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I feel we need to coin a phrase. 'MoveOnCities.org' might serve the purpose, because just as MoveOn.Org incorporates Americans into the national political process, the new city movement incorporates Americans into related grassroots processes that fundamentally transform their cities.
It is a city movement because the main tool that Americans have discovered for effective change is the City Ordinance, and four have been central: Nondiscrimination, Human Rights, Fair Trade, and Anti-Sweatshop Ordinances. These are not as distinct as they might appear since each draws from a human rights framework.
Take San Francisco. In 1998, responding to a broad based coalition of groups, the City of San Francisco passed an Ordinance to adopt into law, the International Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). (Do note that the US is not a state-party to CEDAW.) Much credit for relentlessly campaigning in San Francisco goes to the Women's Institute for Leadership Development for Human Rights (WILD). WILD is now pursuing other human rights objectives for San Francisco: universal health care, minimum standards for the protection of prisoners, affordable housing, and standards for employment.
Take Austin, Covington (KY), East Baton Rouge, Fort Worth, Ithaca, New Orleans, and Peoria. All have recently passed legislation that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation, just a tiny number of cities that already have, according to Human Rights Campaign.
Take New York City. Energized by the success of the 2002 statewide anti-sweatshop campaign for legislation that ensures ethical procurement practices, an amazingly ambitious coalition emerged in New York City: the New York City Human Rights Initiative (NYCHRI) Formed in 2002, NYCHRI is a coalition of 90 groups, including such heavy weights as ACLU and Amnesty International, as well as smaller community based organizations. NYCHRI's position is that New Yorkers should be protected by international human rights laws, and is campaigning for the city to adopt provisions from international treaties, much the same way that WILD is in San Francisco.
Take Eugene, Oregon. On the verge of becoming a Human Rights City, the objective will be to filter city programs through international human rights laws. Already in North America Edmonton has declared itself to be a Human Rights City, and is affiliated with the international network of human rights cities, Peoples' Decade for Human Rights Education (PDHRE). Edmonton has committed itself to closing gaps in access to healthcare, employment, social services, and housing, to ending cycles of discrimination, and to ensuring an inclusive, pluralistic community. PDHRE, headquartered in New York City, provides resources for Human Rights Cities around the world.
Take Media (PA) and Mountain View (CA), cities that have each passed a Fair Trade Resolution: , which means in practice that the towns serve only Fair Trade coffee and tea at receptions and social gatherings, and that nonprofit organizations and private enterprises commit to work to ensure these commitments.
Take Amherst, Boston, Chicago, Brattleboro (VT), Los Angeles, Portsmouth, Seattle, Las Vegas, New York City, San Diego, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, and Washington, DC., among other cities with Fair Trade Coalitions: They conduct educational campaigns, both with merchants and consumers, and lobby city agencies to adopt fair-trade procurement practices.
It seems evident that the federal government is not providing the moral leadership on any of these issues. That's because human rights generally are a thorny topic in Washington. As Kenneth Roth, Director of Human Rights Watch, clarifies, the US, through legal obfuscation, exempts itself from all international human rights treaties. Let us imagine, however, through some amazing transformation of national policy that the US made a complete U-Turn and became a good citizen in the international community and at the same time pledges to Americans that it would uphold human rights treaties, and strive to protect Americans' rights.. In theory this would involve treaties currently in force: 1) Civil and Political Rights; 2) Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; 3) Elimination of Discrimination against Racial Minorities; 4) Elimination of Discrimination against Women; 5) Rights of the Child; 6) Rights of Migrants; and 7) Prohibition of Torture.
Even were the US to make that U-Turn and to make a commitment to uphold human rights, it would not be enough. Human rights need to be embedded in daily practices, social interaction, local norms, local opportunities and upheld in local laws. Its only in communities where people can practice deeper forms of democracy, foster egalitarian values, and uphold norms of mutual respect and solidarity.
If we are lucky the US will make that U-Turn and if we are very, very lucky, MoveOnCities.Org is on the move.
