United for Human Rights Holds Listening Session on Religious Landscape of Tennessee

Tennessee United for Human Rights brought in a special guest speaker for International Human Rights Day to share the landscape of religious freedom across the state, as part of a new series.

Tennessee United for Human Rights has just launched a new quarterly series: The Landscape of Human Rights in Tennessee. Each quarterly event will see a different focus that is intrinsic to basic human rights. The first, held recently for International Human Rights Day at the Church of Scientology Nashville, focused on religious freedom. A special guest speaker spoke about religious freedom across the state, discussed her upbringing and the formation of a group to help promote religious causes with community members.

“Religious freedom is such a basic human right, the very country we live in was founded on this principle,” says Julie Brinker, spokesperson for Tennessee United for Human Rights.

Human Rights day commemorates the United Nations adoption in 1948 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights--the world's premier human rights document. Despite the best intentions of those who crafted the Declaration, 68 years later, the UN points out, "disrespect for basic human rights continues to be widespread in all parts of the globe. Extremist movements subject people to horrific violence. Messages of intolerance and hatred prey on our fears. Humane values are under attack."

United for Human Rights is the world's largest nongovernmental human rights education campaign, active in 192 countries and partnering with 1,500 groups and organizations.  For more information, visit humanrights.com.