WASHINGTON - June 22 - Members of the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign will speak outside of the United Nations on Thursday to highlight the need the US human rights community has for international support and protection as the Republican National Convention approaches. Outside international intervention is needed to make visible the fact that human rights violations are happening here in the United States.

Speakers will underline cases of human rights violations in the United States by holding photographs and telling stories of those who have “fallen” under the current administration because their economic human rights to food, housing, healthcare, education and living wage jobs have been denied.

“In the aftermath of September 11, the measures introduced in the context of the “war on terror” are having negative impact on those of us doing human rights work in the United States. The efforts to hide and criminalize the poor in this country who desperately need to make known the human rights violations occurring due to unemployment, hunger, and homelessness in the richest country in the world are devastating. We must call attention to the implementation of economic policies that impoverish and kill people across the U.S., and at the same time silence the efforts of the poor Billions of dollars continue to go to the war, while people continue to go hungry in this country. We call on the international media, human rights defenders and organizations, student organizations and all people concerned about human rights to come to the U.S. to be observers in our March for Our Lives, to see first-hand what poverty in America looks like, and to prepare reports for your home countries. Our lives and our children’s futures are depending on this.”

- Cheri Honkala, National Spokesperson for thePoor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign

Speakers include:

Shulamith Koenig, People’s Decade for Human Rights Education (NY)

Ronald Casanova, New York Branch of the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign (NY)

Ethel Long-Scott, Women’s Economic Agenda Project (CA)

Cheri Honkala, Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign

Mariluz Gonzalez, Kensington Welfare Rights Union (PA)

Michelle Campbell, Deaf and Deaf-Blind Committee on Human Rights (OH)

Galen Tyler, Kensington Welfare Rights Union (PA)

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