Pittsburgh Human Rights City Alliance

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Pittsburgh Human Rights City AllianceDignity & Justice for All of Us"Human rights don't trickle down...they RISE UP!"

About

Pittsburgh Human Rights City Alliance works to bring together diverse groups and individuals to encourage the realization of our City Council's 2011 Proclamation declaring Pittsburgh a "human rights city". We strive to realize a city that maximizes human rights and dignity for all people who live in our region (See Human Rights Cities Principles). We help network leading community organizations and concerned residents to support local efforts to realize people-centered human rights in Pittsburgh. We cannot wait for leaders in Washington to protect our basic rights! It takes engaged and creative efforts of community residents to "bring human rights home"!

Ways to Get Involved!

Subscribe to Our Newsletter!

Subscribe here to receive email updates on events & action opportunities!

  • University faculty members, staff, and graduate students are also invited to join our Pittsburgh Area University Human Rights Network. Subscribe here to join our (low-volume) email list.

Join a Working Group!

We currently steward four working groups that convene on a regular basis. Additional working groups may be formed as our work evolves and to support campaigns or special projects as needed. To learn more about each one, click on the links below. All are welcome to get involved! For more information, please contact us at hrca@theglobalswitchboard.org.

Housing Rights This Working Group seeks to expand public awareness that housing is a human right and to advance policy changes to expand access to safe, stable, adequate, and affordable housing in our region.
  • Next meeting Tuesday September 3rd 5:30PM-7PM at The Carnegie Library - East Liberty (130 S Whitfield St, Pittsburgh, PA 15206)
  • Have you seen our Tenant Bill of Rights?
Community Safety & Policing This working group works to promote a human rights-based approach to law enforcement, drawing from global laws and standards that prohibit racial discrimination and promote community-centered alternatives to police.
  • We are actively recruiting members for this working group. To get involved, please contact hrca@theglobalswitchboard.org!
Communications, Education and Outreach The Communications group is making headway on updating our online presence, in addition to supporting our PLuG and Housing Working Groups. If you’re interested in writing about human rights, helping to design online content, or passionate about education and outreach, please feel welcome to join us for our regular monthly meeting!
  • Meetings take place on the third Tuesday of each month from 6-7pm.
Policy, Legislation, & Governance (PLuG) Join the PLuG Working Group and help design a Human Rights Blueprint & Scorecard to help advance and monitor local policies through a human rights lens.
  • Meetings occur on the third Wednesday of each month from 5:30-7pm.

Calendar of Events

10th Annual Human Rights Cookout and Potluck - Sunday, August 25th, 1:00PM- 4:00PM at Mellon Park (6601 Fifth Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15206). All are invited to join this annual celebration of summer and to meet other from around the region concerned about making our communities places where everyone can thrive. Learn about the exciting work happening to "bring human rights home" to our city, and hear about the work of community partners working to address issues like transit, community safety, housing justice, gender equity and more. Main dish is provided--Bring a dish to share if you'd like (optional). For more information contact: hrca@theglobalswitchboard.org.

General Meeting - Thursday, September 19th, 5:30-7pm at the Downtown DHS Building (1 Smithfield St., Pittsburgh, PA 15222). This meeting will take place in the Homestead-Greys Room on the lower level. We are working on preparing our agenda for the meeting, and more details will be posted soon!

Contact us

All are all welcome to join our work to make Pittsburgh a Human Rights City! For more information or to get involved, please contact us at hrca@theglobalswitchboard.org

Current Areas of Focus

HRCA's work continues to evolve. Our current work focuses on the following issue areas, which were identified by community members and organizers as key regional priorities. Our working groups correspond with these areas of focus.

Housing Rights & Justice

HRCA is an active member of the Pittsburgh Housing Justice Table, a coalition of allied local organizations and independent advocates who believe that housing is a human right and that everyone should have access to the housing they need. Our Housing Rights Working Group supports the work of the Housing Justice Table through related events, education and advocacy efforts.

Through community engagement and conversations with Housing Justice Table coalition partners, HRCA developed A Human Rights-based Housing Strategy and Action Plan for Pittsburgh, PA which serves as a guiding document for our housing advocacy. We want our goals and strategy to reflect the needs and perspectives of our community, which is why we invite residents to review the document and share input with us so that we can strengthen it. Send your comments to hrca@theglobalswitchboard.org or join us for our next working group meeting!

You can learn more about the history behind our research and strategy conversations by reviewing our resource page, Building Pittsburgh's Human Rights Housing Strategy

Racial Equity & Justice

HRCA is active as part of a broad coalition of community members and organizations committed to ending and redressing long-standing racial inequalities, inequities, and discrimination in the Pittsburgh region and beyond, recognizing that Freedom from Racial Discrimination is a Right, Not a Privilege.

This work includes raising awareness of the U.S. government's legal obligation to address racial discrimination under international law. For example, the U.S. ratified the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) in 1994 and has thus legally agreed to comply with and implement its requirements.

