From CITY OF BOWLING GREEN HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION
The community is invited to join the Bowling Green Human Relations Commission in celebrating International Human Rights Day and the 77th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
On Dec. 10, 1948, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that the “recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace in the world.”
The initial sub-committee of drafters came from disparate backgrounds and different belief systems – Australia, China, Chile, France, Lebanon, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics – with over 50 nations eventually participating in the final drafting.
Not a single nation opposed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, though eight abstained from voting.
International Human Rights Day celebrates the 30 Articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and reaffirms the pledge that everyone – as a human being – is entitled to fundamental human rights.
These rights include:
- the recognition of personhood before the law
- life, liberty, and security of person
- education, free at fundamental stages
- equal pay for equal work
- equal access to public services
- a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of self and family, including food, clothing, housing, and medical care and necessary social services.
Ways that people can celebrate International Human Rights Day individually include: reading the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, volunteering at or donating to organizations supporting human rights, spreading awareness through social media, lighting a candle, and/or holding a moment of silent reflection on how far people have come and how far there still is to go, locally and globally.
The Bowling Green Human Relations Commission honors this blueprint for moving humanity forward and is committed to continuing toward the goal of equality, justice, and peace in the world.
