Born Free and Equal
in Dignity and Rights
For this year’s event we have chosen to focus on the 70th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and will highlight Article 1 which states: “All Human Beings are Born Free and Equal in Dignity and Rights".
To further mark this special, commemorative year, we will celebrate and honor Aryeh Neier’s historic contributions and profound impact on the Human Rights Movement. Aryeh Neier has devoted his life to advancing rights and protecting dignity, and his work embodies the principles enshrined in the UDHR. Also, on this important occasion of the 70th Anniversary, Prince Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (2014-2018), will deliver keynote remarks that reflect a fearless perspective forged through decades of championing human rights causes.
Human Rights Day is observed by the International Community every year in December. It commemorates the day in 1948 that the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
In a time of uncertainty and challenge we hope to connect the history, the urgency for today and the relevance for tomorrow of a human rights centered approach to peace, justice and security.
Special Guests
Aryeh Neier is president emeritus of the Open Society Foundations. He was president from 1993 to 2012. Before that, he served for 12 years as executive director of Human Rights Watch, of which he was a founder in 1978. He worked 15 years at the American Civil Liberties Union, including eight years as national executive director. He served as an adjunct professor of law at New York University for more than a dozen years, and has also taught at Georgetown University Law School and the University of Siena (Italy). From 2012 to 2017, he served as Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Paris School of International Affairs of Sciences Po.
Prince Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein is the former UN human rights chief; recognized world-wide as a leading and outspoken defender and promoter of universal human rights – awarded the Stockholm prize for human rights in 2015. With a professional background as a practitioner – a former senior diplomat representing his country Jordan – his knowledge is steeped in the global security environment, stemming from over twenty years of direct exposure to many of the world's most turbulent crises and serious security threats. He served as president of the UN Security Council (in January 2014) and was elected the first president of the governing body of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2002 -- guiding the court's growth in its first three years (2002-2005).
Guest Speakers
Adam Hochschild writes frequently about human rights issues. His most recent book, Lessons from a Dark Time and Other Essays, appeared in 2018. King Leopold’s Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror and Heroism in Colonial Africa was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, as was To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914-1918. His Bury the Chains: Prophets and Rebels in the Fight to Free an Empire’s Slaves was a finalist for the National Book Award and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the PEN USA Literary Award. He teaches at UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism.
Lateefah Simon is the President of Akonadi Foundation, which nurtures movement building to advance racial justice in Oakland. A nationally recognized advocate for civil rights, Lateefah brings over 20 years of executive experience advancing opportunities for communities of color and low-income communities in the Bay Area. Before joining Akonadi, she was Program Director for the San Francisco-based Rosenberg Foundation.
John Prendergast is a human rights and anti-corruption activist as well as a New York Times best-selling author who has focused on peace in Africa for over thirty-five years. He is the Founding Director of the Enough Project as well as the Co-Founder with George Clooney of The Sentry, a new investigative initiative chasing the assets of war criminals and their international facilitators.
John has worked for the Clinton White House, the State Department, two members of Congress, the National Intelligence Council, UNICEF, Human Rights Watch, the International Crisis Group, and the U.S. Institute of Peace.
Federico Borello has served as the Executive Director at Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC) since July 2014, bringing more than fifteen years of experience working on human rights and international justice issues to our mission. Federico previously served as Director of Investments at Humanity United where he managed the International Justice and the Democratic Republic of Congo portfolios. He has also worked with the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ).
Chouchou Namegabe is a Congolese activist, radio journalist, and social change innovator. As founder and director of the South Kivu Women's Media Association (AFEM in french), she trained rural and urban Congolese women as journalists specifically to report about sexual violence and human rights abuses. She used the media to raise the awareness of rural women.
Now based in New York, Chouchou continues her engagement as a freelance consultant in gender and media. She currently works on launching "Anzafrika", a game-changing business incubator expected to transform lives of women in Africa.
Moderator: Randy Newcomb
Randy Newcomb is the President and CEO of Humanity United. He leads all aspects of Humanity United’s strategic planning, development, and operations. He works closely with the organization’s founders and Board of Trustees to ensure that HU achieves its long-term mission and strategic objectives.
Moderator: Glen Galaich is the CEO of the Stupski Foundation and is responsible for leading the overall strategy of the Foundation as well as overseeing the programmatic focus areas and operations of the Foundation.
