Human Rights Day at ISU
Melissa Porter
Issue date: 4/16/08 Section: News
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Featuring activists from an international level all the way down to a Wabash Valley level, the focus was on article 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, summed up as the right to participate in one's government.
Frances Moore Lappe, respected author and activist, spoke on the topic of hunger and democracy. She stepped her audience of nearly 300 through her Spiral of Powerlessness from her book, "Getting A Grip: Clarity, Creativity and Courage in a World Gone Mad." With an audience of mostly students, she gave some advice for how to effect change. She talked about the fear of leaving the pack, with the pack being mainstream society. "We must manage the fear to turn this around," she said. Citing examples of change all around the world, she said, "Hope is not what we seek in evidence. Hope is what we become in action. We say a lot through action. Someone is watching you. You affect others."
Tied to the theme of democracy through action was a talk by Brent McMillan, National Director of the Green Party. With many jaw-dropping stories of the resistance he's faced over the years while organizing in the United States, McMillan said democracy is about returning dignity to the people. He told his audience it only takes a few people to effect change. The solutions to many of today's problems lay in local communities. We can't rely on big government to solve our problems, he said. He used a blank screen to show how one idea is spread from one coast to another. His passion made the links easy, even without an actual drawing to follow.
Kathleen Desautels, SP, shared her work at Eight Day Center for Peace and Justice and got her audience to define democracy in their own words. Those who attended her workshop told of struggles they've had of engaging people in a dialogue about social issues such as the war and immigration. Echoing themes by Lappe and McMillan, Deautels said people must get active. Never underestimate the power one person can do, she said. It's about finding the shared values and making them heard. "We all have a piece of the truth," she said. We just have to put it all together.
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