| Media and Updates 2008 archive 2 July - December 2008 December 31, 2008, The Dignity in Schools Campaign and six organizations submitted a report on the right to education in U.S. juvenile and criminal justice facilities to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education, Mr. Vernor Muñoz. The report documents the school to prison pipeline, the educational characteristics of the incarcerated population, and the lack of access to quality education programs in juvenile facilities and prisons. The report highlights examples of youth facilities in New York, Texas, and Louisiana that violate the rights of young people to education and to be treated with dignity. Read the DSC report >>> Contact the DSC to help prepare additional recommendations to the Special Rapporteur >>> December 22, 2008, Regents Professor Paul Gordon Lauren of the University of Montana and The Teaching Company released Rights of Man: Great Thinkers and Great Movements – a course taught by Professor Lauren. It is comprised of 24 lectures on DVD or CD along with a course book. For more information or to order the book >>> December 21, 2008, Paul Farmer, a founding board member of NESRI and Partners in Health, appeared recently on NPR’s This I Believe. For Farmer, “The fight for health as a human right, a fight with real promise, has so far been plagued by failures.” In light of such failure, Farmer suggests "The goal of preventing human suffering must be linked to the task of bringing others, many others, into a movement for basic rights." To listen to or read a copy of his remarks >>> December 18, 2008, NESRI supported their partner the Coalition of Immokalee Workers in organizing human rights, anti-slavery, religious, labor, and student organizations in sending a powerfully-worded public letter to Florida's Governor Charlie Crist calling on the Florida governor to "renounce the comments made by" his Department of Agriculture spokesperson Terence McElroy and "commit the full power of his office to immediately and comprehensively address the plague of abuse and modern-day slavery in Florida’s fields." See the full text of the letter and an up to date list of those who have signed on >>> See the Fort Myers News-Press coverage of this letter >>> December 17, 2008, On a chilly evening in New York, Raising Women's Voices partnered with colleagues to gather 35 young activists in a cozy pub in New York’s East Village for a Reproductive Health Happy Hour. There they shared their thoughts about the human right to health care with incoming “health czar,” Tom Daschle. December 15-16, 2008, Maisie Chin, Director of CADRE, NESRI’s partner organization, testified at the UN Forum on Minorities and the Right to Education in Geneva on issues related to racial discrimination, school climate and discipline, and parent participation in U.S. public schools. For more information and to read the testimony from CADRE >>> December 15, 2008, NESRI collaborators and members of the newly formed Campaign to Restore National Housing Rights - the Los Angeles Area Coalition to End Hunger & Homelessness (LACEHH) and People Organized for Westside Renewal (POWER) - met with Congresswoman Maxine Waters today in Los Angeles. Maxine Waters is the Chairwoman of the House Committee on Housing and Community Opportunity. At the meeting today Chairwoman Waters agreed to the following:
December 14, 2008, "Health Reform From the Bottom Up," an editorial in the Helena Independent Record of Montana, applauds the Lewis and Clark City-County Health Board for a resolution asserting health care is a "basic human right." The editorial concludes by stating "In the 21st century, health care for all is way overdue." See the resolution >>> December 12, 2008, The Helena Independent Record of Montana reports on the December 4th resolution by the Lewis and Clark City-County Health Board recognizing health and health care as "basic human rights." The article cites Alan Peura, a Helena city commissioner and board member who helped spearhead the project, as stating “Starting with health care as a human right, we thought maybe we can get to places that we never got to before ... We said, ‘Let’s see what we can do to change the debate, and maybe end up with some solutions that we don’t even know exist at this point’.” >>> December 11, 2008: GRITtv screened NESRI and Rada Film's documentary Coming Home as part of its Got Docs? project. Coming Home tells the story of Sam Jackson's, founder of NESRI partner May Day New Orleans, quest to ensure the return of his public housing community after Hurricane Katrina. The film also examines the national crisis taking place in public housing through demolitions, privatization and under-funding. December 10, 2008, Laura Flanders of GRITtv interviews NESRI friend and Distinguished Professor at John Jay College Blanche Wiesen Cook and NESRI Executive Director Cathy Albisa on the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and today's burgeoning movement for economic and social rights. December 10, 2008, The City of Topeka’s Human Relations Commission (HRC) will hold its second annual observance of International Human Rights Day from 6:00-8:00 pm at the Holliday Building, first floor conference room, 620 S E Madison. The topic this year is, “The Human Right to Health.” Speakers will include Dr. Richard Meidinger, MD, President of the Board of Directors of the Marian Clinic and Ms. Julie Pierce, who, along with her late husband Tracy Pierce, was featured in Michael