Judith Blau (jrblau@email.unc.edu) writes on human rights, often with Alberto Moncada, is president of Sociologists without Borders , and blogs at http://www.humanrightsnow.net/
10 Comments so far
Show AllTo Riverman, "SO?" and like Union Guy said, go to a revisionist, "the earth is flat web site, global warming is a hoax Pat Robertson" site for starters or Rush/Ann sites.
With that said...maybe true conservatives realize that GOP/GWB/Cheney only support rights for corporations to make obscene profits so that a small number can greatly benefit at the exploitation and cost to the rest of us here and abroad.
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R
what the hell are you talking about, you nitwit!
Your statement has nothing to do, nothing to do, with this topic. Of course, that never gets in the way of a religious nut with a single issue on his mind. Especially if he's got some faulty "medical" theory he wants to expose to the world.
Please, take your right-wing anti-women crap to some other place, preferably someplace deep and dark, full of right-wing, white male religious imbeciles!
Those are positive. However, I think the actual most important thing that cities/counties can do to bring about significant changes is to become Union-Friendly. City and county govts can do a lot to aid workers trying to organize unions.
Further, the city shifts dramatically when workers are successful. In the first place, it changes working people's living standards. They become much more secure. The workers being organized brings about massive positive political changes, as well. Instead of people living on the edge and having no legitimate voice to speak for them, working people become a strong force, through their unions, for unity, progress, economic and social justice. It is places with strong organized labor presence that elects people like Dennis Kucinich, Sherrod Brown, Marcie Kaptur, John Conyers, Jesse Jackson Jr and many others. These are the areas with most pro-peace, pro-people political bases.
The points that Judith brings up are good points. They are so much easier to pass when there is a strong organized labor base in the city. Some cities (San Francisco, Minneapolis) are attempting to pass health care reforms, another area of deep concern.
However, the point of strengthening unions/organized labor in a city/community is that it strengthens all other progressive movements, as well. Organized labor is the hub around which the rest of the wider progressive movement can draw support, solidarity and strength.
Hi Judith:
Great idea! I would add a few other areas where cities have taken the lead: nuclear free cities, anti-patriot act resolutions, living wage ordnances, and numerous actions and policies to reduce C02 emissions. Portland, Oregon, for example, adopted one of the first Global Warming Plans in 2001 that included a plan to reduce CO2 emissions 10% (to 1990 levels) by 2010. A recent progress report indicates that it has already surpassed that goal. One could make a good argument that climate change is an area of great importance to human rights since the worst impacts are expected to be visited on the poorest countries. And reducing carbon emissions is something that is directly within the legislative domain of cities since they determine land use and transportation policies, procurement for materials, energy and vehicles, and especially the establishment and enforcement of building codes and incentives for energy efficient buildings. In this later area, Portland is now developing High Performance Green Building Policy that will offer feebates, credits, incenctives and rewards for designs that meet or exceed guidelines for buildings with reduced CO2 impacts.
Charles Heying
No! Thinking small is the problem not the solution. There has been thirty years of small is beutiful crap and the world has gotten so much worse since then.
So many people are doing nothing on the big picture. The public sphere is almost suphocated or breathing noxious gasses in a Corporate Oxygen Tent.
"Even were the US to make that U-Turn and to make a commitment to uphold human rights, it would not be enough."
No need to concern yourself with the possibility of the U.S. taking a U-Turn to uphold human rights. Human rights cannot be upheld if you're trying to create a "New International Order" controlled by American and European corporate governments whose goal is to control everyone and everything around the globe.
Expansion embraces only the concept of money and control - not human rights!
ClassAct said:
"Human rights are being sacrificed to free markets."
I would change that to "human rights are being trampled by corporate monopolies."
Right to the City
Stupid author who leaves out rural America.
Let's just give one for rural Amercia.
MoveOnRURALAMERICA.org !!
Human rights are being sacrificed to free markets. Government is being stripped of its capacity to make any demands upon capital. Luck is a feeble weapon to take up against political power, and hoping for a U-turn in policy is the equivalent of asking that one's begging bowl float upstream.