NESRI: National Economic & Social Rights Initiative

welcome to our listserv announcement!

October 2007

Dear Friends & Allies,

Welcome to our quarterly listserv! NESRI works on a range of economic and social rights. But no arena is more important to ensuring human rights in the United States than the education institutions that serve our children. Not only is the human right to education a fundamental right in itself, a quality education also enables people to realize other key rights such as a decent standard of living and the ability to effectively participate in a democracy.

Yet, as the events of the last several months in Jena, Louisiana have demonstrated, there is a human rights vacuum in our schools. In Jena, students challenged the de facto segregation in their school by asking permission to sit under the “white tree.” Threatening nooses appeared soon afterwards, but the school was ill-equipped to address the growing crisis. Rather than use human rights and reconciliation models and tools to address the underlying issues of race discrimination and hostility, officials invited the criminal justice system into the school and students were told that their lives could be ended with “a stroke of a pen.” After several school fights broke out, one group of six African-American youth was charged with serious crimes – including second degree attempted murder – for one particular fight.

Tens of thousands of people came to Jena on September 20th to protest the treatment of these students. NESRI was also there to promote a transformation of our schools using human rights approaches. NESRI supports the families of the Jena 6, but also recognizes that the events in Jena do not represent just one isolated incident, but rather a growing human rights crisis. In Paris, Texas a 15 year old girl was sentenced to seven years imprisonment for pushing a school aide, in Los, Angeles, California a student was suspended for two months for carrying a marker because he “might” have used it to draw gang-related images.

Human rights standards provide the perfect tool to challenge these practices that exclude far too many children from learning and fuel the “school to prison pipeline.” Human rights demand that schools adequately support students to avoid conflict and adopt restorative justice models for disciplinary issues. Human rights also require that school environments protect the dignity of every child, which is the most effective way to reduce conflict and discipline issues in the schools.

Please support us in our efforts to transform our educational culture through human rights!

HUMAN RIGHT TO EDUCATION PROGRAM UPDATES:

NESRI TRAVELS TO JENA, LOUISIANA TO PARTICIPATE IN RALLY AND TOWN HALL MEETING
On September 20th, 2007 NESRI traveled to Jena to join the tens of thousands of people marching for justice for the boys known as the Jena 6. Prior to leaving for Jena, NESRI mobilized more than 30 human rights organizations and scholars to sign a letter that was sent to the Louisiana Governor. In addition, NESRI organized a panel of experts to present at a Town Hall meeting, “Restoring the Human Right to Education: Abolishing the School to Prison Pipeline” in Alexandria, LA. This panel presentation sparked a positive discussion about reconciliation and the human right to education. NESRI's Executive Director was quoted in the Louisiana Weekly, following the meeting. >>>

NESRI LAUNCHES A SURVEY WITH TEACHERS UNITE
Teachers Unite supports New York City public school teachers fighting for human rights and social justice. NESRI’s Human Right to Education Program will be working with Teachers Unite to launch a survey to gather information on teacher’s opinions of school safety policies and whether they believe such policies protect the human right to education.

NESRI JOINS THE STUDENT SAFETY ACT COALITION
The Student Safety Act Coalition consists of ten organizations working on issues of school safety, police presence in schools and the juvenile justice system. >>>

HUMAN RIGHT TO EDUCATION TRAINING MANUAL
In spring 2007, NESRI and CADRE released the human rights training manual – Bringing a Human Rights Vision to Public Schools: A Training Manual for Organizers. Since then we have a tremendous response! The online version of the manual has been downloaded over 700 times. In addition, NESRI has distributed manuals to U.S. community groups, educators, department of education staff, and legal advocacy groups in more than 16 states and received requests from organizations in 17 different countries. >>>

HUMAN RIGHT TO HEALTH PROGRAM
NESRI is pleased to announce that Anja Rudiger will be joining NESRI and the National Health Law Program’s (NHeLP) as our new joint Human Right to Health Program Coordinator. >>>

LEGAL PROGRAM
The Legal Program is supporting activists in Eugene, Oregon seeking to implement local human rights initiatives. >>> NESRI also welcomes Tiffany Gardner as our new Director of the Legal Program, and coordinator of our Special Project on the Human Rights of Hurricane Survivors. Tiffany has a strong background in corporate accountability and human rights issues, and will be an invaluable asset to our mission! >>>

HUMAN RIGHTS OF HURRICANE SURVIVORS SPECIAL PROJECT
Our partners in the Gulf coast have been making impressive strides in advancing post Katrina social justice and community participation through human rights principles. Endesha Juakali of Survivors’ Village and Sam Jackson of B.W. Copper Housing Development have been organizing public housing residents and allies around the “Right to Housing” to oppose the proposed demolition and replacement of current public housing stock in New Orleans with mixed income units. Pam Dashiell of the Holy Cross Neighborhood Association has been actively working on issues of sustainable development through her community’s newly formed organization that was inspired by NESRI’s transnational exchange with post-Tsunami activists: the Lower Ninth Ward Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development. Using human rights principles, the Center seeks to ensure that the Holy Cross neighborhood is revitalized as affordable, "green", climate and carbon neutral and resilient as possible. Also based on models studied in the transnational exchange, Holy Cross neighborhood association has launched an effort to create a community savings bank. We salute the work of these and our entire Gulf coast partners working on the frontline to ensure human rights for hurricane Katrina survivors. >>>