Moore’s 2007 documentary, “SiCKO.” Attendees will have the opportunity to sign a "community" declaration of human rights and local and state organizations working on health reform, including a state chapter of Physicians for Human Rights, will be able to share materials to raise awareness of their own work to advance human rights. This event will also mark the 60th Anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations on December 10, 1948. Click here to view the press release and flyer. December 10, 2008, A Poughkeepsie Journal article on the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights quotes NESRI Executive Director, Cathy Albisa, on the health care situation in the United States. Albisa remarks that health care is “still treated as a commodity, as a market good … The only way for an insurance company to make money is to deny care." >>> December 7, 2008, CAAAV's Chinatown Tenants Union of NYC will hold a press conference and rally at 1 pm in front of 81 Bowery to support the former tenants and their "right to return". The tenants were evicted from their homes by the City because of safety conditions not corrected by the landlord. For more information contact CAAAVs ChinatownTenants Union at (212) 473-6485 or email hwong@caaav.org. For a background article on the situation >>> December 7, 2008, In honor of International Human Rights Day the Domestic Workers United of NYC will be holding a "Children's Vigil for the Human Rights of Domestic Workers" at 11:30am-1:00pm on the steps of City Hall. >>> December 4, 2008, The Health Board of Lewis & Clark County in Montana recognizes the human right to health and healthcare and proposes universal health care. See the resolution >>> December 4, 2008, The Asian Coalition for Housing Rights releases its new official report from the seminar entitled "Communities as Key Actors in Disaster Rehabilitation," which was held on November 3, 2008, during the fourth World Urban Forum in Nanjing, China. Sam Jackson, of NESRI partner May Day New Orleans, is featured in the report. >>> December 3, 2008, NESRI signed onto a national solidarity letter to President-elect Barack Obama urging him to make equitable rebuilding of the Gulf Coast a focal point of his administration. >>> December 1 – 4, 2008, ESCR-Net, in partnership with the Kenyan ESCR Coalition, held a four-day International Strategy Meeting of its Working Groups, Members and active participants in Nairobi, Kenya. This landmark gathering brought together approximately 250 key human rights, social justice and grassroots’ activists from around the world. NESRI friends from Coalition of the Immokalee Workers, Poverty Initiative, National Training and Information Center and the Media Mobilizing Project attended the meeting. Visit the escr-net website and strategy meeting blog. November 25, 2008, Declaring "Housing is a Human Right," Picture the Homeless of NYC will hold a rally and sleep out protest in front of the State Office Building (163 West 125th Street) to bring awareness to the fact that affordable housing isn't affordable for low income people. Rally starts at 4 pm and sleep out starts at 6 pm. Click here to view a sixty-second Public Service Announcement from Picture the Homeless. November 24, 2008, Hope for Human Rights in an Era of New Leadership: A conversation with President Mary Robinson (Founder of Realizing Rights and Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights), Larry Cox (Executive Director Amnesty International USA), Samuel Kofi Wodds (Labor Minister of Liberia), and Dr. Blanche Wiesen Cook, Acclaimed Author and Eleanor Roosevelt Scholar. Starting at 6:30 pm at the New York Society for Ethical Culture, 2 West 64th Street. >>> November 19, 2008, The newly formed Campaign to Restore National Housing Rights issued its policy position paper regarding national housing policy. >>> November 18, Boston, MA November 10, 2008, NESRI Board Member, Paul Farmer, asks the question "Can Obama Solve America's Health Care Crisis?" >>> November 9, 2008, Marjorie Cohn, president of the National Lawyers Guild, sees new hope for human rights in the Obama administration. >>> November 3 - 6, 2008, Sam Jackson, founder of NESRI partner May Day New Orleans, has traveled to China to participate in the Fourth Session of the World Urban Forum. Sam will be participating on a panel that is focused on community rebuilding after disaster where he will discuss community rebuilding efforts post Hurricane Katrina. The World Urban Forum brings together a wide range of stakeholders who will focus on various aspects of harmonious urbanization, including territorial balance in urban development, social equity, urban environment and preserving the cultural heritage of cities. October 31, 2008, The American Constitution Society released a report entitled Human Rights at Home: A Domestic Policy Blueprint for the New Administration. The report is authored by Catherine Powell, Associate Professor of Law at Fordham Law School. NESRI Executive Director Cathy Albisa served on the Blueprint’s Advisory Group. October 31, 2008, Montana voices for healthcare as a human right: view the first in a series of short videos featuring Montana residents talking about their experiences in the healthcare system. The series starts with a story told by Mary Caferro, who came to the Montana legislature knowing that health care is a human right. To become an advocate for the right to health care click here and utilize the advocacy tools in the blue box.
