The concept of human rights is relatively recent and the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights was only adopted as recently as 1948. The basic premise described in the declaration, which is the standard measure for human rights, is that all individuals have the right to equal freedom, opportunity and justice as well as education and health. The declaration has 30 articles that explicitly outline human rights (United Nations, Universal). Even though many nations have signed this declaration, there is still a prevalence of human rights violations across the globe. There are many reasons why ..read more

Human rights are now often talked about on TV, social media, and literature. Basically, human rights are freedoms and a set of rights that every human in the world is entitled to, no matter what their race or gender is. It is a broad topic and human rights violations cover a wide variety of areas from prohibiting certain classes or genders from having access to education to the trafficking of humans and engagement in the modern slave trade to prisoner torture, genocide and more. Of course, these events and phenomena might be too sensitive to write about, so be sure to choose the one that you a ..read more

The concept of human rights is actually relatively recent and our current standard for human rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, was only published in 1948. But why are human rights important in the first place? Human rights are important because they ensure that each person has their basic rights of freedom, dignity, education, equal opportunity, health and justice protected. They protect people from bias and provide a support for fighting corruption and injustice. Even though most nations have adopted the Universal Declaration as a guide, there are still millions of people who ..read more

By Kayla Hermann, Research Associate Indigenous Leaders in Brazil Confront President’s Environmental Abuses  Climate change and environmental injustice issues disproportionately impact BIPOC communities. In Brazil, the county has suffered from countless environmental problems not limited to fires, deforestation, and environmental pollution. While these disasters have affected individuals and communities worldwide, the indigenous population in the country has been affected at disproportionate levels. In addition to these environmental inju ..read more

Photo: Bernadette Demientieff of the Gwich’in Steering Committee participates in a December 2017 event in Washington, D.C., at which advocates pushed Congress to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from oil development. Photo Credit: wksg.org By: Aela Nash, Research Associate THE SITUATION In light of the terrorist insurrection, January 6th, 2021 was a turning point in our country’s historical identity as a stable democracy. Until January 6th, the idea that “we don’t discuss politics at the dinner table” has permeated through the years under the guise of maintaining civility, while la ..read more

By Danyah Al Jadaani. Research Associate America’s Reckoning: When Will Black Lives Start to Matter? On May 26th, 2020 Black Americans and their allies took to the streets to protest for their lives, and for the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Elijah Mclain, Eric Garner, and countless of other black people murdered by police in the United states by law enforcement.  Peaceful protests tactics included marching, chanting, and sit ins. Amnesty International reported that between May 26th and J ..read more

This photograph was taken at the council on Sept. 28th, 1864. Two months before the Sand Creek massacre. According to the American Indian Magazine, “Cheyenne and Arapaho chiefs gathered at Camp Weld for a peace council with the US Army and Colorado Territory officials, including Gov. John Evans and militia commander John M. Chivington. The chiefs thought they had complied with peace terms; Evans and Chivington weren’t satisfied, but didn’t tell them so.” By Aela Nash, Research Associate Content warning: descriptions of violence against indigenous peoples.  — What is a Pioneer?  ..read more

By Danyah Al Jadaani, Research Associate   The battle for mail-In voting 2020  In the United States of America, election season is in full swing with only a few days left until all votes are in, the new President of the United States is decided on, and the stakes are high.  The anxiety surrounding this year’s election is felt by everybody, with nearly 70% of U.S adults citing the election as a source of stress, a 20% increase than reported in 2016. With a strong and steady COVID rate mail-in-voting, also know ..read more

By Alexander Nasserjah, Research Director Since WWII, the world has become accustomed to international organizations like the UN leading the charge in promoting human rights. Through mechanisms like international agreements, international law, and universal declarations, international organizations have become the de facto defenders of human rights, responsible for holding states accountable for their abuses. Yet when it comes to upholding human rights, little attention is given to the role local and state governments can have. Across the board, issues like economic inequality, discrimin ..read more

by Kayla Hermann, Research Assistant Immigration, Human Rights and Climate Change: Will the US Radically Evolve their Immigration System? Many immigration rights activists met the results of the 2020 Presidential election with a sigh of relief, celebrating the Trump Administration’s dismissal from the White House. The harmful immigration policies of the Trump Administration neglected to protect the human rights of immigrants and asylum seekers and have left the current Biden Administration to deal with reforming these previous harmful policies. During his electoral campaign, Joe Bid ..read more