With everything that we have experienced this year, from the pandemic to racial inequality, it has made everyone more aware of how unfair things can be at times and have made people want to do something about it.
December 10th, 1948 is the day that the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In spite of this document’s existence, we continue to see examples of human rights being revoked. Just this summer, a migrant farmer from Mexico was fired for speaking out about unsafe working conditions that resulted in one of his coworkers dying from COVID-19. Even though the worker was able to sue the farm (and won), the fact that he and many others had to deal with this for months is not only unfair but cruel. Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon event. Situations like this occur on a regular basis, and most of them don’t get the recognition that they deserve. One is inclined to feel helpless when hearing stories of injustice, but there are many ways that one can turn that feeling into action.
Amnesty International hosts an annual event where people write letters to advocate for people who are currently imprisoned and The United Nations Association of the USA has compiled an amazing list of things people can do to commemorate the date, but those are just some of the many ways the people can get participate in International Human Rights Day. Even something as small as typing #InternationalHumanRightsDay can make a difference.