Universal Declaration of Human Rights Study/Recitation
Exploris Middle School 8th Grade
December 10, 2020
Zoom Statement to the Students and Teachers
December 14, 2020
Dan W. Figgins Jr.
Congratulations to you, the students of the Exploriis Middle School, for your in-depth study of one of the most important documents of the 20th century, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
I also want to thank your teachers for their leadership in this project. Thank you
— Cori Greer-Banks
— Jessie Francese
— Adrian Findlay
— Shannon Hardy and
–Paula Manchini
I’m thrilled when I realize how many generations of Exploris students have studied the Universal Declaration. The first year was the year 2000 continuing every year since. This means that the world is filled with 20 years-worth of Exploris grads who carry with them a vision of how the world could be a better place. The oldest cohort is now approximately 35 years old. Can you imagine that?
Today I’ll discuss with you seven separate, but closely inter-related, topics.
1st Topic: The content of the 1948 UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights borrows heavily from two United States documents, first the 1776 US Declaration of Independence and second the US Bill of Rights. The US Bill of Rights is the name given to the 1st 10 Amendments to the Constitution passed in 1789.
2nd Topic: I will point out that there are two kinds of human rights, namely “civil liberties” and “civil rights.”
3rd Topic: I will give four examples which you students have recited of the almost identical wording of UN and US documents, in two cases of civil liberties and in one case of civil rights.
4th Topic: I will identify what I consider the 1st priority human right of the 21st century, namely, protecting the Planet Earth from the destruction caused by out of control climate changes.
5th Topic: I will ask the question, “Do non-human animals have rights?’ And if so, why?
6th Topic: The traditional Santa Claus does not believe in unalienable rights. For Santa you earn the right to receive gifts by not being naughty. I right this wrong by rewriting the song, “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” so that Santa does believe in unalienable rights.
7th Topic and in Conclusion: I will challenge you and myself to make a difference in the world by promoting human rights.
So, let’s get started:
Topic #1: Why is there such a striking similarity between the 1948 UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the US 1776 Declaration of Independence and the US 1789 Bill of Rights?
I think there are two reasons. First, conceptually, I believe that they are parallel because they are both based on human nature. Second, I think parallels can be explained historically by the fact that the chairwoman of the commission that drafted the Universal Declaration was a distinguished American, Eleanor Roosevelt, the widow of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. President Harry S Truman had named Eleanor as the only woman on the U.S. delegation to the first session of the United Nations General Assembly held in London in 1946. She performed so well in that role that she won the respect of the countries who elected her as chair of their drafting committee.
As a footnote, I myself when I was in college in 1961 had the honor of introducing Eleanor Roosevelt when she spoke to a conference of university students in New York.
Topic #2: What is the difference between “civil liberties” and “civil rights”?
Years ago, I compiled a detailed chart first quoting each of the 30 articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and then quoting the similar and parallel
Articles and sections of the US constitution including the US Bill of Rights.
For the first 21 Articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights I found 19 similar parallel concepts in the US Constitution, a whooping 19 out of 21 – 90%
I sharp contrast, for the last nine articles of the Universal Declaration, Article 22 through Article 30, I found only 4 parallel similar concepts in the US Constitution, a measly 4 our of 9 – only 44%.
Why this vast difference? Well, the difference can be summarized in the titles of two treaties dated in 1966 which codify and put in legal form the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Maya recited for us a key sentence of the Universal Declaration which states that the Universal Declaration is QUOTE a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations. UNQUOTE.
A “standard of achievement” is not legally binding – so — 18 years later the nations of the world wrote two treaties which were legally binding. As you may have guessed, one treaty was based on Articles 1 through 21; the other treaty was based on Articles 22 through 30.
The treaty based on Articles 1 through 21 bore the title: “Political and Civil Rights.”
The United States has joined this treaty and its contents are called “civil liberties.”
“Civil liberties” protect freedom by prohibiting action by the government.
The treaty based on Articles 22 through 30 bore the title: “Social, Economic, and Cultural Rights.” The United States has not and never will join this treaty and its contents are called “civil rights.” “Civil rights” protect freedom by requiring government action.
In summary, the United States Bill of Rights lists actions the government is prohibited from taking to preserve civil liberties but leaves up to Congressional legislation to take action to advance civil rights.
Now let us turn to Topic #3: beginning with two examples of civil liberties which are both in the UN Universal Declaration and also in the US Bill of Rights. Then I will end with one example of civil rights which is in the UN Universal Declaration but not in the US Bill of Rights.
First two examples of telling the government to keep its hands off:
Tanner and Gianna read Article 19 of the UN Universal Declaration as follows:
“Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion … and to express Ideas through any media.”
The First Amendment of the US Bill of Rights says the same:
“Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech or of the press.”
Now hear another example of the UN and US documents being virtually identical
Mariana read Article 20 of the UN Universal Declaration as follows:
“Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly”
The First Amendment of the US Bill of Rights says the same:
”Congress shall make no law respecting the right of the people to peaceably assemble.”
