2015 Year in Review – A New Era for Human Rights in Tennessee

2015 saw the formation of Tennessee United for Human Rights, to carry out the work of the international organization United for Human Rights in the Southeast United States.

Tennessee United for Human Rights (TUHR) was formed as a non-profit public benefit corporation in 2015 to educate Tennesseans on the basic principles and foundations of human rights. It started in style, spreading fliers and booklets at events for International Day of Peace, at the Peace Day concert in the Pavilion East as well as at a human trafficking forum hosted by the Nashville Church of Scientology.

Several artists performed at the Peace Day concert, including the legendary Melanie Safka, a musician with a heart for human rights since her appearance at Woodstock in 1969. Following the concert, Melanie signed on as President of Tennessee United for Human Rights and has been spreading its message at every opportunity.

Next, the Executive Director of TUHR, John Pantermuehl, delivered a presentation on artist rights as human rights at the Artists Music Guild annual convention. This seminar provided the complete history of human rights, a breakdown of the individual points of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that protect artists, and how artists can protect themselves with this knowledge. 

To close out the year, TUHR was a co-organizer for the annual Tennessee Celebration of International Human Rights Day, a spectacular event which showcased human rights leaders for their work and uplifted others.

TUHR is planning to begin 2016 with several events to continue promoting human rights, especially during and around the MLK celebration and during Black History Month.

TUHR is the local chapter of United for Human Rights (UHR), an international, not-for-profit organization dedicated to implementing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Its membership is comprised of individuals, educators and groups throughout the world who are actively forwarding the knowledge and protection of human rights by and for all Mankind, according to humanrights.com.

United for Human Rights was founded on the Declaration’s 60th anniversary, in the face of continued worldwide abuses which violate the spirit, intent and Articles of this charter of all human rights, the first such document ever ratified by the community of nations. For more information about United for Human Rights, go to www.humanrights.com.