October 2018, TWAIBC Newsletter
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Stephen Stills composed “For What It’s Worth,” and Buffalo Springfield, the band he helped form, released the song in 1966. I, along with many of my adolescent friends, related to the song’s message, feeling the intense emotions about the Vietnam War, and newly stirring social change around us that included the Civil Rights and Women’s Liberation movements. While there was significant unrest, many of us felt hopeful and energized, seeing that speaking up could make a positive difference.
?“There’s something happening here
What it is ain’t exactly clear”?
Now, the words of the song keep bubbling into my head as I see the most recent horrifying, hate-filled violence, hear the disturbing responses from the White House, and failure to call out of this disturbing rhetoric from the administration’s party leaders, along with these same entities critiquing public protests. I believe something is happening here, and it’s painfully clear that we’re at a critical juncture in our social-political environment.
The work of TWAICB is about bringing attention to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and its continuing relevance. As I’ve written many times before, the UDHR was part of a tremendous world-wide effort to generate the conditions that would lead to peace, justice, equality and dignity for all people as a response to the barbaric horrors that led to and were fought against in World War II. We’re just 70 years out of working to make this effort real and sustainable. This work seems ever more vital now!
Another concept evolving out of the horrors of the Holocaust and World War II is the Universe of Obligation, where we recognize our responsibilities to care about the people in our immediate and extended circles, to speak up and take action.
The U.S. Constitution and the UDHR articulate our rights to freedom of speech, assembly,and to vote. Our democracy depends on every person “looking at what’s going on” and speaking up.
I believe we have an obligation to speak out to our friends, family and community colleagues about what we see, and encourage having our voices “registered” by voting and communicating with our elected representatives. Here are resources for speaking up to your elected representatives, and, here’s how to find your place to vote on Tuesday, November 6th.
As written in the Grateful Dead’s Uncle John’s Band, “Ain’t no time to hate, barely time to wait!”
With appreciation and best regards,
Sandy Sohcot, Director
