December 10 – Human Rights Day - and Nobel Prize Day!

Posted on December 10, 2020

This is an update of my 12/10/2009 post:
 

Human Rights Day:

“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”
These are the first words of Article 1 of the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This is a day to embrace diversity and work to end discrimination.

In the U.S., the LGBT community is only slowly gaining the legal rights as the larger society - with some achievements and some setbacks. Also, women are still not unambiguously declared equal in the constitution. Of course, even with the protection of the law, there is still racial discrimination to root out and eradicate. Around the world, examples of sexism, racism, and other forms of bigotry still exist and can be found and eliminated.

U.N. Educational Materials

At this website, there are some resources and links to use today to explore the Declaration of Human Rights and ways to

promote human rights.

U.N. Educational Materials

At this website, there are some resources and links to use today to explore the Declaration of Human Rights and ways to

Also on this date is Nobel Prize Day:

This is the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death, and today Nobel prizes are awarded in literature, economics, and the sciences, as well as the coveted Peace Prize.

Watch the webcasts of the Nobel award ceremonies here.

You can also read about this year's—or past years'--award recipients.

 

Create your own serious or seriously funny awards!

Award the people in your life. From “The Banana Award” to the friend with most a-peel (appeal) to “Keeps Us in Stitches Award,” with the prize of a needle and thread, here are some ideas.

If you could name an award after yourself and pass out millions of dollars to worthy people, what sort of achievements would you award? What would your award look like?

Also on this date:

Poet Emily Dickinson's birthday 

Anniversary of Women's Suffrage in Wyoming 

Anniversary of Jane Addams winning a Nobel Peace Prize

Scientist Johannes Stöffler's birthday

Anniversary of the first traffic lights

Dewy Decimal Day

Human Rights Day

(original post)

First “computer programmer” Ada Lovelace's birthday

Settlers' Day in Namibia

MPLA Foundation Day in Angola

Constitution Day in Thailand

Nobel Prize Day

(original post)

Mississippi's Statehood Day

Huckleberry Finn Day

Birthday of author Clarice Lispector

Anniversary of a pro-democracy protest in Mongolia

First night of Hanukkah

Plan ahead:

Check out my Pinterest pages on:

• December holidays 
• December birthdays
• Historical anniversaries in December

And here are my Pinterest boards for:

• January holidays 
• January birthdays 
• Historical anniversaries in January
  
  
  

March 21 – A Sad Anniversary and Two Important Holidays

Posted on March 21, 2016

It was a horrific system of racial segregation and discrimination.

It kept the white minority in power, and it limited the rights and freedom of the majority black population.

I bet you know that I am talking about apartheid in South Africa, a system that held sway from World War II to the early 1990s.

Of course apartheid sparked resistance and protest! Today is the anniversary of a peaceful protest against the Pass Laws, a part of the apartheid system. The protest occurred in Sharpeville on this date in 1960. We remember the day, not so much for the peaceful protest, but instead for the violent and deadly response by police, who shot into the crowd and killed 69 people and wounded 180 more!

Now that the apartheid system has been ended, now that South Africa has a constitution that gives equal rights to all, the nation remembers the tragedy with a day that is meant to reaffirm the importance of human rights, liberty and justice for all, equality – all that important stuff. Although the international Human Rights Day is December 10, South Africa's Human Rights Day is March 21. 

The horror of the Sharpeville massacre reverberated around the world and inspired protests from international sources. Of course, there had been some international criticism from apartheid's beginnings, but after the massacre, more and more organizations spoke out against the system. South Africa found itself increasingly isolated from the rest of the world in several ways: sports, culture, tourism, trade. There were cultural boycotts and economic sanctions. South Africa could no longer be a member of the British Commonwealth. 

Starting in 1966, the United Nations declared March 21 to be the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. We are all urged to find ways to fight racism, promote tolerance, discuss human rights, and so forth. 

Some young people participate in online discussions about racial discrimination on Voices of Youth, an online bulletin board.

Also on this date:

Spring Fairy Fun Day  

First non-stop trip around the world – in a hot air balloon

Memory Day

Mexican President Benito Juarez's birthday

Plan ahead:

• March holidays
• March birthdays
• Historical anniversaries in March

And here are my Pinterest boards for:

• April holidays
• April birthdays
• Historical anniversaries in April

December 10, 2009

Human Rights Day

“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”
These are the first words of the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This is a day to embrace diversity and work to end discrimination.

In the U.S., the LGBT community does not have the same legal rights as the larger society with respect to marriage and family law. Also, women are still not unambiguously declared equal in the constitution. Of course, even with the protection of the law, there is still racial discrimination to root out and eradicate. Around the world, examples of sexism, racism, and other forms of bigotry still exist and can be found and eliminated.

U.N. Educational Materials
At this website, there are internet conferences to participate in and curricula to use.

Also on this date:

Nobel Prize Day

This is the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death, and today Nobel prizes are awarded in literature, economics, and the sciences, as well as the coveted Peace Prize.


Watch the webcasts of the Nobel award ceremonies here.
You can also read about this year's—or past years'--award recipients.

Design an award.

Fun and Funny Awards
Award the people in your life. From “The Banana Award” to the friend with most appeal to “Keeps Us in Stitches Award,” with the prize of a needle and thread, here are some ideas.

If you could name an award after yourself and pass out millions of dollars to worthy people, what sort of achievements would you award? What would your award look like?