Human Rights Insider - October 2024

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ETHEL KENNEDY

CELEBRATING ETHEL KENNEDY, OUR FOUNDER AND HERO

Throughout Ethel Kennedy’s marriage to Robert F. Kennedy, the couple shared a passion for politics and a commitment to social justice. As the founder of RFK Human Rights, she led the organization from its very inception and played a vital role in its growth and development for more than half a century. Over her 96 years, she was a champion for justice, standing with human rights defenders around the globe—from breaking bread with Cesar Chavez, to marching with the Immokalee farm workers, to advocating before a Kenyan dictator for justice for human rights activists. Ethel lived a tremendously impactful life and was the cornerstone of RFK Human Rights until she passed away on October 10, 2024. May she rest in eternal peace. Read more → ?

BEHIND THE HEADLINES

BEHIND THE HEADLINES: THE URGENCY OF DECARCERATION IN THE FIGHT FOR CLIMATE JUSTICE?

As Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida earlier this month, thousands of people fled their homes under mandatory or voluntary evacuation orders in one of the largest and most urgent evacuation efforts in Florida history. But over 28,000 people currently incarcerated in Florida’s mandatory evacuation zones had no ability to flee the storm’s path. In the latest installment of our ‘Behind the Headlines’ series, Dale and James J. Pinto Fellow Medha Raman argues that the devastating impact of climate change on prison populations isn’t happenstance—it’s the foreseeable result of America’s mass incarceration crisis, propelled by a prison industrial complex wherein governments incentivize prison construction to prop up flagging local economies where land has been degraded from natural resource extraction and industrial pollution. The maintenance and construction of prisons and jails also exacerbates pollutants that worsen the disastrous effects of climate change, making clear that any real solution requires drastically reducing the size of the incarcerated population in the United States. Read more → ?

HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD

THE 2025 RFK HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD IS NOW OPEN FOR NOMINATIONS!

The Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award identifies and honors those who embody Senator Robert F. Kennedy’s belief that the power of individual and collective moral courage can overcome injustice. Each year, we honor outstanding champions of social justice who stand up to oppression, even at great personal risk, in the nonviolent pursuit of human rights. Help us promote the work of dedicated human rights defenders around the world by nominating an individual or organization whose work you believe is worthy of recognition.? Submit your nomination →?

Learn more about the award →

RFK HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE NEWS

• Sarah Decker in Verite News—Lack of translation services pervasive in Louisiana immigration detention, advocates say: A recent RFK Human Rights report showed a “systematic denial of language access” that prevented asylum seekers from receiving protections and?blocked their access to medical and legal services at Winn Correctional Center. Now, advocates say that language access issues stretch beyond that facility: “People are detained and trapped in these jails and don’t have access to any materials in their language, let alone interpretation services to help them actually complete the [asylum] application and they’re unrepresented,” said RFKHR Staff Attorney Sarah Decker.

UPCOMING EVENTS

• October 28—Bid on 2 MVP Outdoor Suite Tickets to Game 4 of the World Series: Get ready to see Game 4 of the World Series! You and a guest will attend the game between the Yankees and Dodgers from an MVP Outdoor Suite. Enjoy sitting between Home Plate and the Yankees Dugout on the Concierge Level in S117AA! Learn more and place your bid by October 28.
• November 14 at 1 p.m. ET—RFKHR Book Club—The Movement, by Clara Bingham: On the next installment of our RFKHR Book Club, author Clara Bingham will discuss her latest book, The Movement. Through the captivating individual voices of the people who lived it, The Movement tells the intimate inside story of what it felt like to be at the forefront of the modern feminist crusade. We hope you’ll join us for the discussion!
• December 11—2024 Ripple of Hope Award Gala, New York, NY: This year's laureates include Susan Clark Livingston, partner at Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.; Lin-Manuel Miranda, songwriter, actor, director, and producer; Antonio Neri, president and CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise; John W. Rogers, Jr., chairman and co-CEO of Ariel Investments; and Tom Wilson, chair, president, and CEO of The Allstate Corporation. The laureates will be honored on Wednesday, December 11, at a ceremony in New York City emceed by Alec Baldwin. Learn more about this year’s laureates and register for the ceremony.
• December 15—Deadline to submit a nomination for the 2025 RFK Human Rights Award: You can help us honor Robert F. Kennedy’s legacy and promote the work of dedicated human rights defenders around the world. Learn more about the nomination process, and if you know of a person or group fighting for justice, submit their name by December 15, 2024.

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