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SEPTEMBER 2020
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A national network dedicated to building a culture of human rights.

In Memoriam: Kirby Edmonds 

With the death of Kirby Edmonds last month, Human Rights Educators USA lost one of its sustaining sources of inspiration and committed leadership. 

As a founding member of HRE USA, Kirby was instrumental in the establishment of HRE USA, directly shaping our mission statement, organizational structure, and most importantly our values framework and the consensus-based policy for decision-making. He served as co-Chair of HRE USA for nearly a decade.

HRE USA was only one of Kirby’s lifelong efforts toward social justice.... (Read full article)

In honor of his legacy, HRE USA has created the Edmonds Fellowship to support students with hands-on leadership experience in human rights education and further Kirby’s work to engage young people in building human rights-friendly schools and communities.


>> Donate here

 IN THIS ISSUE

UPDATES & NEWS

  In Memoriam: Kirby Edmonds
  HRE USA Annual Report
  Your Vote, Your Voice 2020

TAKE ACTION

  Save the USPS

HR IN THE CLASSROOM

  Hispanic Heritage Month

RESOURCES

  People's History Remote Learning
  Human Rights Teacher's Guide
  Democracy in Action 
  Read Across America Books

PARTNER ANNOUNCEMENTS

  E-Poster Contest for STEM & HR 
  Support Student Activism Course

EVENTS

  UCCHRE Annual Forum
  ISHR Election & HR Series
  Indigenous Film Festival
  Power to the People Series
  Gender, HR, & COVID-19
  Art, HR, and Social Change
  Teaching Human Rights 
  ACT HR Film Festival

HRE USA Annual Report

As the late, great Rep. John Lewis, stated:

“Nothing can stop the power of a committed and determined people to make a difference in our society.”

Throughout the direct violations of human rights this past year and amongst the setbacks to human rights education across our communities, our HRE USA has remained steadfast in its commitment to building a “national network dedicated to building a culture of human rights.” In fact, in 2019 our network grew, with over 200 individuals and organizations joining HRE USA as new members. 200 more community members from across the country who are joining our movement for human rights education. 

Collectively, we accomplished so much together this past year.  Read the full 2019 HRE USA Annual Report to learn more.

On behalf of the HRE USA Steering Committee, we would like to thank all our members for a great year and we look forward to continuing to work together to build a strong human rights education community!

>> Read Report 

Your Vote, Your Voice 2020

HRE USA leaders and partners have come together to encourage everyone to make sure their voice is heard and exercise their civic right to vote this November! To further engage students around voting and participation in government, we have compiled a rich collection of Get Out The Vote student-centered resources, programs, and projects. These resources can be used to create a service-driven civic learning activity or, can be inserted into ongoing social and civic education projects. 

Exercise your right to vote this November and encourage your students to help get out the vote!

>> Learn more

TELL THE SENATE: SAVE THE USPS


The U.S. Postal Service is an essential government service outlined in the Constitution. In a pivotal election and decennial census year during a global pandemic, it's crucial to provision of COVID-related supplies, voting by mail, and many life-critical functions.

Congress should do all it can to protect the USPS. The House just passed the Delivering for America Act – to provide $25 billion in funding and prohibit and reverse any changes to operations that reduce or impede service during COVID-19.

Now, the Senate needs to act. Contact your senators today and tell them to pass this critical bill.

 >> Take Action

Teach Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month

During Latinx Heritage Month, or Hispanic Heritage month (official government designation) (September 15 to October 15) we celebrate the heritage, culture, and contributions of Latinx Americans to the United States.  September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Mexico, Chile, and Belize also celebrate their independence days in September. 

This collection includes lessons, videos, artwork, music and many living testaments from diverse Latinx across the United States. The stories embedded in this collection offer students access and perspectives on topics that directly affect them, their families, friends and experiences as a young person in 2018 America. These resources can be incorporated in the lessons you're already teaching during September and through the rest of the school year. his collection includes lessons, videos, artwork, music and many living testaments from diverse Latinx across the United States. These resources can be incorporated in the lessons you're already teaching during September and through the rest of the school year.

>> Teaching Central America (Teaching for Change)
>> National Hispanic Heritage Month (National Education Association)
>> Latino Civil Rights timeline: 1903 to 2006 (Teaching Tolerance)
>> The arts of Latin America (ArtsEdge)
>> PBS celebrates Latinx heritage (PBS)
>> Hispanic-Americans news articles (New York Times)
>> Afropop music and podcasts (AfroPop Worldwide)
>> Storycorps Historias (StoryCorps)
>> A vision of Puerto Rico: The Teodoro Vidal collection (Smithsonian)
>> 14th colony resources (National Endowment for the Humanities)
>> Hispanic heritage booklists (Colorín Colorado)
>> American Latinx heritage theme study (National Park Service)
>> Six Hispanic literacy giants (EDSITEment)
>> Our America: The Latinx presence in American art (Smithsonian American Art Museum)

A People's History Pedagogy and Materials for Remote Teaching


In fall of 2020, most educators are meeting their students online, with a few braving an entirely new version of in-person education: physical barriers, six feet of distance, face masks, and shields. No matter what the particulars of each school district’s hybrid, remote, or haltingly in-person model, many are lamenting, “We’re all first-year teachers again.”

