If you were not able to join us or would like to revisit one of our events, you can watch the recordings on the HRE USA YouTube channel – just click the links below.
2024 EVENTS
Voting Rights: What You Can Do to Combat Voter Suppression
On March 25th, 2024, HRE USA hosted a pivotal event titled “Voting Rights: What You Can Do to Combat Voter Suppression,” featuring esteemed guest speakers Erin Cannan and Yael Bromberg. The event delved into the critical role of voting and civic engagement in upholding human rights and democracy.
Highlighting the significance of voting as enshrined in Article 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the speakers emphasized its foundational importance to democracy and the realization of other fundamental rights. Despite its importance, the right to vote faces unprecedented challenges, including voter suppression and apathy.
In addition to discussing these challenges, Cannan and Bromberg underscored the importance of Gen Z, especially college students, in their participation in voting registration. They emphasized how young people, as a significant demographic, have the power to influence elections and shape the future through their active involvement in the voting process. The speakers shared a comprehensive and thorough action plan that aims to get every eligible student to vote while also engaging them in various civic activities. More information can be found here: Election@Bard program at Bard College
The event aimed to address challenges head-on by empowering participants to take action in promoting voting rights within their communities and classrooms. Key objectives included engaging in discussions on contemporary forms of voter suppression and apathy, developing actionable strategies to promote voter participation and counter-suppression, and exploring innovative approaches to integrate voting education and advocacy into the classroom curriculum.
Overall, the event served as a catalyst for informed action, fostering a culture of active citizenship and highlighting the pivotal role individuals and communities play in safeguarding voting rights and democracy.
TAAS session write up by Justine Ho, HRE USA Communications Intern, Rutgers University
March 16, 2024
Empowering Youth to Promote Gender Equality
As you may recall, the event was co-sponsored by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Amnesty International (AI), and Soka Gakkai International (SGI). It was a part of the HRE USA TAAS Special Global Screening, focusing on the multimedia resource “Changemakers: Stories of Young Human Rights Educators.” Launched in December 2023, this resource, produced by AI, SGI, and the OHCHR, aims to inspire and empower young people to advocate for human rights causes.
Throughout the event, we explored captivating stories of remarkable young human rights educators who have transformed lives through their commitment to human rights education. An interactive discussion delved into the vital role of youth in promoting gender equality through human rights education. In our Q&A session, we got to hear directly from you and the inspiring individuals featured in the multimedia resource, including Ms. Dejana Stosic (Serbia), Mr. Soufiane Hennani (Morocco), and Ms. Aizat Ruslanova (Kyrgyzstan). Thank you again to our educators and to everyone who participated!
We believe the knowledge shared during the event can catalyze positive change in our communities and beyond. We welcome your feedback on the event, as it will assist us in refining our future initiatives and better serving our audience.
While we heard from three of our educators, there are also four more! You can access the full multimedia resource and more information about the project here.
Resources shared from OHCHR/AI/SGI
- Home – Transforming Lives (power-humanrights-education.org)
- Here is the Multimedia link for the Changemakers information – Multimedia – Transforming Lives (power-humanrights-education.org)
- HRE USA K-12 Topic Library on Gender link – Gender (hreusa.org)
TAAS session write up by Elizabeth Schwab, HRE USA Steering Committee
>> Event recording
Monday, February 26, 2024 – 7-9 pm ET
Recording of “Finding Joy: Integrating Mental Wellness into Your Advocacy Strategies“
TAAS Summary by Justine Ho, Rutgers University Intern
On Monday, February 26, 2024, HRE USA hosted its first Spring TAAS session that delved into the vital topic of finding joy and mindfulness in human rights work. Our dynamic lineup of speakers— Drs. Bill Simmons, Ivana Radačić, and Meltem Akoyak-Yildiz—guided us through enlightening discussions and practical exercises aimed at enhancing our well-being and effectiveness in advocacy. Dr. Meltem Akoyak-Yildiz facilitated a deep dive into emotional intelligence, emphasizing the importance of cultivating empathy, self-forgiveness, and self-awareness in navigating the complexities of human rights work. Attendees gained invaluable insights into recognizing and managing their emotions, fostering resilience, and sustaining their passion for social justice causes. Dr. Radačić captivated us with her expertise in meditation and mindfulness practices. Through guided exercises and techniques, she empowered participants to cultivate inner peace, reduce stress, and enhance their mental clarity and focus. Her session underscored the transformative power of mindfulness in promoting well-being. Dr. Simmons introduced us to his book, Joyful Human Rights, which offers a fresh perspective on fundamental human rights issues. Drawing from diverse disciplines such as social erotics, expressive arts therapy, and Buddhist philosophy, Dr. Simmons illuminated the transformative potential of joy as a catalyst for social change.
