Celebrating Human Rights for Today, Preserving them for the Future

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending an event in celebration of the 70th anniversary of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The declaration, which was ratified to establish a concise but also comprehensive list of freedoms that every human should have. Although the Universal Declaration of Human Rights came into existence in a post-World War II world where society was hyperconscious of human rights violations, the words written in 1948—and the ideas they conveyed—are of paramount importance in today’s society, where human rights atrocities persist. Ryan Kaminski, the manager of human rights for the USA’s United Nations Association, addressed the critical need for continuous awareness and protection of human rights, highlighting examples such as the Rohingya genocide to convey the necessity of the universal declaration. Mr. Kaminski also spoke on leveraging positions of privilege to create a platform for those who are currently without agency, specifically discussing the UNA’s efforts to reach policy members and enact change in legislation to ensure human rights are upheld. At the end of the event, we commemorated our time with Ryan Kaminski and the Pasadena United Nations Association by creating origami lotus flowers that symbolized our growth within society. This event had a special connection for me as a digital native because I realized that the modern world communicates news immediately in real time, thus enabling me and my peers to take immediate action to respond to crises and violations of human rights around the globe. Overall, I was enthralled by the speaker, and I left the auditorium thinking not of my impending assessments, but of the greater impact that my actions can have on the protection of human rights around the globe.