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Authors, sign in!Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said “I think it is necessary to realize that we have moved from the era of civil rights to the era of human rights.” These words, though uttered in 1967, are hauntingly relevant today. It seems unbelievable that over the last 24 months, poverty rates rose to an all-time high, medical debt was behind 6 in 10 bankruptcy filings, and thousands of students of color were denied access to a quality education. In a nation of such wealth, visible signs of persistent inequalities remain.
Dr. King did not live to see his vision of respect for human rights fulfilled in the United States. But since his death, researchers and advocates in our nation have spearheaded efforts to make human rights the framework for social justice across the country.
So what are human rights? The world celebrated the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in December. According to this historical document, all members of the human race are endowed with the same and most importantly, equal rights. Researchers such as Jack Donnelly have written extensively on the need to protect human rights to secure human dignity. He and others go so far as to equate having human rights and being human. Or as Donnelly says, "human rights say in effect, treat a person like a human being and you’ll get a human being.”
My volunteer work with the national Dignity in Schools Campaign has afforded me the incredible chance to work with some of the brightest human rights advocates across the country. Not only do they use human rights to guide their work, but they devote countless hours to building coalitions in their communities, organizing marches, and even developing radio programs to raise awareness and provide affected parents and youth with an outlet to voice their concerns.
The Dignity in Schools Campaign, while still growing, has become a strong voice for building a culture of human rights in our nation’s public schools. Our work is founded on the somewhat radical belief that our young people are human beings, too. Crazy idea, isn’t it? We aim to advance policy and practice that will respect our children and youth by treating them like human beings. Our research has found over and over that when this happens, so-called problem behaviors decline in schools. And, wonders of wonders, the numbers of suspensions and expulsions significantly decrease as well.
As we observe the inspiring life of Dr. King, I encourage you to brush up on the human rights that he held so dear and felt were worth fighting for. Read the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/) and learn about the Dignity in Schools Campaign (www.dignityinschools.org) and other organizations that use human rights as the groundwork for their fight for human dignity.
Published January 18, 2010 by Anna Lambertson |
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Civil Rights
Equality
Human Rights
Martin Luther King