Overall, attendees gained valuable insights into integrating mental wellness strategies into their advocacy efforts and finding joy and solidarity in human rights work. As we keep moving forward on our path towards making the world a fairer and kinder place, let’s stick together in our pledge to nurture joy, strength, and unity in everything we do for human rights. Stay tuned for future events and opportunities to continue these important conversations.
2023 EVENTS
2023 Human Rights Day Celebration
This year HRE USA commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with human rights educator awards and presentations. If you missed our celebration, you can watch a full recording of the event, including a reading of the UDHR in multiple languages, on our Human Rights Educators USA YouTube channel.
Emancipatory Human Rights and the University: Book Discussion with Editors
HRE USA & UCCHRE
The University and College Consortium for Human Rights Education (UCCHRE) online presentation and conversation with the editors and authors of A Human Rights Imperative in Teacher Education: Developing Compassion, Understanding, and Advocacy
UCCHRE online event for A Human Rights Imperative in Teacher Education: Developing Compassion, Understanding, and Advocacy (published 2023)
Date: Friday, April 21, 2023
Speakers include: Editors Gloria Alter and Bill Fernekes
Authors: Nancy Flowers, Abraham Magendzo, Glenn Mitoma, Adaobiagu Nnemdi, Kristi Rudelius-Palmer, Sandra Sitora, David Shiman, and Felisa Tibbitts
>> See recording
>> Learn more and purchase the book
Sport is a human rights issue. You are invited to learn more about the global social movement towards the defense of human rights in sports, from leading scholars around the world, at a free, virtual conference on Sports and Human Rights, April 5, 2023 from 8am EST to 6pm EST. It is sponsored by the Center for Childhood and Youth Studies at Salem State University in Salem, Mass.
Topics:
- Governance in the Socio-cultural Role of Sports
- Paralymic Treatment: Rolling the Gamut
- Sexual Abuse and Human Rights in Sport: Why it Matters
- Human Rights in the Equine Subculture
- Gymnasts Fight for Human Rights
- Transgender Athletes
- A Human Rights Vision for a World of Responsible Sport
- Commercialization and Economics of Sports: Human Rights Implications
- Athletes for Hope: Human Rights Advocates
- Human Rights, High School Sports, & Special Education
The videos from the conference are available here!
KNOLOGY EVALUATION & IMPACT WORKSHOP
APRIL 12, 2023: 6-7:00 PM ET
This training will cover basic evaluation terminology and approaches, offering several tools that can be easily implemented by HRE practitioners. At the end of the hour- long session, participants will be able to think strategically about how to design and measure HRE initiatives to maximize impact. >> See the recording
MULTICULTURALISM AND BEYOND: REFLECTING ON THE INTERSECTION OF INTERCULUTURAL LEARNING AND HUMAN RIGHTS
APRIL 27, 2023: 5:30 PM CT
What is intercultural learning? How does it advance human rights? In this session, participants will learn how to create impactful intercultural learning experiences to cultivate a culture of peace and human rights in their schools and communities. We will explore examples of how intercultural learning is applied and its connection to human rights in both formal and informal education. See the recording
HRE USA at Civic Learning Week 2023
Date: March 8, 2023
Time: 3pm PT/6pm ET – 4pm PT/7pm ET
This webinar features educators from across the United States who are successfully integrating human rights education (HRE) into the civic learning experiences of students at diverse grade levels. They will share their experiences of using HRE concepts and instructional practices to help students connect with the skills, values and practices that are essential for participants in an inclusive, democratic society. Strategies for engaging youth participation and fostering youth leadership are a particular theme of the webinar.
