MEMBERSHIP EVENTS AND TRAINING
Wednesday, July 21st, in New York MADRE will release a report on women's human rights violations under the ICCPR in Colombia, including testimony from women human rights defenders, women displaced by the armed conflict, and
former child soldiers. More information here
A Place at the Table: Prohibitions on Sharing Food with People Experiencing Homelessness On Thursday, July 29th, at 3:30 p.m. EDT, the National Law Center and the National Coalition for the Homeless will host a webinar to discuss topics explored in the recently released report, A Place at the Table: Prohibitions on Sharing Food with People Experiencing Homelessness. The report focuses on cities that have created ordinances, policies, and tactics to limit groups from sharing food with homeless people, and highlights alternatives to those restrictions. To register, click here. For more information about registration, please contact Sarah Shubitowski at the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty by calling 202-638-2535.
Telebriefing Invitation: Human Rights and Treaty Ratification Thursday, July 29, 3-4 PM EDT. Join The Opportunity Agenda and the U.S. Human Rights Network as we examine various developments in human rights advocacy and efforts toward treaty ratification. Speakers will present on current areas of focus of the Obama administration including the Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Additionally, presenters will discuss messaging guidance around talking about treaties relevant to a human rights-based approach, as well as how local, grassroots efforts are vital in contributing to U.S. ratification of these treaties. There will also be time for questions. To receive call-in information, please RSVP at partners@opportunityagenda.org by July 26.
Join Breakthrough for New York Sufi Music Festival We're pleased to announce that Breakthrough is an Outreach Partner for the first New York Sufi Music Festival being held in New York City on Tuesday, July 20th. The festival, organized by Pakistani Peace Builders, is a new initiative of New Yorkers, Pakistani-Americans, and Pakistanis. New York Sufi Music Festival being held in New York City on Tuesday, July 20th. The festival, organized by Pakistani Peace Builders, is a new initiative of New Yorkers, Pakistani-Americans, and Pakistanis.
Join Breakthrough's Restore Fairness Campaign at Netroots in Vegas
Breakthrough's Madhuri Mohindar , is presenting two panels on immigration at Netroots Nation next week in Las Vegas. Netroots is an annual convention that amplifies progressive online voices and provides space for discussing ways to improve the use of technology to influence the public debate.
On Friday, July 23 (3:00 p.m. - 5:45 p.m.), we will be screening Breakthrough's 9-minute video Restore Fairness, which calls for the U.S. government to bring back due process and fairness to the immigration system. The event will screen other films on immigration, race and the need for reform from across the country. Screening info is available here
On Saturday, July 24 (10:15 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.), we will be presenting within a panel on "Crimmigration Under Obama: Pushing back against the "enforcement-only" immigration regime." Immigration enforcement under the Obama administration has continued almost unchanged from the Bush administration. While Department of Homeland Security officials have promised to reform the immigration detention system after dozens of deaths in detention, the effort has been cosmetic and designed to forestall more rigorous oversight. Despite moving away from massive workplace raids, the agency has continued home and business raids under the radar, with the result that overall levels of deportation have actually increased under President Obama. Meanwhile, legislative reform is stalled in Congress. Find panel info here
SAVE THE DATE Thursday, September 23. Mark your calendars for the Sexual Freedom Gala from 6:30 to 9 pm at the Equality Center in Washington, DC. Join the festivities and celebrate with the award winners of the "Vicki" - Woodhull's recognition of very special individuals who have significantly advanced sexual freedom as a fundamental human right! The Gala caps the first-ever National Sexual Freedom Day featuring panels and workshops from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., including a 2 p.m. press conference release of the first State of Sexual Freedom Report at the National Press Club, Washington, DC. More info about the Woodhull Foundation here
Thursday, October 14, 2010 National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty's McKinney-Vento Awards recognize individuals and organizations that have advanced solutions to homelessness and poverty. These awards also pay tribute to two outstanding national leaders in the fight to end homelessness, Stewart B. McKinney and Bruce F. Vento. Shaun Donovan, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, will present a keynote address at this year's ceremony. More information here
USHRN PRESS RELEASE
Obama Administration Must Leverage Israeli Accountability on Gaza Flotilla Raid (June 1, 2010) The US Human Rights Network today called on the Obama administration to demand that Israel provide an adequate explanation for its actions in the Gaza flotilla raid, which resulted in at least nine civilian deaths and the detention of almost 700 activists from more than 50 nations, including 13 Americans. Read more.
