Human Rights Day remains relevant after 70 years
The past few years of rising hatred, bigotry, and violence throughout America and the world remind us that whenever humanity’s values are abandoned, we are all at higher risk. Born out of two World Wars and the horror of the Holocaust in which some six million Jews and five million non-Jews were murdered by the Nazis, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is as relevant today as it was when the United Nations ratified it on December 10, 1948.
For development of the first universal human rights document to serve the world, Eleanor Roosevelt, former First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, led the U.N. committee. Working alongside men and women from diverse legal and cultural backgrounds from across the world, the document proclaimed the inalienable rights which everyone is inherently entitled to as a human being — regardless of race, color, religion, sex, language, political or another opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or another status.
The UDHR empowers us all to stand up for our rights and the rights of others. Yet, I wonder how many of us know the 30 rights detailed in the Declaration of Human Rights. “All Human Beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights,” is the first Right. It formally recognizes that we have our own thoughts and ideas and that we all should be treated in the same way. Fairness and respect come to mind. Number 4 says no to slavery, saying we cannot make anyone our slave, and Number 5 tells us nobody has any right to hurt us or to torture us. Number 14 says if we are frightened or being badly treated in our own country we all have the right to run away to another country to be safe. Sound familiar? International law has firm definitions for what this right entails. America’s traditional devotion to the noblest of human rights to offer asylum to those in danger ties directly to this document through our own laws.
After the document’s adoption 70 years ago, it took almost 20 years for the passing of international laws agreed upon by many countries to protect human rights. Fundamental laws in many nations today include the rights specified in the Declaration. Available in over 500 languages, the UDHR is the most translated document in the world. Many humanitarians, including Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and Nelson Mandela, have bravely championed these human rights.
On this anniversary it’s important to remember the way the U.N.’s Declaration of Human Rights Preamble inspires through this beginning line of the preamble. “Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace in the world.” Shouldn’t these rights be taught in our schools and the Declaration hang prominently on the walls of our city halls, State Legislature, U.S. Congress and White House?
What can you do in support of the Declaration of Human Rights? Study the 30 rights and share them with others. The United Nations encourages us to take action in our own daily lives to uphold the rights that protect us all and thereby promote the kinship of all human beings. Several Central Florida organizations promote equality, justice, anti-bullying, and caring to prevent violence and sustain peace. Most use history in their timeless humane mission including the Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center of Florida, the Wells’ Built Museum of African-American History and Culture, OnePulse Foundation, Zebra Coalition, Valencia College’s Peace and Justice Institute and more. What kind of world will future generations inherit? Our shared humanity should be rooted in these universal values.