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Register for the 2025 Ripple of Hope Award Gala
This year’s laureates—Martin Cabrera, Jr., Stephen Colbert, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Stefano Lucchini, and Darren Walker—will be honored at the annual Ripple of Hope Gala on December 9 in New York City.
Press Release: Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Names 2025 Ripple of Hope Award Recipients
Right to Food in the United States: Solidarity and Accountability through the Universal Periodic Review
1-3pm EST, Tuesday November 11, 2025
This event reaffirms our commitment to international cooperation and processes that support the progressive realization of human rights within the United States and throughout the world. At the time of this event, the United States government should be undergoing its fourth Universal Periodic Review (UPR), a process in which all United Nations Member States reflect on a country’s progress towards realizing human rights and have an opportunity to ask questions and make recommendations. The United States government withdrew from the UPR process in August, making it the first country to refuse to take part in this peer review. This event is being held to provide a space for advocates and organizations working within the U.S. and internationally to reflect on concerns and opportunities for advancing the right to food at this moment. We will review progress towards realizing the Right to Food in the United States and discuss priorities for next steps. Participants will have the opportunity to:
– Hear from members of the National Right to Food Community of Practice who have been engaging with the Universal Periodic Review process this year;
– Build connections and solidarity with others working to advance the right to food in the United States and internationally;
– Contribute to strategies for next steps towards realizing the right to food.
Civically Teaching: Strengthening Civic Knowledge This Election Season
Election season offers a dynamic opportunity—and a few challenges—for both educators and students. It is an ideal time to explore core democratic principles, such as the consent of the governed, the rule of law, and federalism. Expand your civic education toolkit by diving into the Center’s voting and elections resources. This curated collection includes four civics inquiry lessons that guide students through primary source investigations with questions like “Do we need a constitutional amendment to protect voting rights?” and “Is the Electoral College still necessary?” These student-centered inquiries not only encourage critical thinking but also strengthen foundational knowledge of the Constitution and its role in our democracy.
Episodes 66 & 67 with youth advocates Jude Armstrong, Jaya Field, and Ella Henry are available on Human Rights Education Now!
Human Rights Education Now! Episodes 66 & 67 with youth advocates are live!
Jude Armstrong is a writer and abolitionist from New Orleans, Louisiana. They organize alongside queer youth to protest anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and advocate for social justice. Their poetry has appeared in The Amistad, Palette Poetry, and Bottlecap Press, with recognition from Adroit Journal, YoungArts, and Teen Sequins. Jude is currently studying Human Rights and English at Columbia University.
Jaya Field is a senior at the University of Washington, double majoring in International Studies and Law, Societies & Justice. Her work explores how international legal systems impact marginalized communities. She has presented research internationally and gained field experience through study abroad programs in Perú and Italy, focusing on queer, migrant, Indigenous, and disability rights.
Ella Henry is an 18-year-old Mexican Samoan student from Boise, Idaho, and a sophomore at Columbia University majoring in Race and Ethnicity Studies. She serves as Advocacy Coordinator for the Housing Equity Project, volunteers as a Spanish interpreter for asylum seekers, and interns at the ACLU of Idaho, focusing on immigrant rights and outreach.
Episode 66
In episode 66, hosts Ava Kreutziger and Elizabeth Schwab speak with youth advocates Jude Armstrong, Jaya Field, and Ella Henry about how education shapes their understanding of human rights. They share experiences with Eurocentric and exclusionary curricula, the absence of marginalized voices, and how these gaps motivated their activism. Ella discusses her “Know Your Rights” trainings for immigrant communities, while the group reflects on censorship through omission and the need for inclusive, truth-based education that connects classroom learning to real-world justice movements.
Episode 67
In episode 67, hosts Ava Kreutziger and Elizabeth Schwab continue the conversation with Jude Armstrong, Jaya Field, and Ella Henry, focusing on global perspectives, intersectionality, and creative activism. Jaya discusses her comparative research on queer rights in Sweden and Poland; Jude explores poetry and abolition as tools for liberation; and Ella reflects on cultural shifts toward inclusivity. The guests share strategies for resisting censorship, promoting restorative justice, and incorporating lived experiences into education. They conclude by envisioning a future where empathy, representation, and critical thinking are central to all learning environments.
