If you’ve noticed too much negativity on your newsfeed, that is because you're mainly receiving click baits. A sort of viral content that usually will trigger anger and frustration. Whoever they are, they probably want to troll you or make you believe that hate and suffering are all that's in there for us while making a profit.
But have you ever wondered how come you don’t often hear inspiring positive news about humanity? How come you don’t hear much of human rights activists who are making this cosmos better and better? How come you don’t know their stories?
Perhaps it’s how conventional media work, or maybe you haven’t been looking in the right place. Don’t get me wrong, showing beauty is, in fact, not a popular approach within the daily news, especially when it comes to human rights. Unless it’s too popular, then they have no choice but to go with the flow.
That’s why it’s fundamental not to passively ingest whatever the newsfeed has to offer. We have to look for unconventional, unpopular viewpoints ourselves to get the bigger picture. So, without further ado, here are 5 human rights activists who embody the beauty within our species by unconditionally supporting human rights in a peaceful, educational and legal way.
Human rights activists for refugees:
Judith Wood, the relentless immigration lawyer
Judith Wood may not be the first name that pops in your head when you think about human rights activists, but she made history by changing the Asylum law in the US. And thereby saving many people, especially women who were subject to all sorts of acts of violence or even death threats in their home countries.
How did this immigration reform happen? Let’s rewind a bit…
Judy or Saint Judy is a lawyer, a public defender who became an immigration lawyer to represent people who are seeking asylum in the US. Seeking asylum in the US is not a piece of cake. And it could take forever before having a date set in court to grant asylum or not. In the meantime, asylum seekers have to not set foot on US soil, regardless of how threatened their lives might be.
"The atrocity is the denial of people’s humanity."Judith Wood
Like in the case of Asefa Ashwari, an Afghani woman and a teacher who got in trouble by opening a school for girls to learn. Something the Taliban considered as a rebellion and an act of defiance, which should be punished. They raped her and probably would have killed her if she hadn’t escaped on time.
And that’s where Judy came in. She took her case and won it in court. It took her one case to change the US asylum law, allowing women to be considered a protected class. Not only did she save her client's life, but also the lives of thousands of other women refugees, at risk of violence or death threats if sent back to their home countries.
Human rights activists for ending discrimination
Dixon D. White, from an ex-racist to an anti-racist
Dixon may not fit in the typical box of human rights activists, but that doesn’t make him any less of an activist. Dixon D.White came a long way, from a southerner American who was taught to be racist from an early age to a white supremacy prosecutor on social media.
He said over and over that as a white kid, he was raised to be racist, that he used the N-word just like everybody else but never thought of its wrongness and what it really meant. Luckily, that changed when he started college and witnessed racist behaviors by law enforcement who should protect people...
Today he’s witch-hunting white supremacy ideologies in social media, denouncing the system that has nurtured it all along from colonialism to systemic racism.
“Don’t ever ignore racism. It’s the inaction that destroys other people. Speak up.” Dixon D.White
Dixon D.White asserts that not being racist is no longer enough in these turmoiled times we live in. It implies a passivity, a recklessness when sometimes it could be a matter of life or death. And ignoring racism makes one as complicit as who commits it. Dixon D. White exposes individual racism, such as using racial slurs to institutional racism like police profiling.
That’s why he considers himself an anti-racist and urges people to be the same. Dixon D.White aspires to make a difference by speaking out against white supremacy from the bottom to the top and denouncing racism in all its forms.
Human rights activists for the vulnerable ones
Aïcha Chenna, The Moroccan Mother Teresa
If you’re a single mother or an abandoned child in Morocco, then she got your back. Aïcha Chenna is an ex-nurse, a social worker, and one of the most famous human rights activists for women, underage girls, and abandoned children.
The social landscape where she works remains widely different from the one in western societies. In fact, single women who get pregnant are rejected and scorned by society. That's why Aïcha Chenna stands for single mothers, who are publicly shamed, and perhaps with no place to stay. She fights for their rights, the rights of their children born outside of marriage, and whom the law doesn’t fully protect their rights.
