Home
UUSC

Home » Who We Are » Our Mission

UDHR 60th Anniversary

Celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with UUSC

October 24 to December 10, 2008

Take action! Join UUSC to raise awareness about the critical role of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.


Join us on December 10th for "UUSC Rights Night"! Rights Night is an evening to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Are you a youth aged 12-18? Participate in UUSC's first ever photography contest!

Religious educators and teachers can participate in the Bright Light Challenge. Create a learning experience to celebrate the UDHR and its connection to UUSC's work!

Join UUSC's Listen. Reflect. Act. Campaign. In just 60 seconds, you can take action to promote human rights!

Invest in human rights! Make a special $60 UDHR commemorative gift to UUSC, and become a member of UUSC.

In the video below, hear from UUSC President Charlie Clements, UUSC Board Chair Bill Schulz, and UUSC Director of Programs Atema Eclai, as they discuss the role that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights plays in advancing human rights and the work of UUSC.



Sixty years ago, on December 10, 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. This unprecedented document attests to the rights and worth of all people, identifying that these truths are the "foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world."

During World War II, in the years directly preceding the adoption of UDHR, UUSC founders Martha and Waitstill Sharp endangered their lives to save Jews, anti-Nazi dissidents, and other refugees in war-torn Europe. As UUSC grew out of the selfless acts of the Sharps, so grew the Universal Declaration of Human Rights out of the wreckage of genocide and war. It was a first collective step in international healing after a war that had cost the lives of 40 million civilians and witnessed inhumanity on an unprecedented scale.

Today, the words found in UDHR are more relevant than ever. In Darfur, three hundred thousand Darfurians have been killed, and millions displaced. Here at home, we are in a new-found battle for civil liberties deteriorated by post 9/11 policies. Around the globe, workers struggle for economic security and fair wages. Now, more than ever, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is relevant.

Join Us In Celebrating Social Justice


From October 24 to December 10, 2008, as part of an organization-wide celebration, UUSC will be featuring stories that highlight our ongoing human rights work, showing how our work flows directly from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

For example, you will learn how UUSC's Economic Justice partner, the Southern Alternatives Agricultural Cooperative, is striving for just and fair working conditions for its women pecan-growing employees. You will also learn about our Environmental Justice partners in South America who are struggling to ensure fair access to water, critical for human life.

You will learn how every day, UUSC works with people nationally and internationally to ensure that all people have the rights that are fundamental for "freedom, justice, and peace in the world."

Please join us in celebrating UDHR's 60th anniversary — and the vision of social justice that it inspires!


»