Miami to New York: A Student Celebration of Human Rights

In honor of this year’s Human Rights Day, a Miami Dade College delegation of students and a faculty member from the UNA-USA Miami Chapter marked the occasion in a powerful way.

The delegation made the trek up to New York City to visit the United Nations and the U.S. Mission to the UN. Making the trip with them were four volumes of poems, written reflections, and artwork from the college’s community. The pieces were presented to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). They reflected how the 30 articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) translate to people’s daily lives.



Contributions covered rights such as the freedom of opinion and expression (Article 19) and the right to rest leisure (Article 24). Interpretations of the different rights ranged from the literal to the more abstract. Some pages had words, others had vibrant pictures, and a few had both.

The project was circulated around the Mission, and the Mission even Tweeted a photo of the students sharing the project with an OHCHR staff member.

Students also participated in a briefing at the UNA-USA New York office, where they explained how the project worked to draw attention to human rights on their campus as well as bring the principles and values of the UDHR to life.



The students hope the project will inspire others to learn more about the universality of human rights and raise interest about the protection and promotion of human rights. 

The book is expected to be posted online in its entirety this winter.