60 Years On...

On this anniversary of the International Declaration of Human Rights, Amnesty International's WITNESS program is asking the question , "What image opened your eyes to Human Rights?"

For me, I think it was the images from Susan Meiselas' book on the Nicaraguan revolution. I had already seen other images by that time... mostly images provided by Amnesty International, but it really came home with Nicaragua and those photos; photos of decapitated bodies lying on the side of the road, and women wearing masks to avoid detection, torture and death. They were images that moved me to work to change things in Nicaragua, to go there twice and to try and bring something of the country back with me.

Twenty years ago, it was the variety of images propagated in conjunction with the Amnesty International Concert Tour in recognition and celebration of the 40th anniversary of the DHR. Those images and ideas, contrasted with the vibrant music and immediacy of the moment (and were magnified by the fact that I was newly in love and feeling so deeply that sense of freedom that new love gives you) and in that, the call to DO SOMETHING.

With the approach of this 60th Anniversary I have been feeling driven to find a way to place myself again in the middle of this fight for all. I'm still trying to comprehend what... and how.

What image opened your eyes? What have you done about it?

You can start (or continue) by signing onto the declaration at http://www.everyhumanhasrights.org/. You'll be in good company!