NEW PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS
September 2007 – NESRI produced a Human Right to Education Program Overview >>>

August 3, 2007 - Preorder "Bringing Human Rights Home to America" a three volume series on the human rights movement in the United States edited by NESRI Executive Director, Cathy Albisa, NESRI Board Chair, Martha Davis, and Cynthia Soohoo. >>>

September 20, 2007 - NESRI Executive Director Cathy Albisa presents at a panel regarding the Jena 6, “Restoring the Human Right to Education: Abolishing the School to Prison Pipeline” >>>

NESRI'S THIRD ANNIVERSARY
NESRI is celebrating its three year anniversary this month. Over the last three years, we have had many wonderful opportunities to advance our mission of promoting human rights to ensure dignity and access to the basic resources needed for human development and civic participation in the United States. We know we can not do this alone. Our friends, allies and supporters make this work possible by informing us of opportunities, sharing expertise, and donating resources. We would like to take this moment to thank you for supporting us along the way!

NESRI INTERNS AND VOLUNTEERS
NESRI welcomes Craig Hughes, who has joined us for a year-long internship with the Human Right to Education Program. Currently, Craig is pursuing a Masters in Social Work at Hunter School of Social Work. >>>

EVENTS
October 4-5, New York, NY - Cathy Albisa, NESRI Executive Director and Martha Davis, NESRI Board Chair, will both be presenting at Fordham Law School's "Symposium on International Law and the Constitution: Terms of Engagement" where Carol Anderson, Author, Eyes Off the Prize: The United Nations and the African American Struggle for Human Rights, will be a keynote speaker. >>>

October 22, Santa Barbara, CA – NESRI Board Member Paul Farmer will speak at the University of California, Santa Barbara, School of Education >>>

October 23, Storrs, CT - NESRI Exchange Delegate Pam Dashiell will present at UNESCO's 8th Annual Human Rights Conference on the Environment >>>

October 24, New York, NY - NESRI Board Chair, Martha Davis will be providing a training on International Human Rights Law for Legal Services for the New York Legal Staff

October 30, New York, NY – NESRI Board Member Paul Farmer will deliver a lecture as part of the Earth Institute Distinguished Lecture Series >>>

November 5, (multiple locations) - 2007 National Forum on the Human Right to Housing >>>

November 8 - 10, Denver, CO - Restoring Justice in our Schools, Coalition of Essential Schools, Fall Forum, Liz Sullivan, NESRI Education Program Director, will participate in a panel on restorative justice and human rights in schools >>>

November 9, Eugene, OR - NESRI Executive Director Cathy Albisa is presenting at a symposium entitled, "Bringing Human Rights Home: Implementing International Human Rights in the United States" >>>

November 17, Washington, D.C. - NESRI Board Chair, Martha Davis is debating Phyllis Schlafly on the Era at the Federalist Society 2007 National Lawyers Convention >>>

November 19, Philadelphia, PA - Paul Farmer will receive the Dennis Clark Solas Award "honoring outstanding leaders for increasing access to health care" >>>

NESRI would like to offer a special thank you to:

The Ford Foundation, the Mertz-Gilmore Foundation, the Public Welfare Foundation, and the US Human Rights Fund for their steadfast support for human rights in the United States.
NESRI Interns, Craig Hughes, Jessica Fisher, and Camille Warren for their invaluable assistance.
Schulte, Roth & Zabel for their invaluable research support.
Ajamu Baraka, Executive Director of the U.S. Human Rights Network for facilitating the panel discussion at the Town Hall meeting in Alexandria, LA. Also to Lisa Crooms, Professor at Howard University School of Law and NESRI Board Member, who served as an expert on the panel in Alexandria.
NYU Law Students for Human Rights for working on research support for our work with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers
Tom Kerr of the Asian Coalition for Housing Rights for his unending and insightful technical assistance.
Eric Yuknis for his tireless volunteer efforts.

NESRI would like to express its appreciation for Joe Wilson of the Public Welfare Foundation who has now left the foundation to pursue human rights video advocacy >>> Joe is an incredible supporter of social justice movements in the United States. We will keenly miss him as a Program Officer, but are excited about his new path, and wish him well.

Thank you for all your support!

Please continue to be involved in NESRI’s work and consider donating today to strengthen human rights protections for communities across the United States. >>>

NESRI Staff:
Cathy Albisa, Executive Director
Tiffany Gardner, Legal Program Director
Liz Sullivan, Right to Education Program Director
Anja Rudiger, Right to Health Program Coordinator
Laura Gosa, Program Associate
Craig Hughes , Intern
Jessica Fisher, Intern

NESRI Board of Directors :
Mimi Abramovitz, Hunter College School of Social Work and The Graduate Center, CUNY
Martha Davis, Northeastern School of Law
Rhonda Copelon, CUNY School of Law
Lisa Crooms, Howard University School of Law
Paul Farmer, Professor of Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Patrick Mason, Florida State University, Department of Economics
Bruce Rabb, Kramer, Levin, Naftalis & Frankel LLP

The National Economic and Social Rights Initiative (NESRI) promotes a human rights vision for the United States that ensures dignity and access to the basic resources needed for human development and civic participation.