November 2003 Activity
Honoring Local Activists
What Is This Activity?
Provide a certificate to a community member whose work strengthens one of the thirty articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The November 2003 KTA is an annual action because your feedback says this is a positive, easy and effective activity.
Why This Activity?
The November Kitchen Table Action is designed to use positive action (an award) to heighten the public’s awareness of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). December 10th marks the anniversary of the signing of this document. The annual date offers human dignity groups across Oregon the opportunity to educate on human rights. Every issue addressed by the Rural Organizing Project and its member groups is a human rights issue and can be identified as a protected right in the UDHR.
Is your group working on defending civil rights by opposing the USA Patriot Act? Have you taken a stand for economic and cultural rights by joining the push for progressive funding for schools, health care and social programs? Did you support civil and economic rights by raising funds for the Immigrant Workers’ Freedom Rides? Much like the Rural Organizing Project’s Democracy Grid, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights can be a structural frame by which to connect individual issues.
The five categories of human rights outlined in the UDHR are civil human rights, economic human rights, social human rights, cultural human rights and political human rights. (To see a copy of the UDHR go to www.udhr.org or ask ROP to mail you one.)
- Civil human rights
- are those such as free speech, peaceful assembly and freedom from discrimination.
- Economic human rights
- include the right to a living wage for your work, the right to be able to feed your family after working, the right to be able to survive if you are not able to work.
- Social human rights
- speak to the needs each person has for housing, education and health care.
- Cultural Human Rights
- include the rights to practice your own culture, your religion of choice and your language of choice.
- Political Human Rights
- include the right to free elections, the right to a nationality and the right to free movement in and out of your country.
Steps To Complete November’s Activity
- Reach consensus that your group wants to use the UDHR as a vehicle to highlight the human rights work of a community member.
- Brainstorm ideas of who in your community would be notable candidates for receiving a certificate of appreciation for the human rights work they have done in your community.
- Certificates were mailed to ROP member organizations. Contact ROP if you did not receive yours. Copies can be made if your group decides to award more than one recipient. Fill out the certificate and decide how you will present it (by mail, in person, at your next monthly meeting, at a local governmental meeting, etc.) If you need an unfolded certificate just let us know. (We can also send you a version electronically if you care to print it locally. E-mail grace@rop.org.)
- Delegate a person or a small team to submit a letter to the editor and/or a press release about the award (see samples).
- If time permits, discuss how your group can further utilize the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, framing all your work under the broad umbrella of human rights.
Resources for this activity
Press release and letter to the editor samples.
Questions? Contact ROP at P.O. Box 1350 * Scappoose, OR 97056
503 543-8417 or via e-mail at cara@rop.org
Return to ROP Home
- November 2003
- Honoring Local Activists
- September 2003
- October 2003
- Digest the Facts - Decline to Sign
- September 2003
- "What's Your Opinion?" ROP Activists Interview for Change
- August 2003
- Getting Visible: Creating a Group Pamphlet
- July 2003
- Join the ROP Team for Freedom Rides 2003
- June 2003
- Regime Change Begins at Home: Post Ruckus Activity
- May 2003
- Bring a Ruckus to the Legislature!
- April 2003
- Interviewing School Board Candidates
- March 2003
- Going, Going, Gone? A Civil Liberties Reality Check
- February 2003
- Have a Heart Valentines!
- January 2003
- Keeping Dr. King's Vision Alive
- December 2002
- Honor Local Activists
- November 2002
- Put Your Agenda On Your Legislator's Radar!
- October 2002
- Keeping The Judicial Branch Democratic!
- September 2002
- Advancing Democracy at the Ballot!
- August 2002
- One Million Voices for Legalization
- July 2002
- Time to "check out" the library
- June 2002
- Let's Have a Picnic!
- May 2002
- Postcard Party--It's a Scream!
- April 2002
- Strong Leadership Teams for a Strong Democracy
- March 2002
- Budget Cuts in Your Community's Schools
- February 2002
- Chicken or the Egg? Cut services or raise revenue?
- September 2001
- World Conference on Racism: Thinking Globally and Acting Locally
- August 2001
- The Stranger Next Door