Our Voices
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Statement by RFKHR Board of Directors on the passing of RFK Human Rights Founder Ethel Kennedy
Tags Share NEW YORK — Today, our founder and hero, the cornerstone of our organization, left this world after a tremendously impactful life. Born Ethel Skakel, she had little idea what life had in store for her when she met the brother of a classmate during a 1945 ski trip. But she and Robert proved…
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Statement from the Kennedy family on the passing of Ethel Kennedy
Tags Share It is with our hearts full of love that we announce the passing of our mother, Ethel Kennedy. She died this morning from complications related to a stroke suffered last week. Along with a lifetime’s work in social justice and human rights, our mother leaves behind nine children, 34 grandchildren, and 24 great-grandchildren,…
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This Week’s Spotlight on Human Rights
Tags Share The Essential Role of ‘Civic Space’ in Safeguarding Electoral Integrity: How a Decision in Africa Can Reverberate In a recent decision on Ethiopia’s 2015 elections, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), a body of the African Union, emphasized the crucial connection between civic space and the right to vote. It was a…
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Just Security: The Essential Role of ‘Civic Space’ in Safeguarding Electoral Integrity: How a Decision in Africa Can Reverberate
Tags Share In Just Security, RFKHR Staff Attorneys Sofìa Jaramillo and Sarah Morsheimer present a new op-ed detailing the significance of the recent decision on Ethiopia’s 2015 elections, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), a body of the African Union. This case, brought by and litigated by RFKHR, is a landmark decision…
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Rising Temperatures, Rising Threats: The Growing Risk and Resilience of Environmental Defense
Tags Share In every corner of the world, from the burning rainforests of the Amazon to the rising shores of the Pacific Islands, environmental defenders are on the front lines of the fight against one of humanity’s greatest threats: climate change. These courageous individuals and communities are not only protecting our planet but are also…
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Verite News: Lack of translation services pervasive in Louisiana immigration detention, advocates say
Tags Share A recent RFKHR report showed a “systematic denial of language access” that prevented asylum seekers from receiving protections and violated detainee’s rights and blocked their access to medical and legal services at Winn Correctional Center. Now, advocates say that language access issues stretch beyond that one facility and across the state of Louisiana…
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Energy Shift: An Interview with John Lewis Young Leaders Alumni Miguel Johnson
Tags Share Miguel Johnson is a JLYL alumni who is shifting career fields as he discovers more about the intersection between political science and community organizing. Originally from Poughkeepsie, New York, Miguel is a recent graduate of the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership where he majored in political science and minored in…
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RFK Human Rights Co-Hosts the first Connective Capital Consortium
Tags Share At the inaugural Connective Capital Consortium during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 53rd Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, DC, Marcus Mason, Senior Partner at Madison Group, shared his thesis for the event’s inception: “This first-of-its-kind Braintrust is intended to make a difference between how capital is invested and allocated. It has been proven…
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In Conversation with Anthony Enriquez, Vice President of U.S. Advocacy & Litigation, RFK Human Rights
Tags Share The U.S. criminal legal system is under increased scrutiny for perpetuating racial and economic injustices, with private prison operators profiting from mass incarceration and immigration detention, compromising human rights. Anthony Enriquez, VP of U.S. Advocacy & Litigation at RFK Human Rights, sheds light on the financial drivers behind the system’s expansion, emphasizing the crucial…
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Access to Information: Empowering Citizens, Strengthening Democracies
Tags Share As we celebrate this year’s International Day of Universal Access to Information (IDUIA), we are reminded that the ability to access information is more than a right—it is the foundation of democracy. This year’s focus, “Mainstreaming Access to Information and Participation in the Public Sector,” could not be more relevant. Across the globe,…
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A New Cohort of Changemakers: The 2024-2025 John Lewis Young Leaders
Tags Share Join us in welcoming the 2024-2025 cohort of John Lewis Young Leaders! Representing 15 distinct universities across the country, our second cohort of fellows has developed innovative capstones designed to create social change. We are pleased to support a wide array of projects from increasing digital literacy, to organizing DACA form clinics, to…
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This Week’s Spotlight on Human Rights
Tags Share Over a decade of enduring and resisting statelessness in the Dominican Republic It was September 2013. I had managed to get accepted into university, but I still needed the identity card that would actually allow me to take classes. Then in the afternoon on Monday, 23 September 2013, at Centro Montalvo, we got…
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