After the horrors of WWII, the United Nations drafted the declaration, the first of its kind, to establish the 30 inalienable rights that every human being should be guaranteed.
Singers, poets, and even hula dancers performed wholeheartedly in the spirit of this historic event.
Human rights mean different things to different people. For poet Dionne Samuels, nicknamed ‘The Bird of Paradise,” teaching her son about his rights and to stand up against injustice is of pinnacle importance.
“I’m happy to say my son is now someone who will rally for someone else he sees being bullied … and I’m proud of him for that,” said Samuels.
Many artists agreed that artistic expression through different mediums has the power to really touch people.
Samuels used her gift of poetry to write ‘Freedom Song’ which gave her courage and strength to end a relationship in which her rights were being abused.
Samuels said: “I felt like I was incarcerated
For singer/songwriter/producer Victor Crowl, giving back to the community and spreading the message of human rights through music is very important.
“Celebrating the 60th anniversary is something I’m very proud to be a part of but also more so to spread the message that there are places in the world that still need human rights, that still need the support and raise their voices to be heard”, said Crowl.
Crowl performed his song ‘Somebody’s Lying’ to a very warm crowd. He said that in North America, it’s very easy for us to take human rights for granted but it’s different around the world. He shared that one of his best experiences was performing in Africa for over 50 000 people.
“That was an incredible experience. I was the only non-African singer so they initially booed me, but after they started to understand my words, they started cheering for me and eventually they were singing the songs and really responding emotionally and really involved because they lyrics were really about freedom,” he said.
Reggae and R&B artist Casper said that he would like to use his music to spread a positive message to youth everywhere. He performed his song ‘No War’ in hopes of spreading his message to more youth.
“There’s too much hatred and it runs through lyrics. If the music is dark, then a lot of the youth are going to do a lot of dark things…I want to uplift… I want to be more of a role model,” he said.
Nicole Crellin, public advisor for Youth for Human Rights said that more people need to know about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. She is very excited about this campaign and believes in its potential to reach and inspire more youth.
For more information on the Youth for Human Rights International campaigns, please visit: www.youthforhumanrights.org
30 Human Rights (From the Special UNITED Edition):
1. We are all free and equal 16. Marriage and family2. Don’t discriminate 17. Your own things
3. The right to life 18. Freedom of thought
4. No slavery—past and present 19. Free to say what you want
5. No torture 20. Meet where you like
6. We all have the same right to use the law 21. The right to democracy
7. We are all protected by the law 22. The right to social security
8. Fair treatment by fair courts 23. Worker’s rights
9. No unfair detainment 24. The right to play
10. The right to trial 25. A bed and some food
11. Innocent until proven guilty 26. The right to education
12. The right to privacy 27. Culture and copyright
13. Freedom to move 28. A free and fair world
14. The right to asylum 29. Our responsibilities
15. The right to a nationality 30. Nobody can take away these rights and freedoms from us
