Hurricane Sandy Relief

I will just put it out there, for the record--I hate asking people for money. But a large chunk of our nation has been hit by the worst storm ever recorded in our history, and one week later people are still suffering from the aftermath. My own parents still do not have electricity or phone service. It is difficult to get gas and, in some places, basic groceries.

Senior citizens, people who depend on public transportation, and the homeless especially need assistance during this time. Some kids will still be home from school on Monday if there is no electricity and no way to get to school. For some of those kids, their school lunch may be the only meal they get to eat all day.

If you have the time to volunteer, or the money to donate, please consider the following opportunities:

1. The Ali Forney Center for LGBT Homeless Youth in NYC is under four feet of water and all computers, food, phones, and electricity wiped out. Thousands of kids depend heavily on this center for food, education, and personal safety. Please click here to learn more about how you can help. 

2. Top 12 ways to donate time, money, etc. to Hurricane Sandy victims in NYC.

3. General donation/volunteering sites:
     AmeriCares Hurricane Sandy Donations
     American Red Cross

Even spreading the word about what is happening and how to help is huge. Thank you for listening.

High School Students and Human Rights

I co-facilitated a workshop with Eunice Adjei-Bosompem  called “Human Rights in Your Community” for middle and high school students at a Civic Engagement conference at St. Cloud State University on Thursday October 25^th. The students who attended this conference did so voluntarily, and chose this topic of human rights as their first choice and main interest. When I asked the students why they decided to attend this workshop, all of them claimed that they believed in equal rights for all people and that they wanted to learn more about fighting for human rights. We asked them to define the term “human”; students used terms such as “flawed”, “unique”, “imperfect”, and “alive” to describe “human”.

We conducted an experiment. We gave the students photographs of all different kinds of people cut out from newspapers, and asked them to choose three photos of people whom they would want to befriend, and three photos of people they would not want to be friends with. Students “liked” people who appeared happy, and possibly shared a common interest. They were likely to “like” athletes, dancers, and singers, regardless of whether or not they knew of their celebrity status. Students “disliked” people who were featured in photos with cigarettes or firearms. They also were more likely to “dislike” people with glasses, factory/construction workers, protesters, and the elderly.

After this experiment, we had a valuable conversation about where human rights in the community begin: empathy in the heart, and realizing that one day all humans will grow old, can become disabled, can become poor, can become disenfranchised. We talked about the global community and the local community. We talked about opening spaces for all human beings in one’s community, and to start with those spaces where others do not have access (ex. non-handicapped accessible spaces). The workshop was a wakeup call for the students, and a reality check.

Are we recognizing the human “imperfections” that are distinct from our own? Do we have the capability to identify and address our own individual imperfections? While we can never teach people to be perfect, as the attainment of human perfection is impossible and not universally defined, then how do we create a space where we recognize and acknowledge those “imperfections” in order to build bridges and provide the best service that we can, to each other and to our users? Before we can define human rights and fight for them, we must first accept and fight for a universal definition of humanity.