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HRE USA

A network dedicated to building a culture of human rights

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Your Vote, Your Voice 2020

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HRE USA leaders and partners have come together to encourage everyone to make sure their voice is heard and exercise their civic right to vote this November! To further engage students around voting and participation in government, we have compiled a rich collection of Get Out The Vote student-centered resources, programs, and projects. These resources can be used to create a service-driven civic learning activity or, can be inserted into ongoing social and civic education projects. 

Exercise your right to vote this November and encourage your students to help get out the vote!

>> Learn more

FREE Social Justice Films from Highlander Center

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The Highlander Center (TN) was founded in the early 1930s, primarily to organize unemployed/working people. In the 1950s-60s, its workshops became an important incubator for the Civil Rights movement, and onward until today, carrying on the fight for justice and equality. 

To further the cause for social justice, the Highlander Center has made available four short inspiring films to show in classrooms, libraries, EJ organizations, at ‘home schools,’ and elsewhere to demonstrate how ‘ordinary’ people working collectively can make extraordinary change. They are excerpts from a longer film by Lucy Massie Phenix called You Got To Move. 

Film subjects include: 1) first Citizenship School on Johns Island near Charleston, teaching how to read/write so folks can vote; 2) organizing to demand reparations from strip mines in KY; 3) environmental justice and toxic waste dumping in TN, and 4) 1969 Black nurses’ strike in Charleston.  

 >> Access Films

Advance Voting Rights

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August 6 was the 55th anniversary of the signing of the landmark Voting Rights Act, key portions of which were invalidated in 2013 by the Supreme Court’s decision in Shelby v. Holder. Recent primary elections in Wisconsin and Georgia were riddled with problems—polling place closures, long lines with hours-long waits, unfulfilled absentee ballot requests, and machine breakdowns—that could have been avoided if we had the full protections of the Voting Rights Act.

The Voting Rights Advancement Act (VRAA), a direct response to Shelby v. Holder, was recently reintroduced as the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. Lewis, the first Black lawmaker to lie in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, helped lead the historic 1965 march for voting rights in Selma, Alabama, that led to the passage and signing of the Voting Rights Act. The House passed the VRAA in December 2019, after a dozen hearings documenting the continued persistence of racial discrimination in voting. Now, it’s up to the Senate. 

Contact your senators and tell them to support the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

 >> Take Action

Future Voters Project: New Resources for Teaching the Election

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Right now is a critical time for fostering civic action and understanding in our youth.  To that end, Teaching Tolerance has created brand-new resources as part of their Future Voters Project! Check out the project to explore their new voter suppression lesson bank and review their recommendations for leading safe, inclusive voter registration drives. Sign up to receive updates every Thursday until November with new and recommended resources for registering future voters, learning about voting rights and voter suppression, and leading discussions about the 2020 election.

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American leadership in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals

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EVENT DETAILS: 
When: Wednesday, September 16m 2020
Time: 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm EST
Where: Live Stream
Cost: FREE

Description:
The Brookings Institution and the UN Foundation are co-hosting a high-level virtual event to showcase the power of the SDGs in the United States against the backdrop of the SDGs. The devastating health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have exposed and exacerbated stark inequalities and vulnerabilities in the United States. At the same time, protests sparked by the tragic killing of George Floyd have put the spotlight on America’s long history of racial injustice. The commitment to equity, justice, and environmental preservation reflected in the sustainable development goals (SDGs) is more critical today than ever, a foundation to respond to these crises and to build a future that leaves no one behind. Building off a successful first gathering last year on the margins of the UN General Assembly, this event will showcase local innovation, leadership, actions, and commitments from all parts of the American society, including cities, businesses, universities, philanthropy, and youth activists. Their leadership is crucial to a recovery that advances equity and sustainability here at home, and provides a fundamental basis for U.S. credibility and leadership abroad on the defining issues of our day.

Viewers can submit questions by emailing events@brookings.edu or via Twitter using #USAforSDGs.

