Social Issues: Organizing for Human Rights and Social Justice

H.O.W. or Humanity One World is a newly formed group of writers who are concerned about human rights and social justice. Through our shared concerns for humanity, we found each other. Individually, we represent every race, religion, age, gender, culture, and socioeconomic status. Collectively, we represent the human race and that is the tie that binds us.

Humanity One World is a conceptual idea born of compassion. Conceived by Bill Holland in Olympia, Washington, Bill, like many of us, agonizes over the violation of human rights and lack of social justice in our world. As a group, we believe we can create positive change through the power of the written word. We are the tellers of stories and activists who use our passion for writing and for mankind to promote awareness for issues of homelessness, hunger, child neglect, slavery, environmental destruction, oppression, discrimination and many other ills of our society.

“A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.” - ― Albert Einstein

The topics of our concerns are as diverse as our personalities.

• Some are fed up with a political system that feeds the excesses of greed and power and still neglects the basic needs of the veterans of our military. They may tell the story of a 47 year old decorated Marine who is sleeping on the street. A traumatic brain injury left him unable to work and he lost his job and home. He waited eighteen months for a determination on his disability claim before he had to forfeit his permanent address that was on file with the Veteran’s Administration. Is this how we repay our veteran’s? The answer is a resounding – no!
• Another writer in the group will share concern for a group of Indians in Virginia with a well documented history dating back thousands of years who are still fighting to be recognized by the Federal Government. They are celebrated and recognized by the Commonwealth of Virginia but it isn’t enough. Is it justice that they need permission to be Indians from the very group that stole their land, stripped away their right to speak their language, and denied them an education? The answer is a resounding – no!
• A common theme among many of our writers is the problem of hunger. Our perspectives vary. One might be concerned about the money and food that is exported to feed the hungry in other countries while our own go hungry. Another may be concerned that the food industry is so regulated that restaurants and other food service industries are forced to dispose of perfectly good food at then end of the day rather than offer it to food pantries. In a world where so many enjoy an excess, is it okay for children to go to bed hungry? The answer is a resounding – no!
• The stories of human tragedy abound and yet society suffers from NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) syndrome. For the person who has a good job, plenty to eat, and money in their pocket, it seems these problems do not exist. When drilling strips the land of its natural resources and leaves fresh water polluted, it is someone else’s problem. When children are abused or neglected, it is someone else’s problem. Until they have to step over a body to get into their house, violence is someone else’s problem. Is this acceptable? The answer is a resounding – no!

H.O.W. is a movement. We are going to push forward, calling attention to the problems. We are peaceful warriors for change who are not going to wait for someone else to fix it. Our mission is to reach out and touch as many people as possible through our passion for the human race and for writing. It is not a passive movement. Recognizing that there are also millions of people in the world who want to help but may not know how, we will offer ideas and suggestions. We will attempt to right the wrongs of our society, one person at a time. We will create a network of dedicated, bright minds who do not see race, religion, or geography as obstacles. Our network will embrace diversity and encourage an entrepreneurial spirit of helping and healing. We will promote compassion and caring, frugal living and healthy choices, and most importantly, involvement in the process. We will build bridges instead of walls and our diversity will be our strength.

You might ask how we plan to succeed. The obvious answer is through networking. Our tools will be our ability to communicate, motivation, and, the Internet. We will take advantage of social media to spread our message. As a group you will find here on Facebook. Those who are involved in the kick-off of H.O.W. can be found individually on Hubpages.com where we first connected through our shared passion.

The time has come for us, as a society, to stop waiting for someone else to fix it. Divided, we will only become weaker and our problems will be multiplied. We invite you to join us and here are some things you can do.

Networking:

• Become our friend on Facebook and share us with your friends.
• If you write, join us at Hubpages.com. It’s easy to do.
• Share our writing with your contacts on Google+, Pinterest, and other social networks.

Get involved locally:

• Volunteer at a food pantry.
• Visit a Veteran’s facility and ask about volunteering.
• Get involved with Big Brothers or Big Sisters.
• Visit a nursing home and share your talents.
• Recycle and share your excess with the less fortunate.
• If you have mechanical skills, offer to renovate wheelchairs for veterans of bicycles for children.
• Clean out your closets and donate the best you have to a charity.
• Offer to help an elderly neighbor.
• Volunteer to help clean up the banks of a river or stream.
• Plant an extra row of vegetables in your garden and give the harvest away.
• Become a voice for the voiceless. Let your elected representative know they aren’t doing their job. Make an appointment and visit their office. Make it personal. They work for us.

In the months ahead, the writers of H.O.W. will offer thousands of ideas for how you can help. Find the ones that fit your skills or touch that place within you. We can make this world better by helping each other. It all comes down to people helping people.

© 2012 Linda Crist, All rights reserved.

Read more of my hubs here.