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Celebrating International Human Rights Day

December 9, 2009

From the Rev. Dr. Sid L. Mohn

Sid Mohn - SmallOn this International Human Rights Day, the 61st anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we are reminded that the struggle for human rights is as present in our own communities as it is around the globe. Hundreds of thousands of individuals and families in Illinois are facing unacceptable hardship. Hunger. Homelessness. Extreme Poverty.

Right now there are at least 680,000 individuals in our state living in extreme poverty – well over three times as many people as live in Illinois' second largest city. These are individuals working to get by on $11,025 a year or less for a family of four. The vast majority of these individuals were experiencing extreme poverty before our current recession took hold. They were and are facing tremendous barriers between themselves and real opportunity in their lives. Human Rights Day reminds us that we, as a community, have a responsibility to uphold the tenets of both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and our own Constitution by ensuring that everyone has their dignity affirmed and can fully participate in society.

The State of Illinois recently expressed its commitment to advance the principles of human rights outlined in our state constitution by establishing a Commission on the Elimination of Poverty. The Commission, which began its work in October, will create a strategic plan consistent with international human rights standards that will cut in half the number of people in extreme people in Illinois by 2015. This is an ambitious, yet achievable goal. With stakeholders from around Illinois engaged in the planning process, we will develop measurable policy and budget recommendations that will allow us to work collectively to help hundreds of thousands of individuals in our state realize their human rights.

Let us work together this Human Rights Day and everyday to ensure that the infrastructure of opportunity is in place for all residents of our great state.

Sid Mohn

Rev. Dr. Sid L. Mohn

President – Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights
Co-Chair – Commission on the Elimination of Poverty

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