In Small Places, Close to Home: Cultivating Human Rights

The Idaho Humanities Council hosted a weeklong summer institute, titled In Small Places, Close to Home: Cultivating Human Rights July 22-27, 2024, at Boise State University in partnership with the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights. Twenty-nine teachers from around the state participated.

At this institute, educators explored how to foster learning communities that contribute to creating a world where every individual’s human rights are protected and promoted.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1948. A decade later, Eleanor Roosevelt appealed for more education about the declaration and wrote “Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home – so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighborhood he lives in; the school or college he attends; the factory, farm or office where he works. Such are the places where every man, woman and child seek equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerned citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world.”

Today, the rights expressed by the U.S. Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, are facing significant threats. Free and fair elections are being destabilized.  Racial, gender and religious discrimination, extremism and violence are being revived, excused or ignored. Public discourse essential to democracy is being manipulated and reduced by digital communication, surveillance and personal data collection. Americans across the political spectrum are concerned that their rights are under severe attack. This consensus creates an opportunity for people with clashing ideas of their rights and responsibilities, to join together to consider reform and renewal of our social contract.

A fundamental respect for the dignity of every human soul, valuing our differences, should be cultivated in every heart. Then we can expand our understanding to homes, classrooms, schools, states, our nation and beyond. Through study of history, political science, philosophy and other humanities disciplines, our institute explored the questions of: what are human rights, how can a human rights lens help us make sense of historical and contemporary challenges, and how can we teach about, through, and for human rights?

We grounded our study on the values of dignity, curiosity, joy, equity, hope, perseverance, and justice.  Scholars examined the rights and responsibilities that define the relationship of people to the government and to each other, racial justice, economic inequality, migration, global conflict, and student dignity.

All participants were immersed in the study of the humanities. The IHC provided all expenses – room, board, texts and materials, and a $250 travel stipend, with generous support from the Idaho Courts Foundation. Teachers from every region of the state attended and received continuing education credits.

Participants joined in lectures and discussions, watched films, attended workshops, and collaborated with one another and our team of scholars to immerse themselves for the week in this important and timely topic. Sessions included:

• Keynote address from Jim Jones, former chief justice of the Idaho Supreme Court,
• The History of Human Rights and Expanding Human Rights in the US from Dr. Caroline Heldman of Occidental College
• Restoring America’s Promise: The Japanese American Veterans and the Fight for Justice by Dr. Mitch Maki, President and CEO of the Go for Broke National Education Center
• The History Wars and Us: Racial Narratives, Politics, and Human Rights from Dr. Jill Gill of Boise State University
• Economics + Human Rights from Dr. Shaun Nichols of Boise State University
• Rights, Democracy, and Conflict: Causes and Sequences and Applying Theories to Case Studies with Dr. Kiril Kolev of Hendrix College
• Workshops with Cindy Wilson, education consultant, and Jess Westhoff, education programs manager at the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights

Here is what some of our attendees had to say about their experience:

“This has been one of the most powerful experiences I have had in my career. The ability to interact with colleagues, to learn from scholars, and to develop materials for my classroom has been a prized possession. It has helped me find passion again for my students and my classroom.”

“I felt that all the scholars were concerned with truth and giving us the best information available. That really resonated with me. This topic could have easily turned into a preaching institute, but I never felt that way. Super impressive scholars!”

“This is like a week of super college and to be blessed to be able to hang out with my friends, colleagues, professors, and the ambassadors of the IHC is something I cherish. I attend numerous PD events both nationally and internationally and the IHC Summer Teaching Institute is right up there with the best and most recognized PD out there.”