2009 November

Human Rights & Bahia Street

I just came back from the University of Washington Bothell campus where I gave a talk about human rights in Brazil.  While Bahia Street does not frame its work in a human rights framework, our model speaks directly to the words expressed in Article 1 of the UN Declaration of Human Rights.  If we believe that all people have dignity, the ability to reason, and a conscience that tells them right from wrong, it is not a big jump to believe that all people have the right to have their authority, knowledge, and ability to draw conclusions to complex problems honored with the opportunity to run social change projects within their own society.  Bahia Street’s model operationalizes the spirit behind the Eleanor Roosevelt’s words: “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.”  Local people seeking equal justice, working close to home.   In a place where discrimination still persists, Bahia Street is making a difference by offering a different model for how we can make a difference in our world.