Human Rights Day: Our Ongoing Fight

On December 10, 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  Since then the world has celebrated December 10 as International Human Rights Day.  As a law firm founded on a commitment to human and civil rights, the Law Center joins in this celebration. 

In this time of grave threats to and disrespect for human rights, it is important to reaffirm our commitment to the principles of the Declaration.  It is easy to forget that the United States served as a moving force behind this global commitment to human rights, with Eleanor Roosevelt chairing the drafting committee and the United States joining the other U.N. member states in unanimously adopting it. 

Human Rights do not only include civil and political rights like the rights to free speech and thought, religion, and association that we all recognize as being embedded in the First Amendment.  For example, the Declaration also recognizes the right to flee one’s home country to apply for asylum elsewhere.  And Articles 22 through 27 recognize social and cultural rights including the right to employment at a fair wage and a decent standard of living including adequate housing, health care, and social services, and access to higher education.  The failure to guaranty these rights is why many of the Law Center’s services are in such demand.  Our eviction attorneys fight to protect tenants from substandard housing that is endemic in Buffalo, and stagnating real wages have led to a crisis of predatory lending and debt collection that keeps our consumer attorneys busy.

As we reaffirm our commitment to Human Rights on this International Human Rights day, consider donating to the Law Center to help us keep up the fight to realize the Declaration’s vision of economic and social rights.

Matthew Parham

Director of Advocacy and Litigation