But however we teach our lessons this year, let’s keep our focus fixed on our pedagogical and curricular values. To teach people’s history we need a people’s pedagogy, an approach to the classroom — online or in-person — that recognizes the power of students to read the world, make meaning, and act with intention and efficacy. This “people’s pedagogy” is the yardstick by which we urge educators to measure the tech tools flooding their inboxes.

In this guide by Ursula Wolfe-Rocca, the Zinn Education Project offers modest suggestions and guidance on how to use people's history lessons in remote teaching.


>> Learn more

Teacher’s Guide to Amnesty’s Human Rights Academy


Amnesty International’s online education portal, Amnesty Human Rights Academy, now offers a curated Teacher’s Guide aimed at educators of students aged 10 and up. Teachers can use this guide to supplement their lesson plans with online courses about human rights, each lasting from 20 minutes to a few hours. Some of the topics covered include an introduction to human rights, freedom of expression, and human rights defenders.

The guide is meant to be a starting point, a window into the Amnesty Human Rights Academy and what it can offer to educators interested in human rights. Teachers may find that, after exploring the Academy and the rest of the course catalog, they see other learning opportunities available to their students. Educators often find their own creative solutions!

>> Learn more

Teaching Tolerance Magazine - Democracy in Action

The right to vote. The right to an education. The right to life and liberation. Students and educators are at the forefront of these fights—and they always have been. And that’s what the Fall 2020 issue of Teaching Tolerance is all about.

Read this issue for stories about fighting youth voter suppression, protecting students from immigrant families through sanctuary schools and districts, countering weaponized whiteness in schools—and an illuminating interview with Tiffany Jewell, author of This Book Is Anti-Racist. You’ll also find a very special One World Poster that you can download and print to clearly affirm: Black Lives Matter.

>> Download issue

Read Across America - Book Calendar
 


So much is in flux and while school and school celebrations and traditions may have changed, the importance of keeping readers motivated has not! NEA’s Read Across America will continue this year and we’ve developed online resources to make sure readers of all ages feel included, recognized, and engaged.

Our new 2020-2021 Read Across America calendar is here to make sure our children see reflections of themselves in the stories that surround them.

>> Learn more

PARTNER ANNOUNCEMENTS

Call for Student E-Posters: 2020 Science, Technology and Human Rights Conference

Human rights are increasingly relevant to science and technology. The important roles of scientific methods, tools, and knowledge for advancing human rights are also more visible today than ever. The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science and Human Rights CoalitionHuman Rights Educators USA (HRE USA) and the University and College Consortium for Human Rights Education (UCCHRE) invites students to submit an e-poster and presentation video for the upcoming October 22-23, 2020 virtual Science, Technology, and Human Rights Conference.

The Student E-Poster Session during this conference is an opportunity for students to share their research at the intersection of science, technology, and human rights. The session is meant to showcase the individual efforts of undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral-level students who are interested in human rights and who are actively working toward a degree.

DEADLINE: SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

>> Learn more

Youth in Front - Professional Development Course



Teaching Tolerance is currently piloting their Youth in Front self-paced professional development course. In the course, you’ll learn how to promote and support student-led civic engagement.

You’ll receive tools and frameworks and a historical look at student-led activism from a multitude of perspectives and contexts. This course provides actionable strategies and valuable resources for supporting student activism.
 
The course is divided into three units: Normalizing Student-led Activism, Legal and Practical Considerations and Preparing Ourselves and Colleagues to Support Student Activism. Each unit should take one to two weeks to complete.


>> Sign up for course

EVENTS

UCCHRE Annual Forum



EVENT DETAILS: 

When: Thursday, September 25, 2020
Time: 3:00-4:30 EST (Social Hour 4:30-5:00) 
Where: Live Stream
Cost: FREE

Description:
Join the University and College Consortium for Human Rights Education (UCCHRE) for their annual forum to discuss key questions for the upcoming year: 

  • What are some key opportunities for HRE you’ve identified for this coming year? 
  • What challenges are you facing/anticipating for HRE this coming year?
  • What would you like UCCHRE to focus on this coming year?
>> Register

ISHR ELECTIONS AND HUMAN RIGHTS DISCUSSION SERIES



EVENT DETAILS: 

When: Various dates and times September - October (see below)
Where: Live Stream
Cost: FREE


Description:
Each individual has the right to participate in the conduct of public affairs, including through free and fair elections by universal and equal suffrage. Moreover, elections are an essential means through which we can support representatives who are committed to defending and promoting laws and policies that are respectful of human rights. Through this series that addresses both research and advocacy, we will explore various ways in which elections can be a powerful tool for change and tactics for addressing efforts to restrict and manipulate electoral processes.

There will be five events in the series:

Click on each event to register and receive login information. 

