Everyone has the right to human rights

I recently visited the Canadian Human Rights Museum in Winnipeg and was touched and moved by the experience. The last time I felt so overtaken with emotion and so humbled by humanity is when I visited the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. Both experiences are difficult to describe and I cannot do them justice with any written words.

What I witnessed was powerful, almost transcendental. As is often the case, what was most compelling were the stories and the testimonies that brought to light the scenes of injustice, the moments of intolerance and the sad reality of the violations against individuals.

The Human Rights museum was created to remind us of our past and inspire us to a better future. Embracing the human rights cause requires no special skills or level of education because the tools of change are inherent in all of us. They are respect, understanding, courage and open-mindedness.

Many images throughout the museum brought to life the struggles, hardships, violence and emotional brutality of the crimes committed by humans against humans.

Many words displayed throughout the galleries described the hope, encouraged enthusiasm and called visitors to action to ensure that we all have our rights attributed and respected.

“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights” : the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted in 1948 and stated that by the fact that you are human you are entitled to basic rights. To this day, we, as a society, continue to fight to preserve the rights that have been gained and to fight for those for whom these promises have not become a reality.

Nelson Mandela said: “Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation”. I believe that we can.

A Métis proverb states: “It is in the impossible that I will find the possible”.

“We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we cannot foresee” -Marian Wright Edelman, Children’s Rights Activist

The galleries at the museum are divided by long and winding walkways which were designed to allow each individual to process what they had just heard and seen and emotionally prepare for the next exhibit. I was able to reflect and achieve peace during those multiple transitions and it provided the solitude and contemplation that were necessary to fully grasp the magnitude of what I was witnessing.

The museum visit ends with a climb up 23 stories to the Tower of Hope. A place where anything seems possible, where dreams can emerge and where obstacles seem to disappear through the clear glass windows into the endless blue sky. The future seems bright at the top, and from that vantage point the horizons extend as far as the eye and the imagination can see.

There has never been a more opportune time to change the course of history. Together we can ensure that all people live in dignity and enjoy the freedoms that most of us take for granted. Actions count and the individual choices that we make every day can make a difference for everyone. Choose to act and inspire change.

I will end with a slam poem inspired by my museum visit and my desire to see change and progress for all humanity:

Human(s), right()?

Why are people so mean?

I mean, you know what I mean

The words that you say, last for more than a day

Happiness and lustre are dulled by the cluster

Of insults and putdowns that contribute to frowns

I am glad, but when I see you, I quickly become sad

I feel your words and dare to compare your stare to a killer’s glare

For parts of me will never heal, the pain you cause I will always feel

Deep down or on the surface, my feelings leave me breathless

I am lost and I need help, but who can I turn to

I need to learn to trust that my emotions can thrust

Me, into a better place where there is faith and grace

I know you don’t care that I feel this despair

If you did, you wouldn’t say it to a kid

I need encouragement and support but all you provide is harsh retort

Why do you do these things? Do you even know?

We are both human beings whose rights need to grow

The day we become equals and justice prevails, I will know

For now, there is an imbalance of power, our equality resembles a fragile glass tower

Although I can see a brighter future, it will require commitment to change the future

No one can do it alone, we must all unite

One for all and all for one, is how we will get this done

Peace and love I wish for all, equality and respect as a goal is tall

The world can be a better place no matter your gender, religion or race

If we believe in a better life, we can end our global strife.