2022 EVENTS
Human Rights Day Celebration 2022
Saturday, December 10, 2022
The HRE USA community celebrated Human Rights Day and the 74th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights being adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 10, 1948. The virtual Human Rights Celebration was hosted by the Human Rights Educators USA (HREUSA) and University and the College Consortium for Human Rights Education (UCCHRE) on December 9th this year. In addition to celebrating Human Rights Day, some of the 2022 impacts and accomplishments of human rights education activists, educators, fellows, and young leaders were recognized.
The event honored the first 2022 HRE USA Impact Award winner, The International Indian Treaty Council, O’Brien Human Rights Education Award winner, Susan Katz. The University and College Consortium for Human Rights Education (UCCHRE) also recognized the winners of its Human Rights in Higher Education Award, Micheline Ishay.
Some other highlights included the 2022 Edmonds Fellows, the first Teaching Fellow, and Young Leaders sharing their human rights impacts and calls to action for the upcoming 75th anniversary year in 2023. The celebration concluded with the Reading of the UDHR by youth activists from around the world.
Special thanks to the event co-hosts Kristina Eberbach and Marissa Gutierrez-Vicario (Co-Chairs of HRE USA) and Kristi Rudelius-Palmer (Curator of HRE USA).
Training As Action Series
The Human Rights Educators USA’s virtual Training As Action Series (TAAS) focuses on bridging personal and collective action on some of the most critical human rights issues of today. The annual series is offered in October and November each year.
2022 TRAINING AS ACTION SESSIONS
Monday, 10/17/22 7pm–9pm ET: Action for Human Rights
During this workshop, participants explored various tactics for human rights action. Paying particular attention to youth action for human rights, we discussed how to design a plan of action, the right to protest, and student walkouts as human rights actions. This interactive workshop was facilitated by Ben Fleming and Kristina Eberbach. More information on this session
Monday, 10/24/22 7pm–9pm ET: Indigenous Peoples’ Human Rights – Video Recording
This session explored Indigenous Peoples’ and environmental rights as human rights. International Indian Treaty Council (IITC) leaders address indigenous land rights, justice, and the effects of climate change for various communities. The session began with a brief recognition of IITC as the HRE USA first-ever Impact Award recipients for the 50 years of working to educate and defend the rights of Indigenous Peoples in the US, at the United Nations, and with collaborators around the world. The presenter included Bill Means, Founder and Board Member of IITC & Oglala Lakota Nation, Wicahpi Koyaka Tiospaye, Pine Ridge, South Dakota, Andrea Carmen, IITC Executive Director, and Lisa Bellanger IITC Board Member and St. Paul, Minnesota Indigenous Educator, and White Earth Anishinaabe Nation, Three Fires Society, Manitoba Canada. More information on this session
Saturday, 10/29/22 11am-1pm ET: Facilitating Difficult Conversations
During this session, participants workshopped best practices and effective techniques for facilitation, conflict management, and inquiry-based questioning, focusing on current social issues being debated in society. This interactive workshop was facilitated by Kaylee Bradford and Rebecca Cannara.
Monday, 11/7/22 7pm–9pm ET: Children’s Rights & Youth Activism – Video Recording
This session provided an overview of the United States children and youth rights initiatives and organizing around critical children rights and youth activism. The session offered context and content with practical applications for community action and networking resources. This interactive workshop was facilitated by Hallie McRae, Maddy Wegner, and Adrianna Zhang. More information on this session.
Monday, 11/14/22 7pm–9pm ET: Ending Gun Violence – Video Recording
This workshop provided the human rights framework that guided Amnesty International’s groundbreaking research on gun violence in the US. We received information and personal stories from the most vulnerable communities who experience high rates of gun violence. We also learned advocacy skills to act to support efforts to end gun violence on a local and national front. This session was facilitated by Amnesty International USA leaders, Ernest Converson, Ebony McClease, and Cynthia Gabriel Walsh. More information on this session.
Saturday, 11/19/22 11am–1pm ET: Incorporating Human Rights in the Classroom – Video Recording
During this session, we workshopped how to source human rights resources for your classroom and discuss meaningful ways to incorporate human rights into your lesson plans and learning activities. We also practiced developing/revising lessons plans to incorporate human rights within various subjects. Facilitators included Kaylee Bradford, Elana Haviv, and Sandy Sohcot. More information on this session.
