NESRI's blog

On May 6, 2010 at 6:00 pm, Rhonda Copelon died surrounded by a community of friends. Rhonda was a founding director of NESRI, but that does not begin to describe her significance and role in this work and in the lives of so many human rights activists around the world.

Vermonters from all across the state converged on the Vermont Statehouse on May 1st to demonstrate for recognizing health care as a human right in Vermont and providing it as a public good by implementing a single-payer, universal health care system.  Organized by NESRI partner the Vermont Workers’ Center, over a thousand people marched from the Montpelier City Hall down to the capital building accompanied by drums, dancers, puppets, balloons and signs supporting universal health care.  NESRI, the

On Saturday, May 1, roughly 300 people, led by NESRI partner the United Workers, marched for human rights in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.  Having declared the harbor a "Human Rights Zone," Our Harbor Day was the latest effort by the United Workers in their campaign to win a living wage and respect and dignity for all workers at the harbor.  The focal point of the day was a four act play that culminated in a final scene in which a giant puppet of Har

Thousands of Vermonters from across the state will gather at the Statehouse lawn on Saturday, May 1, for the "Healthcare Is A Human Right" Rally. The Healthcare is a Human Right Campaign was launched in 2008 by NESRI Partner Vermont Workers' Center to build a grassroots network across the state that is strong enough to change what's "politically possible" in health care reform.

After more than a year of planning and preparation, hundreds of Baltimore's low-wage workers and allies will tell the "people's history of the Inner Harbor" on May 1, 2010 through a series of elaborate storytelling performances intended to draw attention to poverty-wages and poor working conditions in Baltimore's premiere tourist and entertainment district.

Louisiana public schools expel students at five times the national rate and issue out-of-school suspensions at twice the rate of the rest of the country, according to a report released Tuesday by Families and Friends of Louisiana's Incarcerated Children and the National Economic and Social Rights Initiative.

NESRI and its partner Friends and Families of Louisiana's Incarcerated Children (FFLIC) released a report today entitled Pushed Out: Harsh Discipline in Louisiana Schools Denies the Right to Education.

In collaboration with our partners, NESRI has drafted a report on Economic and Social Rights in the United States, which we will submit to the United Nation’s Universal Period Review. The report is now open for endorsements by organizations. Please email your endorsement, questions and feedback to anja[at]nesri.org by noon, Wednesday, April 14. To review the report click here.

Last night the Vermont Senate passed the "Healthy Vermont" bill (S.88) by a majority of 28-2. This is a victory for the "Healthcare Is A Human Right" Campaign led by NESRI ally, the Vermont Workers’ Center. The bill calls for the hiring of consultants to design three health care models, one of which must be a single payer system that is administered by government, publicly financed, and decoupled from employment.