Human Rights Day Celebration Will Be Held in December in Tennessee

The Tennessee celebration of International Human Rights Day will be held in December this year.

International Human Rights Day occurs every year to commemorate the ratification of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by the United Nations on Dec 10, 1948. In Tennessee, Human Rights Day is a day to learn and educate others on these basic rights, while various human rights groups join forces and commit to creating an even better future. 

Human Rights Day will be held in early December this year, and is shaping up to have a lengthy educational piece. “Human Rights Day is a day for education,” says Chair of the Planning Committee, Rev. Brian Fesler, “If people don’t know their rights, they are opening themselves up for violation.”

The celebration centers around the Human Rights Lifetime Achievement awards and the Rising Advocate Award.  The Rising Advocate award is given to individuals who show great promise in the field of human rights, whereas the Lifetime Achievement goes to those who have worked for human rights the majority of their career.  Fesler says, “It is great to see the work being done by prior winners of the Rising Advocate award.  I’m looking forward to it again, and we are accepting nominations.”

The committee plans to feature many different human rights organizations, especially the Tennessee governmental and non-profit agencies that have commitments to the thirty rights as laid out in the UDHR.

The planning committee is composed of the Tennessee Human Rights Commission, Metro Human Relations Commission, United Nations Association – Nashville Cordell Hull Chapter, Church of Scientology and others.  For more information, visit www.nashvillehumanrights.org.