VIDEO
ACTION ALERT
Organize for the July 29 National Day of Action Against SB1070, for Justice and Human Rights! Support community resistance to Arizona's anti-immigrant racial profiling law NNIRR calls on members, partners, allies and friends to join in a national day of actions against SB1070, the Arizona anti-immigrant racial profiling law this July 29. SB1070 can be stopped by demanding and organizing for justice and human rights for all! For more information
Join the Racial Profiling: Face the Truth campaign. Mr. Abe Dabdoub, a US citizen, was detained at the US/Canada border over a dozen times by US Customs and Border Patrol. The first four times, he was handcuffed. Once, his wife pleaded with the agents not to handcuff him in front of their 5 and 7 year-old sons. Each time he asked why he was told by Customs officers, "We can't tell you for national security reasons." The Rights Working Group is asking for people to sign the petition here. The Obama Administration has said they support efforts to stop racial profiling, yet they have increased immigration enforcement programs that have resulted in racial profiling and issued Transportation Security Administration guidance that targets people from 14 countries for enhanced searches. Sign the petition to ask Attorney General Holder to strengthen the 2003 guidelines on racial profiling.
President Obama Considering Executive Order on Human Rights The Executive Order would address the human rights obligations of the United States and put concrete action behind President Obama’s recognition that human rights begin at home. Act now!
CURRENT NEWS
Sudan: African Commission issues scathing decision against Sudanese government for atrocities in Darfur In a landmark decision, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights has ruled against the Sudanese government, accusing it of committing a wide range of human rights violations against the people of Darfur. The ruling, released today, was made in a case brought by the Geneva-based international human rights group, the Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE), against the Sudanese government in 2005. The ruling came less than three weeks after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a second arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, on charges of genocide. For more information
Amnesty International Applauds Passage of Landmark Legislation Addressing Sexual Violence Against Native Women
Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) today applauded House passage of the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010, a groundbreaking piece of legislation that tackles the complex jurisdictional maze that allows violent crime against American Indians to continue unabated. The Tribal Law and Order Act, a long overdue effort to address public safety issues in Indian Country, would enhance the criminal justice system by improving coordination and communication between federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies. For more information
WOLA Condemns Murder of Afro-Colombian IDP Leader Jair Murillo The Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) is deeply saddened to report that on Saturday, July 17, Jair Murillo, Afro-Colombian internally displaced activist and member of the Fundación Integral Pacífico Nariñense (FIPAN) was assassinated in Buenaventura , Colombia . Mr. Murillo was coordinating the mobilization of internally displaced organizations and communities from Buenaventura to participate in a march to Bogota for dignity and human rights that was scheduled for July 18th. For more information
Radhika Balakrishnan and James Heintz in Huffington Post, "Corporate Control of Our Democracy: Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission" Read more.
Far Worse Than Watergate: Report Reveals Widening Scandal Regarding Intelligence Agency as New Government Takes Office in Colombia Read more.
Why Human Rights are Indispensable to Financial Regulation What does the financial crisis have to do with human rights? When we hear the words "human rights," we may think about Darfur, stifled dissent in Burma, or the killings of protestors in Guinea, yet, here the biggest economic meltdown in the US since the Great Depression continues to erode fundamental human rights. Read more.
ONGOING CAMPAIGNS / PROJECTS
Universal Periodic Review The U.N.’s first Universal Periodic Review of the U.S., scheduled to take place December 2010, offers an important opportunity both to measure how the U.S. is meeting its human rights obligations and to continue pressuring the government to live up to those obligations. Read More.
Take Back the Land Action Group! The overall objective of this campaign is to compel the United States government to recognize that housing is a fundamental human right and to meet its obligations under international law. Read more.
Katrina Campaign, this Campaign is a local, state, national and international initiative dedicated to ensuring that all levels of the US government comply with its domestic and international legal obligations and norms concerning the rights and protections accorded to persons displaced by natural disaster. Read more
Mapping and Documentation Project The USHRN is excited to announce the launch of the Human RIghts Mapping Database, a unique interactive portal for tracking human rights trainers, events, and resources. Get Involved and submit information.
Human Rights at Home Campaign. The campaign calls for strengthened commitment to human rights at home and abroad, and seeks to build a political culture from coast to coast that supports and advocates for human rights at home and abroad. Read More.
CERD Project The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, also known as ICERD, or more commonly, CERD, is an international treaty designed to protect individuals from discrimination based on race, whether that discrimination is intentional, or is the result of seemingly neutral policies. Read More.