Glen previously served as Chief Executive Officer of The Philanthropy Workshop, whose mission was to educate, inspire, and activate a peer network of effective, engaged, and innovative philanthropists.
Musical Performances by
Marcus Shelby Quintet, SFJazz Resident Artistic Director with audience participation from SFJAZZ School Day Concerts students
Bassist, composer, and educator Marcus Shelby brings public middle school students into the audience to debut a concert program that explores what it means to be free and equal. Shelby will tie articles from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to music and historical figures from significant human rights movements. This concert will also be featured in an expanded format throughout SFJAZZ Education's School Day Concerts program, reaching every public middle school student in San Francisco and Oakland.
Jackson Browne with Los Cenzontles
Jackson Browne, who has been an ardent and powerful supporter of other cultures through his music for decades, has teamed with Eugene Rodriguez and Los Cenzontles for the moving song “The Dreamer”.
“We don’t see half the people around us/But we imagine enemies who surround us/And the walls that we’ve built between us/Keep us prisoners of our fears”
The issue of immigration is deep and broad. With empathy and insight “The Dreamer” paints a picture of the people in this community – our community.
Los Cenzontles (Nahuatl for The Mockingbirds) is a local Mexican American group that promotes Mexican roots music through research, performance, education and media production. Los Cenzontles have revived and promoted little known styles of Mexican regional music since 1989.
Event Images
Resources
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet's message to mark Human Rights Day 2018, UN Human Rights, November 8, 2018
“The Universal Declaration inspired liberation movements and led to better access to justice, social protections, economic opportunities and political participation. Wherever respect for its commitments has been present, the dignity of millions has been uplifted, suffering prevented and the foundations laid for a more just world.”
Is The Human Rights Movement In Crisis?
Open Society Foundations
Can human rights flourish in conditions of increasing economic disenfranchisement, and is the human rights movement equipped with the proper tools to address structural inequality? In this live-streamed event, Samuel Moyn and Aryeh Neier will tackle these thorny questions and more in what promises to be a powerful discussion about the past and future direction of the human rights movement.
Grassroots Leaders Provide The Best Hope To A Troubled World
The Economist
Amid cruelty and suffering, there are heroes, says Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, who steps down on September 1st.
Project Syndicate
Amid many disheartening developments for democracy and the rule of law worldwide, a glimmer of joy recently shone through the gloom. The Chinese poet Liu Xia – the 57-year old widow of the renowned human-rights activist and political dissident Liu Xiaobo – has made it to Europe.
KPFA
With the skills of a journalist, the knowledge of a historian, and the heart of an activist, Hochschild shares the stories of people who took a stand against despotism, spoke out against unjust wars and government surveillance, and dared to dream of a better and more just world.
Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein: Exit Interview
United Nations
Defending people, promoting justice and standing strong for human rights: Zeid Ra’ad al Hussein, the outgoing UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, reflects on his four years of serving the cause.
John Prendergast Briefs UN Security Council
The U.N. Security Council held its first-ever session on the critical connection between corruption and conflict. John Prendergast, Founding Director at the Enough Project and Co-Founder of The Sentry, and U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres were the two featured speakers at the historic briefing.
Lateefah Simon discusses the struggle for racial justice in Oakland and beyond in today’s political climate.
Health Equity At Birth: What Will It Take?
The Commonwealth Club
Lateefah Simon shares her personal experiences and her hopes for health equity. Simon, who was born prematurely, is now a mother herself; she’ll discuss how racism affects the health and experiences of individuals and families. She will also share her thoughts on what communities, organizations and individuals can do to level the playing field.
George Soros Remarks Delivered At The World Economic Forum
George Soros lays out the uphill battle that Open Society Foundation and other supporters of democracy have in the deteriorating situation of world affairs.
Partners
Banner image courtesy of the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
Special Thanks to Our 70th Anniversary Planning Committee
Maureen Blanc, Scott Campbell, Jennifer Davis, Natasha Dolby, Will Fitzpatrick, Glen Galaich, Liliana Giffen, Peggy Hicks, Tim Isgitt, Lawrence Mendenhall, Randy Newcomb, Amanda Padilla, Laurent Saveur, Barrett Shaver, Eric Stover