On this day, Tennesseans celebrate the ratification of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by the United Nations, originally signed on Dec 10, 1948. It is always an event with a message of hope for the future, respect for the past, and looking at what it will take to change human rights abuses in the present.
Human Rights Day means acknowledging leaders while encouraging others to take up the torch for the future, says planning committee chair Rev. Brian Fesler, pastor of the Church of Scientology. The celebration has been held virtually for two years due to the coronavirus pandemic, but planning committee members are hopeful for an in-person event this December.
The celebration centers around the Human Rights Lifetime Achievement awards, the Rising Advocate Awards, and the Outstanding Service Award. Last year, Rising Advocate Awards were given to three individuals who have made great strides for human rights and show even greater promise for the future.
The committee plans to feature many different human rights organizations during this years celebration, especially government agencies and non-profit organizations in Tennessee that have commitments to some part of the thirty rights as laid out in the UDHR. Organizations who wish to participate in the planning may contact the organizer through www.nashvillehumanrights.org.
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