Recently, I started following Susanne on Twitter. She often tweets interesting and relevant news related to human rights and international issues, and by following her I ensure I’m always up to date about the latest human rights news. Please read on for fascinating insights on human rights, and what you can do to get involved in the movement.
Name: Susanne Ure
Occupation: Web Editor
Employer: Amnesty International Canada
Employer Website: http://www.amnesty.ca
Employer Twitter: @amnesty (USA) @amnestynews (USA) @amnestyOZ (Australia) @amnestynl (Netherlands) @AmnestyUK (United Kingdom) @AmnestyOnline (International Secretariat – London)
Twitter: @SusanneUre
Facebook: http://profile.to/sure/
Education: In 1981 I graduated from Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada with a B.A. in Drama. I was given the Theatre History Prize. The Principal sent me a letter expressing high hopes for my future. On my last visit to my thesis advisor’s office he asked me what I intended to do after graduation. I laughed out loud and said that, with a degree in theatre I didn’t have very good prospects, especially in the midst of a recession (my first recession!) and observed that he would probably find me at the car wash. “Beggars can’t be choosers,” I said. He responded with the best advice I never took: “If you’re choosy, you won’t be a beggar for long.” I went to graduate school and studied for my M.A in theatre, and then, for one year, pursued a PhD, both at the University of Toronto. I ended up working in the arts for years.
Interests: Human rights and social justice; the arts, fine and lively; the internet and other wizardly things; traveling, photography and design.
What or who first inspired you to get into human rights work?
I skipped my first week of graduate school at the University of Toronto in September of 1981 to attend a conference entitled “The Writer and Human Rights” put together by eminent Canadian novelists Margaret Atwood and Timothy Findley for PEN, the proceeds of which went to Amnesty International.
There I signed my first postcard on behalf of a Chinese Prisoner of Conscience, Yang Ch’ing-ch’u, a writer from the Republic of China (Taiwan), serving a prison sentence of four years and two months, imposed after he had taken part in a demonstration in December 1979 to mark the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. At the time he was on the editorial committee of the opposition magazine Formosa.
While he was in prison, Yang wrote a poem by Chinese poet Gu Cheng on the wall of his cell: “I want to paint windows all over the world, and let those who are accustomed to the darkness grow accustomed to the light.”
That focused everything for me. I spent the next 20+ years as an arts activist and as a labour activist. In 2005 a job came up at Amnesty Canada which seemed like my “inevitable place”, so I signed on.
What do you do at Amnesty International?
I’m responsible for running www.amnesty.ca in collaboration with the media officers, campaigners and fundraisers at Amnesty’s Canadian section. The ‘web department’ is a one-person operation, so I do publishing, development, design, content creation, strategy & planning, reporting and evaluation, project management, as well staff support and training. In my spare time I contribute to online campaigning initiatives and communications strategy.
What is the biggest challenge you personally face while working in the human rights field?
There is no limit or end to the number of issues, incidents and people who need attention, support, help, or intervention. There are, unfortunately, limits to the amount of time, energy and material resources available to address these needs. The biggest challenge is to maintain balance and resilience in a state of being constantly overwhelmed.
You tweet a lot about recent human rights news. Why do you tweet? Do you see the potential in social media in building a movement for human rights?
Why do I tweet? That’s an interesting question. I’ve just been doing it seriously for a couple of months, trying it out as a medium for human rights work. It feels like I just got swept up in it. I am, in essence, a storyteller. I seek out stories in order to be able experience and understand more of what it means to be human in the world than I would just living my everyday life, in order to feel and share my humanity with others, and to feel and share their humanity. Twitter is an extraordinary medium for that kind of exchange. It allows me to share the stories I come across and talk about them with others who value them as much as I do.
For me, the first and most crucial part of human rights work is in building awareness and knowledge about what’s really going on in the world, and not only the challenges and the bone-suffering, but the resilience, ingenuity, heroism, aspirations and yearning of people everywhere. I believe that when people are genuinely and directly connected to others, they will help. They will do what they can. When they understand what is wanted and needed they will step in. They just need to know what’s going on. The world changes one newly-engaged person at a time. Twitter, I’m finding, is a significant platform for this kind of work.
What do you think is the most critical human rights issue facing us today?
Governance. We as individuals, in groups and communities can challenge human rights violations and mitigate abuses only so far. We need societal leaders and governments to step up and adopt and work within international human rights law and standards. Governments can make a huge impact by embracing human rights for all as a fundamental principle of governance. Amnesty International is uniquely positioned to uncover the truth about discreet and systemic human rights abuses, and to call societal leaders and governments to account for their failure to provide for the universal dignity and wellbeing of those for whom they are responsible. That’s primarily why I find it so compelling to work within this particular movement.
What’s the best thing people can do to get involved in advocating for human rights on a regular basis?
Treat human rights advocacy not an area of specialization but as an everyday practice, for everyone. Commit the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to heart. Apply its principles to your daily life. Refer to it in your discussions and debates about rights and wrongs. Recall Eleanor Roosevelt’s words about where human rights really live:
“Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home - so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighborhood he lives in; the school or college he attends; the factory, farm, or office where he works. Such are the places where every man, woman, and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world.”
Don’t let injustices, toward yourself or others go by unchallenged. This is often very hard to do, but it’s very necessary. It never gets easier, but when change comes it’s brilliant, it lights up the whole sky, for you and everybody else. That’s something you definitely want to experience in your life.
What advice would you give to a young person interested in human rights and social change?
Most young people I meet who are on the front lines of human rights work and social justice initiatives are supreme commanders of the universe. I’m generally dazzled by the passion, knowledge, and discipline they bring. They inspire and invigorate me and every campaign they participate in.
In terms of advice, I think many young people already know instinctively how to identify injustice and what needs to be done to address it. They can feel it in their hearts.
As time goes by, however, it gets harder to challenge injustice, particularly in “small places” where you are personally implicated. Life becomes evermore complicated and demanding, and the risks, both personal and for the community at large, become greater. “Advocacy” and ‘activism” are often is read as “insubordination”, an assault on the entitlements of the powerful, and are punished accordingly.
There is power in numbers. My advice would be to find like-minded people who share your ideals, discipline and vision. Find or create a community that you can draw strength from and give strength to. You will need this as a human rights/social justice activist in order to make a lifetime practice out of pursuing a better world.
I remember when I graduated from Queen’s University the commencement speaker gave a speech called “Brave for Life”. I didn’t fully appreciate how important that advice would be – how important courage would be as staple of a life well-lived - but I do now. So I pass that on too.
