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Friend, On this day in 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, setting forth — for the first time — that human rights are to be universally protected, no matter the individual or their circumstances. Fast-forward 76 years, and we are still fighting for human rights in the United States. The United States continues to perpetuate mass incarceration, with people of color and those with disabilities being overrepresented in our prison population. At least 122,000 people are held in solitary confinement in adult prisons and jails on any given day, according to a report by the watchdog group Solitary Watch and the Unlock the Box coalition. Access to safe and stable housing is a human right that the country has not guaranteed, and as the population of people experiencing homelessness grows, we continue to see many criminalized for public camping, resting in public areas and even asking for help. Hate violence targeting Black, Brown, Jewish and LGBTQ+ communities continues to rise. Meanwhile, we are facing a serious threat to our democracy that endangers the very fabric of our nation. It is up to us to use our collective voices to champion human rights, not just abroad, but when atrocities are committed in our own communities. In addition to our work to end hate and bigotry through the courts, expand voting rights in the Deep South and challenge anti-LGBTQ+ laws, we also work to hold the U.S. government accountable for ignoring and undermining three important treaties — the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (ICERD), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Convention Against Torture — designed to safeguard our human rights. In 2022 and 2023, we attended the U.N. conference in Geneva to testify about the human rights violations taking place right at home. Joined by six people who were directly impacted by the ICERD agreement, we spoke about the need to protect voting rights, eradicate the school-to-prison pipeline and combat racially motivated hate crimes. Our work to uphold human rights is far from over, and we recognize the tremendous grit it will take to fight back. That is why we are eternally grateful to have you on our side. It takes a village to make real change, but we are confident that we will meet the moment with all tools at our disposal and all hands on deck. Thank you for being a champion for human rights and for remaining hopeful in times of struggle. With gratitude, The Southern Poverty Law Center
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