Human Rights Day Commemoration
We are proud to highlight human rights stories from partners as part of our annual recognition of movements
Every year on December 10 (International Human Rights Day), UUSC joins the United Nations and global communities in celebrating the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
From reflection to action for human rights
We see this celebration as an opportunity to remind ourselves of the strength of the human spirit and renew our commitment to work grounded in shared humanity. In recent years, our observances have taken the form of inspirational reflections, virtual events, and educational initiatives.
Our powerful programming brings together grassroots activists, scholars, and faith-based leaders. On Human Rights Day in 2018, our president, Rev. Mary Katherine Morn, joined an interfaith witness at the U.S.-Mexican border in solidarity with asylum seekers. In 2021, we hosted a Human Rights Leadership Celebration featuring music, blessings, and justice-centered storytelling. Our 2023 program, which honored the 75th anniversary of the UDHR, featured a virtual event that explained the role of collective action. Most recently, in 2024, we assessed the current situation in Haiti by connecting its historical roots to U.S. policy through the lived experiences of our partners.
These gatherings reflect the values at the heart of UUSC’s mission. Whether reflecting on past areas of growth or celebrating hard-won progress, we will always channel inspiration into action as we have faith that another world is possible. We invite you to join us in connecting contemporary struggles to principles that guide us: accountability, relationship, and joy.
Words from The Community
I perceived clearly that I was participating in a truly significant historic event in which a consensus had been reached as to the supreme value of the human person, a value that did not originate in the decision of a worldly power, but rather in the fact of existing—which gave rise to the inalienable right to live free from want and oppression and to fully develop one’s personality. In the Great Hall…there was an atmosphere of genuine solidarity.
Hernán Santa Cruz of Chile, member of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights drafting sub-committee
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