Human Rights Days

As we strategize about how to ensure that the policies and rhetoric of the incoming administration do not become the new normal, it’s worth remembering that we are not alone in this struggle.  On Thursday, I attended Sweden’s annual Human Rights Days, a nationwide gathering of hundreds of human rights activists and advocates, including city and regional representatives who work on human rights from within government.  At the opening ceremony in Malmo, the moderator welcomed us, then offered her own reflections on the state of human rights.  She began:  “He got in.” 

Even thousands of miles from the US border, in Malmo, Sweden, we knew who she was talking about.  And even during my short trip, I’d heard it before.  Taking a cab from Copenhagen, when the driver learned that I was American, he muttered, “he shouldn’t have gotten in.”   

At Human Rights Days, our moderator admonished the Swedish human rights activists and advocates to keep the faith, to fight for a return to sanity, and to be creative and dogged in their continued work to protect and expand human rights.

Yes, it certainly falls to activists within the US to take the lead in bringing human rights home, even amidst the adversity that we now face.  But we should remember that others around the world are not only watching but are also ready to provide support.