CEO Susan Hendrickson reflects on the role of lawyers in the fight for human rights
On September 17, 1787, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention gathered in Philadelphia and signed a document that continues to define the shape of our democracy, the Constitution. With its Bill of Rights and post-Civil War amendments, the constitution, along with the Declaration of Independence, serves as our country’s foundational text. It is the document we as Americans look to for its articulation of civil and human rights.
But September 17th is not just Constitution Day. In 2004, when Congress established the observance of Constitution Day, it was paired with a pre-existing holiday, Citizenship Day, a day recognizing all those who, by coming of age or naturalization, have attained the status of citizens.
So, for those of you keeping track of these things–the official federal holiday on September 17th’s is “Constitution Day and Citizenship Day.”
For decades, Human Rights First and our pro bono partners helped refugees find safety in the United States. These refugees have looked to the United States for protection, freedom, and a better life. Many, after having won asylum, have gone on to become American citizens.
This life-saving work has been possible because lawyers helping refugees have been able to look to our laws, stemmed our Constitution, for the standard by which protection is granted.
As the holiday suggests, the Constitution and Citizenship are two ideas that go great together.
And yet, all does not seem well with our Constitutional order. We face a constant bombardment of fear mongering around refugees and asylum seekers. Hateful rumors travel from the dark corners of the internet to the presidential debate stage before materializing into threats of bombs and violence directed at immigrant communities. Rights that we thought were firmly grounded in our Constitution are somehow now uncertain. At the confluence of these trends, the very idea of citizenship is being called into question. After decades of seeing our concept of citizenship expand to include more and more Americans, we are now in a period of retrenchment. Are all Americans able to claim their rights as citizens? Do we, in fact, embrace universal human rights?
In the last days of her life, Eleanor Roosevelt pushed herself to complete a final manuscript. That work, Tomorrow is Now, was published posthumously in 1963. “It is today that we must create the world of the future,” declares the book’s subtitle. In its pages, she details our nation’s struggle to embrace democracy, clear about the obstacles we face: apathy, fear, national arrogance, and a reactionary embrace of an imagined past state—one that today might be referred to as a past of American greatness.
“The extreme right wing in American politics today appears to be trying to project itself into this obsolete background,” she writes. “It operates on the theory that American history has stood still, that the world has stood still, that it is possible to revert to the conditions of a long-dead past.”
Her words could not be more relevant today.
But Eleanor also had a prescription. Tomorrow is Now includes a call to action.
“We need imagination and integrity, courage and a high heart. We need to fan the spark of conviction, which may again inspire the world as we did with our new idea of the dignity and the worth of free men. But first we must learn to cast out fear. People who ‘view with alarm’ never build anything.”
It is undoubtedly the case that the human rights movement has at times settled for “viewing with alarm” developments that threaten our democracy and undermine our rights. While sounding the alarm can be necessary, it is rarely sufficient. So now, in the spirit of Eleanor Roosevelt, I want to turn our attention to the question of what we are building. What tomorrow are we creating now?
The tomorrow I imagine is built around supporting three core ideals:
1. The rights of the most vulnerable among us.
2. The rule of law: by demanding accountability.
3. Our democracy: by working against the rising tide of authoritarianism.
The legal profession has a role to play in each of these fights.
We are standing together with impacted communities — refugees and human rights defenders — to empower their efforts, address their needs and protect their safety. Many of you have joined us in insisting on a world where refugees can find safety and welcome in the United States, despite efforts to fan the flames of xenophobia.
My colleagues are also supporting human rights defenders, another at risk group. We have been to Kharkiv, up against the Russian border in Ukraine, and under almost constant bombardment from rockets, over a dozen times since the Kremlin invasion of 2022. There, we work with local lawyers in documenting war crimes, those trying to retrieve Ukrainian children taken to Russia, and with those providing legal advice.
To champion the rule of law means, among other things, that there needs to be accountability for wrongdoers. We’re working with activists around the world to use targeted sanctions against those who have had impunity for human rights abuses or corruption. Our coalition of civil society advocates who look to us for assistance with this kind of accountability is continuing to grow. Together, we’re now able to help mobilize not just the U.S. government but other jurisdictions too. This work brings hope to people risking their lives to challenge oppressive regimes or fight democratic backsliding that they are not alone. As my colleague Adam Keith, told the New York Times last week, “Hearing from an outside voice as powerful as the U.S. government means something to them.”
Finally, no one personifies the challenge of an ascendent authoritarianism like Vladimir Putin. Many of you joined us in our advocacy with the U.S. government on behalf of our colleague Vladimir Kara-Murza, the Russian democracy advocate who, among other roles, was helping to advise Human Rights First at the time he was unjustly imprisoned.
Vladimir is now free, as a result of the recent prisoner swap, and we are thrilled, but our joy is muted by knowledge of all the brave defenders of human rights that remain unjustly detained and silenced around the world.
Protecting the rights of the vulnerable. Demanding accountability. Defending democracy. The work of building tomorrow is urgent.
But we also know that we need to be committed for the long haul. In addition to the values Eleanor Roosevelt enumerated (imagination and integrity, courage and a high heart) we need persistence. Perseverance. Because the road to victory can be a long and complicated one. Only this week did we finally get some vindication in a 30 year effort to bring justice to a human rights lawyer, Pat Finucane, who was murdered in his home in Belfast.
Because we are talking about tomorrow, I want to be clear-eyed and candid. Regardless of what happens this November, authoritarian tactics that threaten our democracy and challenge the rule of law are becoming more prevalent here and we as a legal community need to rise to meet them.
But we can do more than simply view these developments with alarm.
In addition to the value of perseverance, I’d like to suggest an additional asset we bring to our efforts: innovation. Like many of you, at Human Rights First we’re challenging ourselves to articulate novel advocacy approaches. We are also investing in the tools that will allow us to meet new challenges. We have launched an Innovation Lab, an internal product development shop that partners with human rights defenders, human rights advocates, and impacted communities to create custom technologies informed by their needs and on the ground challenges.
Technology can present serious threats to personal privacy, safety and security. It can destabilize our democratic institutions and undermine national security. Even at its best, it will not, on its own, save us. But I am excited about exploring the incredible opportunities that AI and other technologies present as force multipliers for human rights and democracy protection efforts around the world–particularly at a moment when it would be foolish to simply assume that future administrations will operate with fidelity to the Constitution. Or that the rights of citizens — and all human beings — will be vindicated without a struggle.
Despite the challenges we face, I am optimistic. I am hopeful because the legal community is, and must be, tirelessly engaged in the ongoing work of fighting for a rights-respecting future, both at home and abroad. Human Rights First has been for decades, and will be for decades to come, a partner in this endeavor.
These remarks were originally presented by Human Rights First CEO Susan Hendrickson, accepting the American Bar Association’s Center for Human Rights’ Eleanor Roosevelt Prize on behalf of Human Rights First.
