due to her pro-democratic efforts in Burma. They are just two of many.
In Buffalo, no one is in detention for writing a document reflective of their conscience. No Nobel laureates to champion the cause of the Erie County Holding Center.
“Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home – so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighborhood he lives in; the school or college he attends; the factory, farm, or office where he works. Such are the places where every man, woman, and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
However, the city is full of human rights defenders. They are active throughout our community, serving as quiet but diligent gatekeepers for us all — elected officials, non-profit organizations and individuals. They speak out against abuse and violations, including discrimination, exclusion and even oppression. They advocate for justice, demand accountability and fight for equality — often never being recognized nor gaining any acclaim. They firmly believe in the principles embodied in the UDHR.
The truth of today is that Human Rights Day is merely emblematic of the work that Buffalo’s human rights defenders have undertaken over the past year, from those that had the courage to stand up against hate speech during the gubernatorial race this past fall, to those who serve our vibrant refugee population and give them the skills they need to put the past behind them and move onto a better tomorrow, to the artisans that create a social revolution with pieces that call into question the status quo, to the teachers that educate and the legislators that pass bills that work towards equality, to all of those who contribute, by whatever means, to bending the arc of the universe towards justice.