Experiential Learning and Human Rights Change with Dr. Carrie Booth Walling
March 11, 2022
About the talk: My human rights students at Albion College and in the G Robert Cotton Correctional Facility have taught me the importance of seeing human rights close to home, the value of applying the human rights framework in the US context, and how human rights education empowers advocacy. My book, Human Rights and Justice for All: Demanding Dignity in the United States and Around the World, encourages learners to traverse the boundaries between the local and the global and between ideas and practice. Teaching human rights with a focus on experiential learning highlights the ways that human rights issues manifest in our own communities and empowers learners to engage in human rights-inspired change on their own campuses and in their own communities.
Carrie Booth Walling is Professor of Political Science and Faculty Director of the Gerald R. Ford Institute for Public Service at Albion College where she designs opportunities for experiential learning. Her research interests are in human rights, human security, transitional justice, and the United Nations Security Council. Walling is Director of the Albion College Human Rights Lab, a Security Fellow with the Truman National Security Project, and teaches for the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program which brings incarcerated and non-incarcerated people together to study justice behind prison walls.
2021 EVENTS
Human Rights Day Celebration 2021
Friday, December 10, 2021
HRE USA celebrated Human Rights Day and the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations on Dec 10, 1948. The Human Rights Zoom Celebration was hosted by the Human Rights Educators USA (HREUSA) and University and the College Consortium for Human Rights Education (UCCHRE). In addition to celebrating the Human Rights Day, the celebration also honored a decade of Human Rights Educators USA as a movement (2011-2021). Special thanks to the event co-hosts Marissa Gutierrez-Vicario (Co-chair of HRE USA) and Kristi Rudelius-Palmer (Curator of HRE USA).
The event also honored the 2021 Edward O’Brien Human Rights Education Award winners, Keith David Watenpaugh and Educators Institute for Human Rights (EIHR) and 2021 Flowers Fund Grantees, Natalia Santos Orozco, Ph. D (University of Puerto Rico) and Michael Buckley, Ph. D & David Fletcher, Ph. D (Lehman Center for Peace &Social Justice). The University and College Consortium for Human Rights Education (UCCHRE) also recognized the winners of its first Human Rights in Higher Education Award, Human Rights Education Review and the International Journal of Human Rights Education.
The celebration concluded with the Reading of the UDHR by youth activists from around the world in Lina Lenberg’s class.
NEW 2021-2022 HRE USA Training As Action Series (TAAS)
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights Preamble (1948) contains a call for “all peoples and all nations” to promote respect for human rights and freedoms through such means as teaching and education. HRE USA responds to this call through the promotion of human dignity, justice, and peace by cultivating an expansive, vibrant base of support for human rights education within the United States.
Since our founding in 2011, HRE USA has established a strong base of 1100 educators across the country: a group of individuals and organizations united by the goal of providing impactful and accessible human rights education for all.
On the 10th anniversary of its founding, HRE USA launched a new 2021-22 Training As Action Series (TAAS) focused on bridging the personal and collective on some of the most critical human rights issues of today. TAAS fosters a productive and creative educational space to connect and collaborate with others in the HRE USA community with the goal of reaching a common understanding and shared language.
The 2021-22 HRE USA Training As Action Series (TAAS) featured a scaffolded three-tier training model. Each tier builds upon the next in terms of depth, participation, and engagement. The trainings were designed to meet the diverse needs of our members. Participants were welcome to register for Tier 1 only, Tier 1 and 2, or all three tiers.
Tier 1 (2 modules, Sep/Oct) provided general grounding in human rights and human rights education applications, including understanding ways to engage within the various committees, action teams, and working groups of HRE USA.
Tier 2 (4 modules, Oct/Nov) engaged HRE USA members in interactive human rights training on urgent topic areas in ways that are applicable to their personal, collective, and professional contexts.
Tier 3 (2 modules, Dec/Jan) developed the HRE USA Training Corps focused on improving, planning, and implementing ongoing community building and training efforts.
How is Preservice HRE Taught in the United States?
Monday, April 19, 2021
This presentation discussed how preservice HRE is currently being taught in the United States and to what extent these courses incorporate ‘good practices’ recommended in the field. The presenter looked at current opportunities and challenges for HRE integration into teacher education programs. Following the presentation, there was an open discussion with participants to identify the next steps for equipping future teachers with HRE competencies.