She founded the Feminine Solidarity Association, which basically offers these women educational programs to learn all sorts of skills to become self-reliant. Moreover, Aïcha Chenna is a pioneer in family planning. She played a large part in changing the abortion laws. We’re not talking about a pro-life VS pro-choice debate here, but just the ability to get an abortion legally in cases like rape or incest, which she considers to be a start.
“When you have love. When you have a human being, a child, and a mother. You can go anywhere, whether in China, the US, Latine America, or Africa… it’s the same human being. ” Aïcha Chenna
Thanks to her modesty and simple language, Aïcha Chenna might be one of the most iconic human rights activists of her time. But also the most daunting figure among conservatives.
Aïcha Chenna has received many prizes worldwide as a recognition of her accomplishments. That will keep her foundation running for a very long time and help many more women and children in need.
LGBTQ+ human rights activists:
Laverne Cox would make Marsha P Johnson even more PROUD
The star of Orange is the new black is an LGBTQ+ advocate who has been very outspoken about trans-rights the last couple of years. She made history when she became the first trans woman to be on the cover of Time magazine and win a daytime Emmy. Well, you guessed it, there are a lot of firsts with her.
Wherever Laverne Cox goes, she raises awareness about challenges trans people are facing, especially trans people of color. She uses her platform to address the discrimination trans people experience daily, from housing to healthcare, besides the hate considering the rise of violence against trans people.
Laverne Cox has been quite concerned about the rise of transphobia leading to the murder of many trans people. She believes that’s a direct consequence of the higher visibility and trans representation in the media and the public view, which needs to be taken seriously.
“We do not deserve violence simply for being who we are.” Laverne Cox
That’s why Laverne Cox is committed to reframing the identity of trans people to the public eye in a more humane one. And she asserts that uncomfortable conversations are necessary to make progress for the LGBTQ+ community and for the trans community particularly.
She constantly speaks out against discriminatory legislation against trans people. And she applauded the supreme court verdict -released in 2020- which protects LGBTQ workers from getting fired simply for being open about who they are. Laverne Cox labels it as a landmark moment in this long fight in the history of her community.
Human rights activists for basic human rights
Roger waters, Another brick on the wall
If you’re a fan of Pink Floyd, then you know who that is, the man who made you sing at the top of your lungs wish you were here. Roger Waters wrote so many iconic songs that will forever be his legacy. But did you know that Roger is also one of the most outspoken human rights activists? An unconventional one according to the western society perspective.
For over a decade, Roger Waters has been critical of human rights violations around the world. He often talks about how colonialism has destroyed indigenous lives and remains the source of many injustices in the world today. But, first and foremost, he has been very outspoken about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. And that displacing Palestinians is clearly a human rights violation.
“I am passionately pro-human rights.” Roger Waters
Roger Waters is involved in many non-violent protests to support Palestinian rights, which has almost cost him his own career. Accused of antisemitism by zionist organizations, Roger Waters said over and over that he has nothing against jew people, but that doesn’t mean that the Israeli government is flawless. Thereby showing criticism is fair and square.
Roger Waters is always raw and passionate when it comes to discussing human rights. In a recent podcast with Gabor Mate, Waters talked about the ultimate Palestinian evictions from their own homes, something the UN recognizes as a violation of human rights. He strives for change and remains hopeful for peace, justice, and equality for the people on both sides.
The takeaway
Whether individually or within a body, human rights activists are fighting day in and day out for equality and justice. And just because they’re not on the cover page, that doesn't mean they don't get the job done.
Nonetheless, we need to hear more about their backgrounds, the challenges they face, and the accomplishments they make. Their stories can inspire even more people to get involved in fighting for human rights, and who knows, shift the world toward a more fair and equal direction.
If you know someone who’s in the good fight for human rights, tell us their stories. They don’t need to be famous to make a difference. It could be your mom, your colleague, your cousin, your friend, your nurse… their stories matter.
And remember that you too can support human rights without taking one step outside!
Here are 6 ways you can do it from your home!
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« FIVE WAYS TO BE AN ETHICAL CONSUMER :
HOW TO KEEP IT TRENDY AND SAVE MONEY »
A welcome gift : get your guide for free
A welcome gift : get for free your guide
