📍Topic 9.5: Calls for Reforms and Responses

📖 AMSCO p.667 - p.675

Main Idea

Key Timeline

Image Courtesy of Isaiah Penny

Things to Know

Human Rights and Global Movements

• The United Nations played a pivotal role in advancing human rights.
• In 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was created, which outlined fundamental human rights and freedoms. These include the right to life, liberty, freedom of opinion, and equality before the law. 📜
• The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), created in 1946, focuses on providing humanitarian aid to children in need worldwide.
• The International Court of Justice, established as the main judicial body of the United Nations, resolves disputes between nations, and gives advisory opinions on issues of international law. ⚖️
• Global Feminism witnessed significant milestones, such as the First International Women’s Day in 1911. The movement expanded globally, influencing policies and societal norms towards gender equality. 🚺
• The Civil Rights Act of 1964 in the U.S. was a landmark piece of legislation that outlawed racial segregation in public places and employment discrimination.
• The Voting Rights Act of 1965 aimed to eliminate voting discrimination, especially in the southern United States. It prohibited literacy tests and other discriminatory practices that had been used to disenfranchise African American voters. 🗳️

Challenges to Apartheid and Racial Inequality

• In 1948, the system of apartheid was implemented in South Africa.
• It legally enforced racial segregation and disenfranchisement of the majority black population, leading to widespread international criticism and internal resistance.
• Nelson Mandela was a key figure in the African National Congress, a political organization dedicated to ending racial segregation and discrimination in South Africa.
  • His arrest in 1962 and subsequent 27-year imprisonment drew international attention to the injustices of apartheid.
  • His release in 1990 and election as President in 1994 marked the dismantling of apartheid. ✊
• The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was established in post-apartheid South Africa and was tasked with uncovering the truth about human rights violations during apartheid and promoting reconciliation.
• Victims shared their experiences, and perpetrators could confess their actions in exchange for possible amnesty.

Cultural and Religious Movements for Rights 🎨

• The Negritude Movement, primarily in French West Africa, emphasized pride in "blackness," the rejection of colonial authority, and the right to self-determination. Key figures like Léopold Sédar Senghor of Senegal, also an accomplished poet and later president, were central to this movement. 🌍
• Liberation Theology, a movement within the Catholic Church in Latin America, combined Christian theology with political activism, often focusing on social justice issues such as poverty and human rights.
• It became influential in the 1950s and 1960s, interpreting the teachings of Jesus as a call to free people from oppressive social, political, and economic conditions. ✝️

Global Feminism and Women’s Rights

• On January 21, 2017, one day after Donald Trump’s inauguration as president, the Women’s March on Washington, a global protest advocating for women's rights and other social justice issues, was held in Washington, D.C. 👩‍👩‍👧
• In Kenya in 1977, Wangari Maathai started the Green Belt Movement, combining environmental conservation with women's empowerment. It involved women in tree planting to combat deforestation, soil erosion, and water scarcity, while also addressing issues of poverty and women’s rights. 🌳

Human Rights Repression and Responses

• The Tiananmen Square Protests in 1989 in China were sparked by the death of a pro-reform Communist leader. Students and workers gathered to demand political reform but were met with military force, resulting in significant injuries and loss of life.
• Minority rights in China, particularly for Tibetans and Uighurs, have been a major point of international concern.
  • Issues include religious freedom, cultural preservation, and political autonomy, with tensions often rising due to oppressive and discriminatory government policies. 🛑

Environmental Awareness and Action

• Earth Day began as a national event in the U.S. to raise public awareness about environmental issues, such as pollution and deforestation.
• It has since grown into an international day of action, observed by millions globally, focusing on ecological conservation and sustainable practices. 🌎
• Greenpeace started as a small group protesting nuclear testing, evolving into a major global organization.
• They campaign on issues such as climate change, deforestation, overfishing, and pollution, often employing direct action and bold public campaigns.

Striving for Economic Fairness

• In 1989, the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO), was established.
  • It promotes fair trade as a means to alleviate poverty and encourage sustainable development.
  • As well as sets standards & supports businesses/organizations in implementing ethical production and trading practices. 🤝
• Key principles of the WFTO include ensuring fair payment to producers, no child or forced labor, gender equity, good working conditions, and environmentally sustainable practices.
• These principles aim to create more equitable global trade systems that benefit marginalized producers and workers. 🌱

Terms to Remember