Pedagogy and Projects Series: Teaching for Racial Justice with Professor Justin Hansford
April 16, 2021
About the talk: Justin Hansford discussed his experience in community-based legal advocacy and addressed how he incorporated his practitioner experience into his teaching and scholarship.
Justin Hansford – Executive Director, Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center, Howard University. Professor Hansford was previously a Democracy Project Fellow at Harvard University, a Visiting Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center, and an Associate Professor of Law at Saint Louis University. He has a B.A. from Howard University and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, where he was a founder of the Georgetown Journal of Law and Modern Critical Race Perspectives. Professor Hansford also has received a Fulbright Scholar award to study the legal career of Nelson Mandela, and served as a clerk for Judge Damon J. Keith on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Hansford worked to empower the Ferguson community through community based legal advocacy. He co-authored the Ferguson to Geneva human rights shadow report and accompanied the Ferguson protesters and Mike Brown’s family to Geneva, Switzerland, to testify at the United Nations. He has served as a policy advisor for proposed post-Ferguson reforms at the local, state, and federal level, testifying before the Ferguson Commission, the Missouri Advisory Committee to the United States Civil Rights Commission, the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
Professor Hansford co-authored the forthcoming Seventh Edition of Race, Racism and American Law. His interdisciplinary scholarship has appeared in academic journals at various universities, including Harvard, Georgetown, Fordham, and the University of California at Hastings.
2020 EVENTS
Human Rights Day Celebration 2020
Thursday, December 10, 2020
HRE USA celebrated Human Rights Day and the ratification of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations on Dec 10, 1948. Special thanks to keynote speaker, Loretta Ross, for her encouraging and reflective words of wisdom and to Uma Menon for her striking and vital poetry. The event also honored the 2020 Edward O’Brien Human Rights Education Award winners, Pam Bruns of Human Rights Watch Student Task Force and the ACT Center for Disability Leadership. The celebration also included the video, “Voices of Hope: A UDHR Celebration” with youth reciting the articles of the UDHR in different languages.
2018 EVENTS
70th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights HRE USA Poster Contest
This gallery features the winners and finalists of the 2018 Picture Human Rights Poster Contest whose art exemplified the human rights ideals put forth by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. These posters will be displayed at the national conference of Amnesty International USA, regional and national conferences of the National Council for the Social Studies, and at human rights education workshops and seminars. THEME: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is turning 70!The UDHR was adopted by the United Nations on December 10, 1948. Its 30 articles set out the basic rights and freedoms that apply to all people. Human rights recognize the inherent value of each person, based on the principles of dignity, equality, and mutual respect, which are shared across cultures, religions, and philosophies.
2018 Edward O’Brien Human Rights Education Award Ceremony
Monday, November 26, 2018
HRE USA held an awards ceremony for the 2018 Edward O’Brien Human Rights Education Award on Monday, November 26th from 7:00-8:30 pm at Columbia University Teachers College in NY, NY. The 2018 winners of the Edward O’Brien HRE were Karen Robinson of Speak Truth To Power, a project of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, and Marissa Gutierrez for her organization, ARTE: Art and Resistance through Education. In addition to receiving the awards, Karen and Marissa discussed the practical implementation of human rights education in today’s political climate. Dr. Felisa Tibbitts, a previous winner of the O’Brien Award, moderated the discussion and presented the awards to each winner, followed by a Q&A and reception. The reception was co-sponsored by the Columbia Teachers College Peace Education Network, a student group that exists to create a space for practitioners, scholars, and activists within and beyond Columbia University to come together and cross-pollinate ideas, build relationships, build community around the broadly defined field of Peace Education.
2017 EVENTS
Nancy Flowers Receives HRE USA Lifetime Achievement Award
Thursday, November 16, 2017
In November 2017 Human Rights Educators USA (HRE USA) presented Nancy Flowers with a Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her decades of dedication, innovation, and mentorship in advancing human rights education in the United States and around the world. Nancy was surrounded by family, friends and colleagues many of whom shared their own personal stories and thank you messages attesting to the impact Nancy has made on their lives through her human rights work. Furthermore, in honor of Nancy Flowers, HRE USA established the Flowers Fund. Under her guidance, the fund is used continue Nancy’s legacy of innovation and mentorship in human rights education.
hreusa.org 