Dec.
10, 2008 - More
than 60 Atlanta Groups Come Together to Commemorate the 60th Anniversary
of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
...
Oct.
10, 2008 - Over 30 Human rights and social justice
organizations have come together to form the Human Rights
Atlanta (HRA) coalition. ...
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday,
December 10, 2008
Contact:
Azadeh Shahshahani, 404-523-6201, 919-389-5329, ashahshahani@acluga.org
Laura Moye, 404-452-8920, lmoye@aiusa.org
Human
Rights Atlanta
More than 60 Atlanta Groups Come Together
to Commemorate the 60th Anniversary of
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Human
Rights Day celebration event will be at 6:00 p.m.
at the Auburn Avenue Research Library
Atlanta
– The Human Rights Atlanta coalition today celebrates the
launch of an Atlanta-based human rights campaign on the occasion
of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights (UDHR). The UDHR is a set of fundamental rights and protections
that are to be enjoyed by all persons throughout the world by
the virtue of their humanity.
Human Rights
Atlanta, which is a broad coalition of human rights groups and
advocates, wishes to highlight the obligations of U.S. and state
and local governments under the UDHR and international human rights
law, noting that the United States was a leading force in the
creation of the UDHR.
“It
is high time that the U.S. government and the Georgia state and
local governments recommit to the principles and ideals of the
UDHR in ensuring dignity and justice for all,” said Azadeh
Shahshahani, National Security/Immigrants’ Rights Project
Director of the ACLU of Georgia.
The coalition
has presented dozens of events honoring the ongoing struggles
for social justice, racial and gender equality, peace, and the
full enjoyment of human rights by all. The human rights campaign
launched by Human Rights Atlanta will continue past December 10th,
highlighting local struggles.
"With
such great promise for a new era in the U.S. for human rights,
we are thrilled to join with Atlanta's human rights community
to celebrate the vision statement of our movement that remains
relevant to those thirsting for dignity and justice sixty years
later," said Laura Moye, Deputy Director of the Amnesty International
Southern Regional Office.
The Human
Rights Atlanta coalition will host a celebratory event this evening
on the occasion of Human Rights Day, featuring the Reverend C.T.
Vivian as the keynote speaker.
“In
celebrating UDHR 50 in 1998 and now UDHR 60, we're carrying on
a tradition of struggle for human rights that has a long history
in Atlanta,” said Ian Fletcher, a member of the PH:ACTS
people's history collective. “From Dr. Du Bois and Dr. King
to the black washerwomen who struck for their rights in 1881,
the students who sat-in against Jim Crow segregation and defied
the Klan in downtown streets in 1960, to the tens of thousands
of immigrant workers who marched for dignity in 2006, our city
has borne witness to a courageous tradition of struggle which
will continue on.”
###
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 10,
2008
Contact:
Fernando I. Andrade, Community Advocate, 678-300-4707, fernan_andrade@humanrightsatlanta.org
Azadeh Shahshahani, ACLU of Georgia, 404-523-5398, ashahshahani@acluga.org
Atlanta –
Over 30 Human rights and social justice organizations have come
together to form the Human Rights Atlanta (HRA) coalition.
The coalition is sponsoring activities designed to highlight the
60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
(UDHR). This initiative is aimed around four components, education,
reflection, celebration and action.
HRA
has put together a calendar of events that kicks off October 10th
with an opening celebration of the UDHR through December 10th
International Human Rights Day. The opening and closing events
will be filled with fun activities and actions steps that can
be taken to help build the human rights movement.
“The
city of Atlanta must begin to take very strident steps forward
in recognition of the importance and utility of the human rights,”
said Drena Brown, Coordinator for the US Human Rights Network.
HRA has addressed the need for local implementation
of such human rights policies such as CEDAW ( Convention on the
Elimination of Discrimination Against Women). HRA
will also address issues facing immigrant and refugees communities
and the right to quality education.
Be apart of
this historic celebration. The opening kick off event will be
held at the Georgia Hill Community Center 250 Georgia Ave. Atlanta,
Georgia 30312 Friday, October 10, 2008. The event will begin at
6:00pm with a reception that includes local movement artist from
the 50 Artists movement… and will be followed by a community
panel discussion at 7:00pm that will include Terence Courtney
(Atlanta Jobs with Justice) Steven Watt (ACLU Human Rights Program)
and other local activists. To view the 60 day calendar of event,
please visit www.humanrightsatlanta.org.
“For
more than 60 years social justice organizations in Atlanta have
always worked to together in the spirit of community. The Human
Rights Atlanta Coalition is just a symbolic manifestation of that
work. The 60 year celebration of the UDHR is a gesture that will
solidify the commitment of these groups to uphold defend and demand
human rights for the city of Atlanta”, said Janvieve Williams,
Executive Director of the Latin American and Caribbean Community
Center.
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