Could a United Nations decision made in 1948 actually be Greenbelt news? In the case of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the answer is absolutely yes. Monday, December 10, was the 70-year anniversary of the United Nations adoption of that now-famous declaration. On that day I received a call from a Greenbelt resident asking if the paper would be mentioning the Declaration’s anniversary. Sadly, no, I said, wishing I’d known about it sooner. The caller, a recent arrival to Greenbelt, said that because of the strong connection between Eleanor Roosevelt and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it might be appropriate for the paper.
I thanked her for the call and wondered how I could cover a topic that does not at all seem local to Greenbelt in the paper. Although Mrs. Roosevelt was closely tied to both Greenbelt and the Declaration’s writing and passage, that doesn’t make its anniversary local news. The Declaration expresses lofty and fundamental values (read the full text at: http://www. un.org/en/universal-declarationhuman-rights/). It asserts, for example, that “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.” The Declaration also reads that all people are “due human rights regardless of race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.” It upholds the rights of life, liberty and security of person, affirms equality of all people under the rule of law and affirms that no one should be subject to torture or slavery. It states that no one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with privacy nor to “attacks against honor or reputation.” It declares all this and much more. How could I construe it as a local story for this paper?
Imagine how glad I was when on that same Monday evening, the city council made the Declaration a local story by formally recognizing the 70-year anniversary. Mayor Emmett Jordan, after reading the council’s statement acknowledging Human Rights Day and noting the importance of the Universal Declaration, quoted Eleanor Roosevelt, who chaired the committee that wrote it and whose picture hangs alongside her husband’s in the Greenbelt council chamber, saying: “Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home – so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighborhood he lives in; the school or college he attends; the factory, farm, or office where he works. Such are the places where every man, woman, and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world.”
Councilmember Judith Davis, helping hammer the point home, pointed out that Roosevelt was the moving force behind the Declaration and that her involvement “reflects well on us here in Greenbelt.” The Declaration is relevant to Greenbelt for another reason. Two weeks ago, we reported minor tweaking in the wording of the Greenbelt Community Pledge and its unanimous acceptance by council. Our community pledge echoes the Declaration’s words, affirming that “the strength of Greenbelt is diverse people living together in a spirit of cooperation.” It also states our intent as Greenbelt is to “strive to be a respectful, welcoming community that is open, accessible, safe and fair.” These words help us move toward the goal of, in Eleanor’s words, exerting “concerted action close to home to do our best to uphold the goals of the Declaration.”
That is how a 70-year old United Nations decision becomes a local story in December 2018. What better time to celebrate human rights than during this holiday season, when we hear of joy, light and religious freedom, when we hear of celebrations of unity, self-determination, creativity and faith, and when we hear talk of peace on earth? And also, what better way for each of us, each resident of Greenbelt, to celebrate this season by living out and supporting basic human rights in our “small places close to home” in the way we treat each other? Along with the staff of the News Review, I wish you and yours a peaceful, loving, human rights-affirming holiday season.