All episodes of Human Rights Education Now! are available on:
Buzzsprout, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Deezer, PlayerFM, Pocket Casts, and the HRE USA website,
HRE USA would love to learn how listeners are using episodes in their classrooms and with their communities. Please send comments and ideas for classroom use to kristi@hreusa.org.
Thank you for supporting the Human Rights Education NOW! podcast!
Learning for Justice: Supporting LGBTQ+ Rights and Inclusion
October is LGBTQ+ History Month. LGBTQ+ people have always existed, but LGBTQ+ history, which is an integral part of the history of the United States, has often been ignored or erased. We offer this updated resource page for learning and teaching about the contributions of LGBTQ+ people, including articles, guides, posters, webinars and more.
Our 13-episode podcast series, Queer America, is devoted to this understudied history. Join hosts Leila Rupp and John D’Emilio on a journey that spans from Harlem to the Frontier West, revealing stories of LGBTQ+ life we should have learned in school.
New book: Police Against the Movement: The Sabotage of the Civil Rights Struggle and the Activists Who Fought Back
On Monday, November 10, scholar Joshua Clark Davis, in conversation with educator Jessica A. Rucker, will discuss his new book Police Against the Movement: The Sabotage of the Civil Rights Struggle and the Activists Who Fought Back, an examination of the civil rights struggle through its work against police violence. This book offers a vital lens for any curriculum on the Civil Rights Movement.
Call for Papers: Global Campus Human Rights Journal (GCHRJ) Volume 9!
Global Campus Human Rights Journal (GCHRJ) is an open access journal published under the auspices of the Global Campus of Human Rights, and is supported financially by the European Union. No fees are charged for submission, article processing or publication.
The journal welcomes submissions on a wide range of topics relating to the fields of human rights and democratisation, but particularly welcomes contributions that speak to the Global Campus of Human Rights: Vision, Mission and Strategic Objectives 2024-2028.
Call for Papers (Volume 9, 2025)! 📅 Submission Deadline: 15 December 2025
📌 Topics: GCHRJ welcomes submissions on a wide range of topics relating to the fields of human rights and democratisation at the local, national, regional and global levels. We particularly encourage multi- and inter-disciplinary perspectives and welcome a range of methodological approaches.
🔗 Read the full Call for Papers on the e-journal’s open-access website: https://lnkd.in/d8xgKeEG
TAAS Module 4: Freedom, Facts, and Filters: A Dialogue on Misinformation
Saturday, November 1st, 11 am ET
This session will explore how misinformation shapes public perception, the role of freedom of speech in digital spaces, and the responsibilities of governments, companies, and communities in safeguarding access to truthful information. Through facilitated dialogue, participants will reflect on their own relationship with digital platforms, critically evaluate sources, and consider how human rights education can foster media literacy, civic responsibility, and resilience in the face of disinformation.
Register here
Human Rights Educators USA’s annual Training as Action Series (TAAS) is a virtual training series focused on bridging personal and collective action on some of the most critical human rights issues of today. TAAS creates an educational space to connect and collaborate with others in human rights education and training. It also gives participants the skills and information needed to take action on rights issues in their communities.
The 2025–2026 Training as Action Series will center on the theme, “Defending Democracy and
Human Rights in a Changing World.” This year’s sessions will explore urgent issues such as misinformation, protest rights, climate justice, and digital surveillance, highlighting how human rights education can equip communities to respond with clarity, courage, and collective action. Those who attend six or more sessions will receive a certificate from HRE USA. 2025-26 TAAS Flyer
HRE USA is a project of the Center for Transformative Action.
Putting the Movement Back Into Civil Rights Teaching
Putting the Movement Back Into Civil Rights Teaching and companion website offer a collection of lessons, essays, articles, primary documents, and poetry to help educators move beyond a “heroes and holidays” approach to teaching about the Civil Rights Movement in pre-K–12 classrooms.
HRE USA 