A. They are all human rights activists.
Q. What does this have to do with the Yale Journal of Human Rights (YJHR)?
A.
Creative Expression + Human Rights = Education, Discussion, Activism = YJHR
The YJHR aims to link arts with politics, thereby giving creative grassroots approaches to human rights activism more legitimacy as effective channels of change. In using creative tools (poetry, literature, multimedia, theater, photography, sketches, and traditional articles or op-eds, to name a few) as mediums for human rights discussion, the YJHR aims to achieve three goals: to educate its readers about human rights, to stimulate discussion about the politicization of human rights (how it figures into political debates and policymaking), and to ultimately inspire human rights activism that is well-informed about the issues it concerns.
So the Graffiti Artist? That’s Banksy: an unidentified British graffiti artist who stencils politically provocative images in London, and infamously, on the Israeli- Palestinian wall.
Tupac? Rapped about everything from poverty to gang warfare, consistently highlighted the continuing racial discrimination in America, despite the Civil Rights Movement
Changes Lyrics:
Come on come on
I see no changes. Wake up in the morning and I ask myself,
"Is life worth living? Should I blast myself?"
I'm tired of bein' poor and even worse I'm black.
My stomach hurts, so I'm lookin' for a purse to snatch.
Cops give a damn about a negro? Pull the trigger, kill a nigga, he's a hero.
Give the crack to the kids who the hell cares? One less hungry mouth on the welfare.
He also always looked for hope- an important part of human rights, which is often forgotten –
Ghetto Gospel Lyrics:
And you all condemned like Malcolm X and Bobby Hunton, died for nothing
Don't them let me get teary, the world looks dreary
but when you wipe your eyes, see it clearly
there's no need for you to fear me
if you take your time to hear me, maybe you can learn to cheer me
it ain't about black or white, cause we're human
I hope we see the light before its ruined
my ghetto gospel
Those are some pretty tough themes Tupac…
Harold Koh? Dean of Yale Law School, and Human Rights Olympian. The Yale Law School is clearly in awe (and so are we):
Dean Koh is a leading expert on public and private international law, national security law, and human rights. He has argued before the United States Supreme Court and he has testified before the U.S. Congress more than twenty times. He has been awarded eleven honorary doctorates and three law school medals and has received more than thirty awards for his human rights work.
From 1998 to 2001 he served as U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. And, most recently, on March 23, 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Dean Koh to be Legal Adviser to the United States Department of State.
Q. Is the YJHR published?
A: The YJHR threatened to fold in the Fall of 2008 because of financial difficulties and lack of interest. But it on the comeback, and will hit the Yale Dining Halls and the official YJHR website (under construction) in Fall 2009.
Q. What’s up with the blog?
A. Schoolz out. And the living iz eazy. But: Human. Rights. Never. Sleep.
Having a human rights summer?
A human rights experience?
An interaction?
A moment?
Have videos, photos, artwork, blogs, stories, poetry.... any CREATIVE work? Blog 4 Us: Whether you submit something once or a few times, the YJHR is interested! Get in touch, get involved, get IN.
Q. How do I get in touch, get in involved, or get in?
A. Send us an email: theyalejournalofhumanrights@gmail.com