Vision Maker Indigenous Online Film Festival


EVENT DETAILS: 
When: August 31 - October 5, 2020
Where: Live Stream
Cost: FREE

Description:
Vision Maker Media is hosting a FREE, online, five-week-long celebration of American Indian, Alaska Native, and worldwide Indigenous films. Accompanying the films, the festival will host a collective of our most inspiring filmmakers and Native celebrities in engaging digital conversations, creating a space for both healing and learning.

>> Learn more

Power to the People Webinar Series


EVENT DETAILS: 

When: Various dates and times September - October
Where: Live Stream
Cost: FREE


Description:
The Center for Civic Education announces a free webinar series, “Power to the People,” featured throughout September and October. These webinars are designed for teachers and those interested in civics, government and U.S. history and in learning the different ways people participate in our government. The series launches with a review of recent Supreme Court cases by U.S. District Judge Mae Avila D’Agostino and Center for Civic Education President Christopher R. Riano. Subsequent webinars will feature scholars addressing Native American sovereignty, the Nineteenth Amendment and social movements, controversies surrounding monuments and flags, the criminal justice system, free speech, and voting rights. 


>> Learn more

Gender, Human Rights, & COVID-19



EVENT DETAILS: 

When: Wednesday, September 30, 2020
Time: 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm EST
Where: Live Stream
Cost: FREE

Description:
The coronavirus pandemic creates a perfect storm for exacerbating gender-based violence and discrimination. In every area, from employment to school closures to domestic violence to health outcomes, we see evidence of disproportionately negative impacts based on gender. These negative impacts are compounded by intersecting inequalities, including on the basis of race, socioeconomic status, disability, age, geographic location and sexual orientation, among others. Pandemic preparedness and response efforts must better understand these intersectional gender dimensions to avoid further widening inequalities.

Presenters include Christina Ewig, Professor and Faculty Director of the Center on Women, Gender and Public Policy, University of Minnesota, Ruby H.N. Nguyen, Associate Professor in the Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota and Katie Spencer, Professor and Director of Advocacy and Public Policy at the Program in Human Sexuality, University of Minnesota. Session will be moderated by Rosalyn Park, Director of the Women's Human Rights Program, The Advocates for Human Rights.  

>> Learn more and register

Arts, Human Rights, and Social Change


EVENT DETAILS: 

When: Wednesday, October 2, 9, 16
Time: 3:30 PM - 6:00 PM
Where: Live Stream
Cost:  Regular rate is $350. Early Bird rate of  $300 (Register by September 25th). Fellowships are available by application. 


Description:
Through an exploration of visual art that has been used in prominent human rights campaigns, from protest art to large-scale public installations, this interactive workshop will explore the intersection of the arts and human rights and how it is used to catalyze social change in communities across the globe, and inspire human rights movements. Throughout this training, participants will become familiar with artists, movements and/or institutions, practitioners and organizations working at this intersection. Lastly, through collaborative activities and class discussions, participants will examine the use of visual arts, as a tool for understanding how societies process, critically reflect upon, and advocate for human rights issues directly impacting them.


>> Learn more and register

Teaching Human Rights in Classrooms and Communities


EVENT DETAILS: 
When: Thursday, October 7, 14, 21, 28
Time: 3:30 PM - 6:00 PM
Where: Live Stream
Cost:  Regular rate is $395. Early Bird rate of  $345 (Register by September 25th). Fellowships are available by application. 


Description:
In this online workshop for educators and practitioners, participants will develop or strengthen their capacity to engage in human rights education - to foster knowledge, skills, attitudes, and action for the protection and promotion of human rights among students using rights-based teaching methods. The workshop will include participatory learning activities and active discussions that draw on participants’ own knowledge and perspectives. The workshop will focus on both in-person and online teaching modalities. Participants will have the opportunity to receive feedback on activities they pilot within their own classrooms and communities.


>> Learn more and register

ACT Human Rights Virtual Film Festival



EVENT DETAILS: 

When: October 1-10
Time: On-Demand
Where: Live Stream
Cost: 
 All Festival Pass $55 or $10 for an individual film

Description:
The ACT Human Rights (Virtual) Film Festival begins on October 1 and runs for ten days.   Presented by Colorado State University, the festival offers a wide range of interesting films.  The 5th Annual Festival was originally scheduled for last spring but was postponed due to the pandemic.  Tickets may be purchased for the series or for individual films.

The films are varied and address a wide range of human rights issues.  Opening day will include Gay Chorus Deep South.  The film follows the San Francisco Gay Chorus as they travel through the deep south.  The trailer will draw you in as a variety of emotional moments address rejection and courage.  

Hungry to Learn follows students experiencing food insecurity.  Exploring student hunger and its connection to learning is a painful but critical exploration. Another film topics explore non-binary athletes in Changing the Game,  Yet another explores the world of private prisons.

>> Learn more

Human Rights Educators USA is a national network that strives to promote human dignity, justice, and peace by cultivating an expansive, vibrant base of support for Human Rights Education in the United States.   >> Learn more 
HRE USA is a project of the Center for Transformative Action
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Copyright © 2020 Human Rights Educators USA, All rights reserved.

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