>> Learn more and register

2020 Election Speaker Series

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EVENT DETAILS: 
When: September 13, 18, 25 & October 2, 9, 16, 23
Time: 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm CST
Where: Live Stream
Cost: FREE

The University of Dayton School of Law and Human Rights Center are hosting a 2020 Election Speaker Series. The series will consist of political experts and officeholders discussing the most pressing issues leading up to the 2020 Election. The sessions will be available on Zoom and are free. You can attend all of them or just specific sessions. Please view the sessions below and register using the link provided for each session you wish to attend.

>> Learn more and Register

Civic Engagement – Monday, September 14, 5:00-6:30 p.m.
This inaugural session focuses on how to get engaged in the 2020 election on the local, state, and national levels. 
Register Now

  • Introductions & Moderator:
    Shelley Inglis, Executive Director, University of Dayton Human Rights Center
  • Speaker:
    Frank LaRose, Ohio Secretary of State
  • Panelists
    Ifeolu A.C. Claytor, All Voting is Local, Ohio Campaign Manager
    Jo Lovelace Hill, Vice-President of Voter Services, League of Women Voters of Greater Dayton
    Christopher Devine, Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Dayton
  • Presentation
    UDayton Votes Removing Barriers and Striving to Empower All to Participate – Rep. Charles Booker – Friday, September 18, 5:00-6:30 p.m.

Removing Barriers and Striving to Empower All to Participate – Friday, September 18, 5:00-6:30 p.m.
This session will feature Rep. Charles Booker with the Kentucky State House of Representatives.
Register Now

  • Introductions & Moderator:
    Joel Pruce, University of Dayton Human Rights Center
  • Keynote:
    Rep. Charles Booker, Kentucky State House of Representatives
  • Student and Community Panel: 
    Zion Savory, President, Black Law Students Association, University of Dayton School of Law
    Darius J. Beckham, Legislative Aide to Mayor Nan Whaley, City of Dayton

Race and Gender in the Elections – Friday, September 25, 4:30-6:30 p.m.
This session will examine issues of race and gender that impact elections in the United States. It features a special appearance and address by Ohio House Minority Leader Emelia Strong Sykes starting at 4:30 pm.
Register Now

  • Introductions:
    Khandice Lofton, Vice-President, Black Law Students Association, University of Dayton School of Law
  • Moderator: 
    Tiffany Taylor Smith, Executive Director for Inclusive Excellence Education and Professional Development, University of Dayton
  • Speaker:
    Rep. Emilia Strong Sykes, Ohio House Democratic Leader
  • Panel:
    Reverend Peter Matthews, Pastor, Historic McKinley United Methodist Church and Director of the Center for Global Renewal and Missions at United Theological Seminary
    Professor Neil G. Williams, Nathaniel R. Jones Professor of Law, Loyola University Chicago’s School of Law

Voter Participation and Suppression – Friday, October 2, 5:00-6:30 p.m.
This session will examine structural problems that undermine full enfranchisement in the United States. 
Register Now

  • Introductions & Moderator:
    Bob Taft, University of Dayton, Distinguished Research Associate
  • Panel:
    Kathay Feng, National Redistricting Director, Common Cause
  • Benjamin Cover, Associate Professor of Law, University of Idaho College of Law

Technology and Voting in 2020 – Problems and Promise – Friday, October 9, 5:00-6:30 p.m.
This session will examine how new technologies are affecting the 2020 elections.
Register Now

  • Introductions:
    Wm. David Salisbury, Sherman-Standard Register Professor of Cybersecurity Management & Director, UD Center for Cybersecurity & Data Intelligence    
  • Moderator:
    Aquene Freechild, Co-Director, Democracy Is For People Campaign
  • Panel:
    Charles Stewart III, Kenan Sahin Distinguished Professor of Political Science, MIT
    Dan Wallach, Professor, Rice University Department of Computer Science
    Elizabeth Howard, Senior Counsel, Brennan Center’s Democracy Program

