December marks the end of the calendar year, and for many of us, the beginning of the holiday season. But December is also known as Universal Human Rights Month. In December 1948, as a response to the Holocaust and other atrocities of World War II, the United Nations published The Declaration of Universal Human Rights and established the month to acknowledge the fundamental rights all humans are owed.
The video above shows people around the world reading the declaration in over 80 languages. Courtesy of The United Nations.
The declaration states in Article 1 that “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”
The document goes on to list things that should be considered basic rights, such as life, liberty, security of person, housing, education, and health care, among others.
This year, the declaration is 72 years old. Where does the 
world stand in ensuring these universal human rights for everyone? Is everyone treated with dignity and respect? Does everyone have equal access to housing, education, and health care? Sadly, the answer is no. One only has to look at the news or around our communities to see the fight for human rights is still ongoing.
As a librarian, there isn’t much I can do to affect global human rights. Or is there? Librarians aren’t politicians, prime ministers, or presidents. We can’t make laws giving everyone their basic human rights. What we CAN do is what we always do: provide people with equitable access to reliable information, allowing them to move out of information darkness and to know how to demand what they deserve. A universal human right in itself, education is key to understanding the full scope of the universal rights to which all humans are entitled.
And in this holiday season of peace and hope, maybe, just maybe, all the world needs is a librarian to light the way.
And on that note, below you will find a bibliography of books, journals, and other resources on the topic of human rights available through Sladen Library.
Bibliography of Healthcare Resources from Sladen Library on Universal Human Rights
Mukherjee, Joia. An introduction to global health delivery: practice, equity, and human rights. 1st ed. Oxford University Press, 2018.
Available at Sladen @ WA 530.1 M953 2018
Chisolm-Straker, Makini and Hanni Stoklosa. Human Trafficking is a Public Health Issue: A Paradigm Expansion in the United States
Available online
Ruger, Jennifer Prah. Health and social justice. 1st ed. Oxford University Press, 2010.
Available @ WA 540.1 R928H 2010
Morrison, Eileen E. Health care ethics: critical issues for the 21st century. 3rd ed. Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2013.
Available @ WB 60 M66 2014
Edge, Raymond S. Ethics of health care: a guide for clinical practice. 3rd ed. Cengage Learning, 2005.
Available @ W 50 E22E 2005
Kendi, Ibram X. How to be an Antiracist. 1st ed. Random House, 2019.
Available @ HT 1503 K335H 2019
Smedley, Brian D. Unequal Treatment: confronting racial and ethnic disparities in health care. 1st ed. National Academic Press, 2003.
Available @ WA 300 U515 2003
Nielsen-Bohlman, Lynn. Health literacy: a prescription to end confusion. 1st ed. National Academic Press, 2004.
Available @ WA 590 H4362 2004
Papadopoulos, Irena. Culturally Competent Compassion: A Guide for Healthcare Students and Practitioners. 1st ed. Routledge, 2018.
Available @ W 84.5 P213 2018
BMC International Health and Human Rights [Journal]
Health and Human Rights [Journal]
Journal Issues in PubMed Central
Northwestern University Journal of International Human Rights [Journal]
Journal Issues in Northwestern Scholarly Commons
Global social welfare: research, policy & practice [Journal]
Sladen Library’s Human Trafficking Subject Guide
Sladen Library’s LGBT Health Resources Subject Guide
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