In contrast Peyton, Ben, Yousef, and Jude recited Article 23 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights as follows. Notice that this article does not call on the government to keep hands off, but to take actions.
Everyone has the right to work … and to the protection of employment.
Everyone … has the right to equal pay for equal work.
Everyone who works has the right to … just remuneration ensuring
an existence worthy of human dignity.
Everyone has a right to form a union.
If any of these listed rights are available in the United States it is because of federal or state laws which are not mandatory. For example, unions are illegal in North Carolina.
Topic # 4: I believe that the first priority human right of the 21st century is to protect the Earth from destruction caused by climate overheating
In addition to the two vital treaties on human rights I have just cited there is a third strategic treaty — negotiated 30 years ago in Rio de Janeiro Brazil. It is the Framework Convention on Climate Change and it has been supported by a network of climate scientists called the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change which has issued 7 major comprehensive reports in 1990,1995, 2001, 2007, 2015, 2019 with another pending in 2021. They warn that comprehensive actions are required to protect the Earth from overheating causing catastrophic hurricanes, floods, droughts, deadly heat waves, and giant forest fires.
This afternoon I only have time to list a few of the many descriptions of this huge threat to human, animal, and plant life on the Earth. I call this threat:
— the atmospheric heat trap
— the Earth blanket and
— The Global Thermostat Up Set
Another description, called the greenhouse effect compares how gasses such as CO2 and methane in the atmosphere act like the roof of a greenhouse trapping infrared heat waves from returning to outer space.
Finally, the perverse Goldilocks effect is that before current greenhouse gasses had begun to accumulate the Earth had the just-right temperature to support life
Not like papa bear’s porridge, too not.
Not like mama bear’s porridge, too cold.
But like baby bear’s porridge, just the right temperature to sustain life on Earth
Topic #5: Do animals have rights?
The climate crisis reminds me that not only humans, but animals as well, depend on having weather that is not out of control. My sources for answering “yes” that animals – besides being useful to humans — do have rights are my experiences with pets and animals in nature and a list of statements by various faith groups which assert that animals are sacred parts of divine creation.
Pope Francis: The human person is sanctified more to the extent that he or she enters
into relationships with all creatures.
Jewish scripture: On the Sabbath your livestock shall not do any work.
God instructed Noah to take two of every kind of animal onto the ark
The Muslim Hadith: A good deed done to an animal is like a good deed done to a
human.
The Buddha: With a boundless heart should one cherish all living beings.
The Dalai Lama: Life must be characterized by a sense of Universal Reponsibility,
not only Nation to Nation and human to human, but also human.
to all other forms of life.
Unitarian Universalism core principle: Respect for the interdependent web of existence.
Hindu: One is dearest to God who is nonviolent to all creatures.
Topic 6: The song as if Santa Claus believed in universal human rights
The song Santa Claus is Coming to Town indicates that Santa Claus does not grant the human right to receive toys to all children whether or no they are naughty or nice or regardless of whether they stay up past their bedtime. So they better watch out.
Here is my song version of a Santa Claus who believes in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
There’s joy in the air. He knows who you are.
He’s coming your way. He remembers your name.
There’s love everywhere, If you’re happy or sad,
So look for the sleigh. He’ll come just the same.
Santa Claus is coming to town. Santa Claus is coming to town.
He’s with you when you’re sleeping.
He’s there when you awake.
He knows if you’ve been sad or glad
And he loves you for your sake.
Finally Topic #7 is a challenge to all of us to make a difference in the world by
promoting and defending human rights.
One meaning of the word “allegiance” is “obligation.” To make sense of this word in the context of the pledge of allegiance, I restate the pledge to myself as follows
“I pledge allegiance (or obligation) to the United States of American,
One nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all.”
The pledge stated this way makes clear that I accept an obligation to promote liberty and justice for all.
So my seventh and final point today is to urge myself and to urge you to meet our
obligation to promote liberty and justice for all in our one nation.
Concerning justice, we often see a sign in public demonstrations and marches that reads, No justice, No peace spelling the word no with two letters “n” and “o.” That seems to say, We will keep on demonstrating until you act with justice.
And I have also seen a sign at a demonstration that spelled the word K N O W.
As such it is a simple description of the social relationship that when there is justice peace will follow. Martin Luther King Jr. stated this same truth when he said, “Peace is not merely the absence of conflict. Peace is the Presence of Justice.”
Martin Luther King also reminds us in our one nations under God quote:
We are caught in an irresistible network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.
Whatever effects one directly, affects all indirectly. Unquote.
In conclusion, there are two famous quotations about justice that I will share as a concluding challenge for us to seek the goal of justice for all, both in one nation and among all nations.
First, there is the statement by Theodore Parker, a Unitarian minister in the United States just before the Civil War which was made famous by Martin Luther King Jr. QUOTE The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. UNQUOTE.
Referring to this remark Robert Kennedy in a speech made in South Africa 60 years ago gives us this parting advice:
Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events. It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man or woman stands up for an ideal or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he or she sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and together those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.
Let’s do it. Shall we?