Workshop: Strategies for Racial Justice

BREAKING THROUGH THE VICIOUS CYCLE OF HUMILIATION:
STRATEGIES FOR RACIAL JUSTICE THROUGH HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION

We are all born into a world where some people have privileges and use them to dominate and exclude others: women/men, minority
groups/privileged, children/adults, poor/rich. At the same time, in order to challenge white supremacy, inequality and discrimination in all its forms, our analysis must not only be comprehensive but also provide solutions for healing. Based on our experience, human rights education is a tool that helps us begin to see how the patterns of oppression shape our
ideology and behaviors. Moreover, human rights education helps us focus on our commonality as human beings rather then our differences. We are
convinced that we will not be able to advance social and racial justice agendas stemming for the World Conference unless we begin to seek changes in ourselves and systemic changes in society.

Because of the limiting nature of inter-governmental processes we have not come together to unveil those occasions when we ourselves, and our communities even our marginalized communities are victimized by and contribute to injustice, hierarchy and discrimination. We feel that
exclusion and acts of humiliation must be acknowledged and confronted in all their forms.

Breaking through the vicious cycle of humiliation means that the oppressed must confront their oppressors. They must uphold dignity and freedom of all in relation to their struggles or else they run the risk of perpetuating a vicious cycle of humiliation, where they themselves become
the new oppressor. In other words they become victimized violators.

In order to combat sexism and racism, as inter-dependent, we must develop a strategy to reveal and confront the patriarchal core. In this context, we must map out the effects of patriarchy and racism so that everyone
takes on some responsibility for oppressive behaviors. We look at patriarchy as the system that triggers other forms of supremacy, hierarchy
and exploitation. We do not think that patriarchy, is a unique form of supremacy that works everywhere in the same way. We do believe, however, that patriarchy is a universal form of oppression that exists in all societies. This is the question we want to recognize and address:
patriarchy as the system at the core of all human rights violations and how human rights education can transform the patriarchal system into a
human rights system. A human rights system that promotes a human rights culture in which all human rights: civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights, are seen as indivisible and inter-connected&--break
through the vicious cycle of humiliation and close the gap of dignity amongst all.

We want to identify human rights violations towards and within discriminated groups and communities in order to craft effective human
rights education strategies. At the same time, we must acknowledge that discrimination and inequality are experienced and interconnected across a wide range of differences: age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, nationality, disability and other status. It is also important to note that oppression also occurs in a variety of settings: family,
schools, communities, cities, countries, etc.

There are many movements, coalitions, groups and individuals that courageously confront different forms of discrimination that cause injustice. Our workshop will bring them together to launch a debate, which will envision a new, a different world, where equality of all human beings
will be achieved in a human right culture in which respect for dignity and equality becomes a code for living.

Some of the questions we have considered and will discuss at our workshop include:

- How do we break down the effects of patriarchy and racism so that everyone of us takes on some responsibility for the oppression of others?
- How do we stop raising competing claims to victimization?
- How do we stop the trading of atrocities?
- How do we begin to love ourselves in order to love our neighbor?
- How do we weave a human rights culture?
- How do we build a new political culture based on human rights?
- How do we break down boundaries among discriminated groups?
- How do we learn to belong and behave in a new world without any form of
discrimination?
- How do we break through the vicious cycle of humiliation?

We propose to do this by promoting the inclusion of a holistic human rights framework and examine cause and effect of all forms of discrimination through the learning about human rights.

YOUR STARTING POINT:

Please, come to our workshop. In order to assist us in developing the agenda and if you have attempted to raise these issues and/or you feel
that your experience should be shared, tell us about your experiences.
Please, bring materials you have developed or any other activities you would want other people to learn from. This is the way to advance human
rights education based on people s lives.

Let us know your ideas by email to [email protected]>. With your permission we
would like to compile them for the workshop participants to voice our concerns and yours.

This is an open invitation however, we need your pre-registration forms because the size of the room will be limited. Please share this
information with as many people as possible.

Who are we?

PDHRE, The People's Movement for Human Rights Education is a nonprofit international organization founded in 1989. In the last twelve years it developed and facilitated training in human rights education for social transformation in more then 60 countries around the world. PDHRE, serves as a comprehensive extension service , to energize, and motivate
communities to embark on a life long process of holistic learning about human rights as relevant to their daily struggles and concerns; and to
recognize human rights as a powerful tool for action.

WOMEN, MEN, YOUTH AND CHILDREN, LEARNING, REFLECTING AND ACTING TO ACHIEVE
EQUALITY, CIVIL, CULTURAL, ECONOMIC, POLITICAL AND SOCIAL JUSTICE FOR ALL

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PRE-REGISTRATION FORM

Name:

Organization:

Country:

E-mail:

Fax No.:

To take this discussion forward, please, consider these questions:

Could you share with us at least one case study that provides an example
of how the vicious cycle of humiliation works?

Have you developed strategies, materials or used human rights education to
raise these issues within communities?

What are some of the next steps that could be taken?

a) Begin an electronic discussion on the issues
b) Develop and share human rights education materials and methodologies
c) Begin a loose network to exchange ideas and experiences among those
of us committed to the cause.

Thank you,

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Shulamith Koenig

PDHRE
People's Movement for Human Rights Education
526 West 111th Street, Suite 4E
New York , NY 10025
Tel 1-212-749-3156
Fax 1-212-666-6325