Columnist Jamala Rogers
December 10 marks the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The United Nations passed the document in 1948 as a way of bringing the world into consensus on respecting and protecting the human rights of all its peoples.
Okay, so it’s still a work in progress. In the US, there’s a lot work to be done.
The U.S. has not ratified the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESC) or the Convention of the Rights of the Child (CRC) or the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
CESC was presented in 1966 by the UN. It seeks to guarantee the right to work and to just conditions of work; the right to education; the right to the highest attainable standard of health; the right to clothing, housing, social security; and adequate food and nutrition, including the right to water.
This shouldn’t be too much to consider for the wealthiest country in the world. The U.S. has not shown much interest in being held accountable for the rights of women and children despite the fact that the majority of the world has ratified to do so.
This year, the St. Louis Coalition for Human Rights is partnering with the Missouri History Museum, to celebrate human rights. They are lifting up the life and contributions of Katherine Dunham as a part of the celebration.
Dunham is the subject of the Missouri History Museum’s special exhibition, Beyond Dance. She made headlines in 1992 when she launched a 47-day hunger strike in response to the plight of Haitian refugees who were denied asylum into the United States because of a racist immigration policy. She was 83-years-old and unrelenting. The fast was part of Dunham’s ongoing efforts to bring publicity to the plight of the proud, but poverty-stricken, Haitian people whom she had grown to love so deeply.
We all know Katherine Dunham as a world-famous dancer and choreographer. Her dance company dominated the dance scene for decades as the only permanent, self-sustaining black dance troupe. Dunham was also a songwriter, author, educator and activist. She was an ardent fighter against racial, cultural and sexual discrimination.
The local celebration will be held Wednesday, December 10 at 7 p.m. at the History Museum. It will recognize middle and high school student essay winners along with Unsung Human Rights S/heroes. Panelists will address the theme “What can one person do to advance human rights?” The program is free and open to the public.
At a time when the world’s resources are becoming the object of increased competition and war, we see human rights being grossly violated. Governments are abdicating their responsibilities in protecting the life and liberties of their citizens. The human rights lens remains the best way to judge a government’s score card as to how it serves and protects its people. It is also provides the framework for ordinary citizens, wherever they live, to organize around a common global agenda.