60 Years of Human Rights: The Idea and the Reality
The Harvard University Committee on Human Rights is hosting a celebration on Wednesday, December 10, from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m., at the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum at 79 JFK Street in Cambridge. RSVP required, see below.
The first moments of the evening will be a unique dramatic public reading of the Articles of the Declaration, produced in collaboration with PHR and the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.), and directed by Diane Paulus, the new Artistic Director of the A.R.T.
This presentation will include 30 readers, one for each Article, who come from many areas of the civil rights and human rights community. Renowned civil rights defenders, judges, lawyers, religious leaders, genocide survivors, political activists, concerned citizens, and esteemed faculty have been invited to read an Article of the Declaration. The entire piece will be underscored with music and include spoken text from Eleanor Roosevelt’s “In Our Hands” speech of 1958.
The theatrical reading will be followed by a panel with Dr. Paul Farmer and Professor Amartya Sen, moderated by Harvard President Drew Faust, as well as a by special performance by renowned Mali opera singer and activist Oumou Sangare.
We at PHR believe this can be a profound moment for the greater Boston community, showing a unity of purpose to defend human rights for all humanity, while inspiring hundreds of students and citizens and bringing the attention of the media to the UDHR.
The readers include:
- Tatiana Yankelevich, Director of the Andrei Sakharov Foundation, and stepdaughter of the Nobel Peace Laureate;
- Justice Richard Goldstone, Learned Hand Visiting Professor of Law, Harvard Law School, Former Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, Former Justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa;
- Carol Rose, Executive Director, American Civil Liberties Union;
- Sonam D. Shatsang, President, Boston Tibetan Association;
- Svang Tor, Survivor of Cambodian Genocide, Senior Clinician, Harvard Program on Refugee Trauma, Mass General Hospital on Refugee Trauma, Massachusetts General Hospital;
- Carol Johnson, Superintendent of Boston Public Schools; and
- Kerry Healey, former Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts.
The readings will also include text from Eleanor Roosevelt’s “In Our Hands” speech of 1958.
How to get tickets:
The event is free and open to the public. Tickets are required however, and are being raffled. You can enter the raffle here between Monday, December 1, and Monday, December 8. To enter, click on “Join the Lottery”.
Winners will be notified by e-mail, and must pick up their tickets on Tuesday, December 9, from 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. at the Institute of Politics, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge.
