Human Rights Day, 2020

December 10^th marks the date the United Nations proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. And while this year has been anything but normal, Human Rights Day offers us the opportunity to reflect on the struggles our queer and BIPOC communities have faced amid a global pandemic and heightened social injustices while honoring our right to peace and liberty.

Here are some ways to celebrate and support those who are not always able to exercise their human rights:

• Donate to a charity who works to defend human rights for BIPOC and queer communities. Consider some of the below local organizations:

• Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County
  https://blacklivesseattle.org/donate/

• ACLU of Washington
  https://aclu-wa.org/
• Seattle Clemency Project
  https://www.seattleclemencyproject.org/donate
• King County Equity Now
  https://www.kingcountyequitynow.com/
• Lavender Rights Project
  https://www.lavenderrightsproject.org/donate
• El Centro de la Raza
  https://www.elcentrodelaraza.org/
• Ingersoll Gender Center
  https://ingersollgendercenter.org/
• Seattle Pride
  https://www.seattlepride.org

• Spend some time educating yourself or others on injustices that our community members and beyond are facing and learn about how you can help. The organizations listed above are a great place to start!
  
• Express your support for human rights by raising awareness about the day through your social media accounts. Start by following accounts that share human rights information that you can repost and share – start with @humanrightswatch and @humanrightscampaign.
  
• Attend a virtual celebration of human rights that highlight activists and bring awareness to human rights issues in the community and beyond. Here are some to check out:
• Learn about human trafficking relations, solutions and strategies at the UNA-USA Southern Illinois Chapter: International Human Rights Day Virtual Event – More info here: Webinar Registration - Zoom
• Hear from artists all over the world at the International Human Rights Art Festival to celebrate the day – More info here: https://bit.ly/3lKgUQW

• Thank the activists in your life who are doing good in your community by buying them a sweet treat or some flowers. Use this opportunity to support BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ owned businesses by referring to The Intentionalist.

Everyone deserves to be treated fairly, but that is not often the case for many marginalized groups around the world. We have come a long way but there is still work to be done. It takes all of us to bring about real change.