By
Lenore T. Adkins In 1839, the Amistad cargo schooner sailed from Havana to Puerto Principe, Cuba, with 53 Africans bound for a life of slavery on the island. But while aboard the schooner, the Africans fought for their freedom. Their battle gained them a reprieve. And soon, American abolitionists would take up their fight in U.S. courts. The Africans ...
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By U.S. Embassy Tbilisi | 12 January, 2021 | Topics: History, Human Rights, Key Documents, News | Tags: civic equality, human trafficking, U.S. history, U.S. judicial system
By
Lenore T. Adkins The National Women’s Hall of Fame has inducted six trailblazing Black women into its unique sisterhood, recognizing their contributions at the Seneca Falls, New York, birthplace of the American women’s rights movement.
Its new Virtual Induction Series celebrates underrepresented women of achievement. It does this by posthumously recognizing marginalized women who were overlooked during their lifetimes or died before ...
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By U.S. Embassy Tbilisi | 31 December, 2020 | Topics: Gender Issues, History, Human Rights, Key Officials, News | Tags: African Americans, arts, civic equality, female leaders, women's empowerment
By
Lauren Monsen The
Emancipation Proclamation is arguably one of the most important documents in the history of the United States. Abraham Lincoln himself stated that he considered it to be his greatest legacy. “I never in my life, felt more certain that I was doing right than I do in signing this paper,” he said. “If my name ...
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By U.S. Embassy Tbilisi | 30 December, 2020 | Topics: History, Human Rights, News | Tags: African Americans, civic equality, civil society, U.S. history
The world recognizes the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on November 25, a day to heighten awareness about the physical, psychological and emotional harm women face worldwide. The U.S. Department of State sees tackling violence against women as a human rights imperative. Violence threatens women’s and girls’ safety, and it sets ...
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By U.S. Embassy Tbilisi | 24 November, 2020 | Topics: History, Human Rights, News | Tags: civic equality, female leaders, Gender-Based Violence, human trafficking, women's empowerment
The Chinese Communist Party’s human rights violations are drawing international outcry. Dozens of countries demand the CCP end its mass internment of Uyghurs and other abuses. In an
October 6 joint statement to the United Nations , 39 countries fault the CCP’s increasing number of “gross human rights violations” against ethnic and religious minorities in Xinjiang province and the regime’s authoritarian behavior in ...
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By U.S. Embassy Tbilisi | 29 October, 2020 | Topics: History, Human Rights, News | Tags: China, civic equality, cultural preservation, freedom of religion, United Nations
As the U.S. military becomes more diverse, its rules and regulations are expanding to reflect the United States’ commitment to religious freedom. Kanwar Singh, a devout Sikh, sought to enlist in the U.S. Army in 2014. In keeping with his religious faith, he wanted to maintain a beard and wear a turban. At the time, ...
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By U.S. Embassy Tbilisi | 28 October, 2020 | Topics: History, Human Rights, News | Tags: civic equality, freedom of religion, Sikh Americans
The
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), ratified in 1948, for the first time articulated the rights and freedoms to which every person is entitled. Influenced by the core values at the heart of the U.S. Constitution, the UDHR affirmed “the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace ...
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By U.S. Embassy Tbilisi | 24 September, 2020 | Topics: History, Human Rights, Key Officials, News | Tags: civic equality, international cooperation, Secretary Pompeo, U.S. history, United Nations
The late Barbara Bush, wife of former U.S. President George H.W. Bush,
once said , “If we don’t give everyone the ability to simply read and write, then we aren’t giving everyone an equal chance to succeed.” The American people, U.S. businesses and organizations share Mrs. Bush’s sentiment and work in myriad ways to help the 750 ...
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By U.S. Embassy Tbilisi | 6 September, 2020 | Topics: Education, Human Rights, News | Tags: civic equality, development assistance, girls' education, learning tools
In spite of its dismal record on human rights, Cuba’s government is seeking a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 2021–2023 term. “It’s outrageous that the Human Rights Council would offer to seat Cuba, a brutal dictatorship that
traffics its own doctors under the guise of humanitarian missions,” Secretary of State Michael R.
Pompeo said on August ...
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By U.S. Embassy Tbilisi | 1 September, 2020 | Topics: History, Human Rights, News | Tags: civic equality, Cuba, freedom of assembly, freedom of expression, press freedom, United Nations
This 1990 disabilities law ushered in a new era (July 20) When President George H.W. Bush signed the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act into law on July 26, 1990, he specifically mentioned Lisa Carl, a young woman with cerebral palsy. Two years before joining the president for that signing ceremony, Carl had gone to ...
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By U.S. Embassy Tbilisi | 20 July, 2020 | Topics: History, Human Rights, News | Tags: civic equality, disability rights, social activism
From civil rights activist to member of Congress: Remembering John Lewis (July 20) Civil rights hero and U.S. Representative John Lewis died July 17 at the age of 80. He had been battling pancreatic cancer since he received the diagnosis in December. The son of Alabama sharecroppers, Lewis was a central figure in the U.S. civil ...
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By U.S. Embassy Tbilisi | 20 July, 2020 | Topics: History, Human Rights, News | Tags: African Americans, civic equality, Congress, Martin Luther King Jr., social activism, U.S. history
NASA names a building for a pioneering African American (July 8) NASA has renamed its Washington headquarters to honor Mary W. Jackson, the first female African American engineer to work for the agency. Jackson was among four African American women recently awarded
Congressional Gold Medals for their contributions to early space flight. Jackson and her colleagues were also ...
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By U.S. Embassy Tbilisi | 8 July, 2020 | Topics: Education, History, Human Rights, Key Officials, News, Science & Tech | Tags: African Americans, civic equality, engineering, NASA, women in the workforce
America’s free press offers diverse views on protests (June 29) The right to a free press is one of America’s most cherished liberties, fostering a wide-ranging discussion among citizens. When demonstrators in U.S. cities protested the May 25 death of George Floyd and other instances of police officers’ use of excessive force, America’s editors ...
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By U.S. Embassy Tbilisi | 29 June, 2020 | Topics: News | Tags: civic equality, civil society, freedom of assembly, freedom of expression, press freedom
U.S. officials answer calls for police reform (June 17) State and local officials in the United States are responding to citizens’ calls for more law-enforcement accountability. By design, U.S. law enforcement is responsive to American citizens. There are more than 17,000 city, county, state and federal police agencies in the United States, each with ...
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By U.S. Embassy Tbilisi | 17 June, 2020 | Topics: News | Tags: civic equality, good governance, policing
Police leaders march in solidarity with peaceful protesters (June 11) Americans often have different opinions on how to tackle pressing social challenges, but U.S. citizens share a respect for the right to free speech, free expression and peaceful protest. Some police leaders have joined peaceful demonstrations in the aftermath of the death of George ...
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By U.S. Embassy Tbilisi | 11 June, 2020 | Topics: Human Rights, News | Tags: civic equality, freedom of assembly, freedom of expression, policing, social activism
