On October 11th, 2023, the UNA-NCA and its Human Rights Committee hosted a celebration of the 139th birthday and accomplishments in human rights work by Former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt at The Eleanor. This was the first time in four years this event was celebrated in an in-person space, which was a special highlight for all those present that evening. With a warm welcome from UNA-NCA’s President Paula Boland, a tribute from Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, and closing remarks on how to honor Eleanor onward and register for upcoming programs, this event was a well invested opportunity for guests to enthusiastically network and engage in the work of UNA-NCA.
Between those noteworthy moments, attendees were able to read brochures that allowed them to take a timeline journey into Eleanor’s legacy and receive initial or continued motivation to be involved in that work. Inspiring involvement in this kind of work was also the main objective of honoring three other significant anniversaries this year in the brochure:
1. 78th Anniversary of the United Nations: the international organization tasked with maintaining global protection, harmony, and civility.
2. 75th Anniversary of Eleanor’s implemented Universal Declaration of Human Rights: the United Nations document of 32 articles universally protecting fundamental human rights
3. 11th Anniversary of the International Day of The Girl: the observance day declared by the United Nations on increasing awareness of building equitable empowerment opportunities for girls
Guests also were able to write posted notes on two wall posted sheets focusing on the following: The first centered on sharing one fact that we can learn from the Former First Lady's human rights advocacy as a template for how to provide aid to marginalized groups. The second provided participants a space for expressing which article(s) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) inspire them to further their human right advocacy in their lives.
In addition to welcoming the attendance of current UNA-NCA members and supporters, the Human Rights Committee was also excited to receive guests unfamiliar with the UNA-NCA but were interested in learning more about the efforts of Eleanor, as well as the organization as a whole. This openness to the public demonstrated the utmost inclusivity and cordiality as established priorities throughout this event. To know more about the UNA-NCA membership and other volunteer opportunities, visit here.
How to get involved: The Human Rights Committee meets on the first non-holiday Monday of each month at 6:00pm, and our next meeting will take place on 11/1 at 6:00pm. If you would like to learn more about the committee and attend the next meeting, please reach out to Leila Hanafi at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Kate Lovas at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