Campaign Finance and Other First Amendment Issues – Friday, October 16, 5:00-6:30 p.m.
This session will examine the current law and practice of financing and conducting political campaigns in 2020. 
Register Now

  • Panel:
    Ciara Torres-Spelliscy, Professor of Law, Stetson University
    Ann Southworth, Professor of Law, UC Irvine School of Law; Co-Director, Center for Empirical Research on the Legal Profession
    Craig Holman, Government Affairs Lobbyist, Public Citizen

Expectations, Emergent Issues, and Breaking News – Friday, October 23, 5:00-6:30 p.m.
This final session is devoted to a final review of the election-related issues facing the nation and our community in the final days running up to Election Day.
Register Now

SIMA 2021 Film Awards – Call for Entries

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Each year, the annual international SIMA Awards honor the best independent impact storytelling that stands out in it’s creativity, integrity, and merit to inspire social change. Now in its 9th year, #SIMA2021 opens for entries on September 8, 2020. 

SIMA is looking for original, wise, brave, eye-opening and creative productions that increase the awareness of viewers to local and global issues, to the resilience of humans facing deprivation, to the politics and movements of human rights, environmental and social justice, and to efforts and agents of change worldwide. Entry Categories include: Feature Documentaries, Short Documentaries, Virtual Reality (VR) Films, Impact Videos, Production Companies and Funders.

Finalists will be announced on January 12, 2021 and Winners on February 10, 2021.

>> Learn more

Teaching About the Pandemic

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As remote instruction continues into the new school year, The Zinn Education Project shares resources for teaching in these challenging conditions including a new lesson for students, Who’s to Blame? A People’s Tribunal on the Coronavirus Pandemic as well as articles, films, and resources on teaching about the history of pandemics and the connection between climate change and the coronavirus.  

The summer issue of Rethinking Schools is a special, longer issue that focuses on teaching and learning in the pandemic. In their editorial, “The Fight of Our Lives,” Rethinking Schools editors describe the summer issue as “a lamentation, but it is also a celebration — and a call to action.”

This edition includes articles about what it means to show up for students at this time, the history of anti-Chinese racism and its intersection with disease in the United States, and how 12 teachers cope and think about what it means to be an educator right now.

>> Learn more

Indigenous Peoples’ Day Virtual Teach-In: Food and Water Justice

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EVENT DETAILS: 
When: Wednesday, September 12
Time: 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm EST
Where: Live Stream
Cost: $15

Description:
Join the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) and Teaching for Change for keynote speaker, Winona LaDuke and curriculum workshops. The focus of the teach-in is Indigenous peoples’ histories and experiences around food and water justice today. The keynote speaker and interactive workshops will feature classroom resources from the NMAI’s Native Knowledge 360° and the Zinn Education Project’s Teach Climate Justice campaign. The teach-in will be held virtually via Zoom. CEU’s will be available by request and closed captions will be offered for the keynote and selected sessions. 

>> Learn more and Register

Welcome New Steering Committee Members

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HRE USA is excited to welcome two new members to our Steering Committee. Congratulations to Angelica Brooks and Jessica Evans!

Special thanks to everyone who participated in the election. We look forward to serving our membership and continuing to carry out the mission of HRE USA to build a vibrant base of support for HRE in the United States.  




Angelica Brooks 
(Montgomery, Alabama)
Executive Director and Founder,
The Silent Voices Project
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Jessica Evans
(Murray, Kentucky)
Director of Assessment and Accreditation, College of Education and Human Services, Murray State University
>> Read more

We are grateful for the generous support of our members, individual donors, and The Puffin Foundation Ltd
The core values of HRE USA and its partner organizations include transparency and critical thinking skills. We believe that human rights--and human rights education--belong to everyone, and that the full realization of human rights means that access to human rights education materials must never be conditioned upon the subscription to any particular religious faith, ideology, political affiliation, or membership in any particular organization and that any organizational connections should be openly acknowledged.