October 27, 2008, Education Notes Online directs its readers attention to the new report Teachers Talk: School Culture, Safety and Human Rights. >>> October 25, 2008, Teachers In Action: Educating For Justice, a New York City blog, reports on the NESRI and Teachers Unite report Teachers Talk: School Culture, Safety and Human Rights. >>> October 24, 2008, Cecilia Blewer of the Independent Commission on Public Education of NYC (ICOPE), a NESRI ally, posts to the New York City Human Rights Initiative (NYCHRI) blog on the human right to education. NESRI is participating in the sixty day UDHR campaign of the NYCHRI, a project of the Urban Justice Center. >>> October 23, 2008, UN Special Rapporteur for Adequate Housing Raquel Rolnick comments on the national foreclosure crisis in a statement entitled Markets Alone Cannot Ensure Housing for All. October 22, 2008, A Gotham Schools article, entitled "Teachers Say Caring Relationships Make Schools Safe," reports on the NESRI and Teachers Unite report Teachers Talk: School Culture, Safety and Human Rights. >>> October 22, 2008, NESRI issues a press release about a new human rights report, Teachers Talk: School Culture, Safety and Human Rights. October 20, 2008, Kim Abbott, of the Montana Human Rights Network, a NESRI partner, writes on the human right to health care in an op-ed appearing in the Missoulian, MT. October 16, 2008, Radhika Balakrishnan, who chairs the board of the US Human Rights Network, and Diane Elson, of the Human Rights Center at Essex University, publish article "The Economic Crisis is a Human Rights Issue." >>> October 13, 2008, NESRI Human Right to Education Director Liz Sullivan is quoted on peer jury systems and "Choose to Change," a conference promoting alternate discipline models, in the New York Daily News. >>> October 1, 2008, NESRI issues a press release about a solidarity letter sent by national housing rights groups to congressional members of the Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity urging them to ensure that any bailout plan includes ample resources and commitments for affordable housing. October 2008,The Alliance for Fair Food releases NESRI prepared Report entitled Challenging Chipocrisy: "Food With Integrity" Must Respect Farmworkers' Human Rights. >>> September 30, 2008, The Faithful Reform in Health Care coalition has developed a set of principles that recognize the human right to health care and articulate faith-inspired values to support health care that is inclusive, accessible, affordable and accountable. >>> September 26, 2008, On The Issues, a new progressive woman's magazine went live, check it out >>> September 24, 2008, NESRI Board Member Mimi Abramovitz publishes article, "Wall Street Takes Welfare It Begrudges to Women" in Women's eNews >>> August 2008, Asian Coalition for Housing Rights e-News has a wonderful update starting on page 2 on some of the results of the transnational exchange NESRI organized >>> August 29, 2008, Right to the City: A National Day of Action to Commemorate Third Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. A rally and press conference will take place at 2pm in New York City at Sara Roosevelt Park >>> August 28, 2008, The World Health Organization’s Commission on the Social Determinants of Health released its report, Closing the Gap in a Generation: Health Equity through Action on the Social Determinants of Health. August 20, 2008, NESRI and NHeLP release Human Right to Health Care: Nominees' Plans Lag Behind Public Demands. This human rights assessment provides a detailed review of the nominees' health care plans. See the press release, go directly to the publication. August 20, 2008, NESRI transnational exchange partner Sam Jackson was interviewed about public housing in New Orleans on GRITtv with Laura Flanders. August 13, 2008, Congresswoman Maxine Waters and Congressman Barney Frank sent a letter to HUD Secretary Steven Preston demanding that HUD immediately implement a moratorium on all demolitions and dispositions of public housing. >>> July 31, 2008, The World Trade Center Community-Labor Coalition Applauds H.R. 6594, the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2008 >>> July 14, 2008, NESRI and Human Rights Watch issue a letter urging the Jackson Public School District to pass a discipline policy using positive behavior support and restorative practices in schools >>> July 11, 2008, The New York Sun published an article quoting ICOPE about the possible creation of public school parent and student unions. They also published a diagram from the YRNES report. >>> July 9, 2008, NESRI Housing Director Tiffany Gardner is quoted about gentrification in the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder >>> July 8, 2008, See the newest issue of the Essex Human Rights Review >>> July 2, 2008, NESRI Board Member, Paul Farmer, re-launches the Health and Human Rights Journal at Harvard’s School of Public Health. See the link to the journal, Dr. Farmer's introduction, Challenging orthodoxies: The road ahead for health and human rights, and NESRI Health Program Director, Anja Rudiger’s piece From market competition to solidarity? Assessing the prospects of U.S. health care reform plans from a human rights perspective.
|