Related events & actions:

Creating a Human Rights City

In 2011, the City of Pittsburgh issued a Proclamation declaring Pittsburgh the 5th Human Rights City in the U.S.. While this represents a step in the right direction, much work remains to strengthen and actually realize the City's commitment. We’re drawing from examples in other cities such as Atlanta to bring stronger human rights commitments along with processes for monitoring and setting targets for advancing equity and protecting the rights of all residents. See Draft Resolution to Renew and Update Pittsburgh’s Human Rights City Status

  • Shaping Mayor Gainey's Leadership Agenda- We are working to discuss ideas and build community support for initiatives that would advance equity and human rights in our city and help us realize the promise of the City's 2011 Human Rights City Proclamation.
This message follows up our earlier message to then Mayor-Elect Gainey on International Human Rights Day 2021 (Dec. 10), where we reminded him of our status as a human rights city and the prior commitments made by city officials to advance racial and gender equity and human rights.

Human Rights Education & Outreach

A key focus of HRCA is raising awareness among civil society and elected officials of the international human rights framework, and how we can (and should) use this framework to advocate for, monitor, and uphold "people-centered human rights" at home. This work includes building a movement of human rights enforcers and educating elected and government officials about their obligations under international human rights laws. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and International Bill of Human Rights serve as key guiding documents in developing our local human rights advocacy strategy.

Recent Events, Recordings & Documentation

2024 People's Assembly for Fair & Equitable Housing - Saturday, April 13, Frick Fine Arts Building, University of Pittsburgh

Around 150 people gathered to learn about what’s behind the affordable housing crisis in Pittsburgh and about ongoing campaigns to address affordable housing needs, including the right to counsel for tenants, efforts to establish a tenant bill of rights and related protections, and work to promote alternatives to prevailing market-driven housing such as housing co-ops and community land trusts. Co-sponsors: Pittsburgh Housing Justice Table, Human Rights City Alliance, City of Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations, Pittsburgh United, Casa San Jose, University of Pittsburgh Department of Sociology, Pitt Graduate Workers’ Organizing Committee, The Global Switchboard. View the full program here, English Flier , Spanish Flier
  • UN Report Condemns Racial Discrimination in U.S. Law Enforcement—How does this relate to Southwest PA? (Event recording)-Last spring, the United Nations sent a fact-finding mission to investigate human rights violations against people of African descent by U.S. law enforcement officials. Pittsburgh advocates reported on local conditions as part of this investigation (In early 2023, Report on Police Discrimination in Allegheny County. The UN Expert Mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in Law Enforcement released its report on U.S. practices in October 2023 Panelists discuss how global policing guidelines can help us improve racial justice, violence prevention, and human rights protections in our region. Panelists: Brandi Fisher, Alliance for Police Accountability Tanisha Long, Abolitionist Law Center; Muhammad Ali Nasir (MAN-E), Advocacy & Policy and Civic Engagement Coordinator, 1Hood Media; Laura Perkins, Casa San Jose. See the reports: U.S. country visit 2023; *Reimagining Policing 2023
  • The African Diaspora Convenes on the World Stage & Calls for Reparatory Justice--Reports from the Inaugural session of the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent. (Recording) In December 2022 the United Nations launched the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent (UNPFPAD) as part of the International Decade on People of African Descent (2015-2024). Activists who attended this historic, inaugural meeting of the PFPAD share their observations on how this new body can be a tool for building local and national movements to end white supremacy and advance racial justice. Panelists: Lisa Borden, Senior Policy Counsel, International Advocacy and Policy, Southern Poverty Law Center; Charkera Ervin, Howard University School of Law/ Movement Lawyering Clinic; Efia Nwangaza, SNCC Veteran, Civil/Human Rights Attorney, Director Malcolm X Center for Self Determination; Tiffany Williams Roberts, Director of Public Policy Unit, Southern Center for Human Rights; Gretchen Rohr, US-Liaison and Global Strategic Litigation Officer, Open Society Justice Initiative
Webinar Co-sponsors: U.S. Human Rights Cities Alliance, Southern Center for Human Rights, Southern Poverty Law Center, Ubuntu Institute for Community Development, Pittsburgh Human Rights City Alliance, Global Studies Center & the Center for African Studies-University of Pittsburgh

(Recording-November 18, 2022 by 1Hood Media). After Michael Brown’s murder in Ferguson, Missouri, Justin Hansford helped Brown family members bring their appeal for justice to the United Nations See Ferguson to Geneva. This conversation brings together Black community leaders, advocates, and educators to discuss this effort and understand how we can make use of UN bodies like the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent to promote racial equity and fight white supremacy. What role do our communities play in building global tools to help defend and advance our human rights? Panelists: Dr. Rashad Williams, Assistant Professor of Race and Social Justice in Public Policy, University of Pittsburgh (Host), Tiffany Williams Roberts, Director of Public Policy Unit, Southern Center for Human Rights (Atlanta) & Steering Committee member, U.S. Human Rights Cities Alliance; Randall Taylor, Penn Plaza Support and Action Coalition

  • Taking Back our Human Rights: Black Pittsburgh’s Appeal to the World-Community Forum Summary Document, November 19, 2022. This document summarizes discussions at our community forum during Justin Hansford's visit, & it will guide our subsequent coalition building work aimed at centering the needs of Pittsburgh's Black residents and ensuring that no one is left behind as our city develops.


Latest Updates

An Appeal to the World: Pittsburgh Advocates file report to UN Committee reviewing racial discrimination in the U.S.

Latest Housing Rights News

  • Community petition campaign to Protect Inclusionary Zoning & Demand Affordable Housing for All! In response to Pittsburgh’s chronic affordable housing crisis, the City Council recently passed a modest inclusionary zoning ordinance to require developers to designate at least 10% of units in developments of 20 or more units as affordable for low-income residents. The Builders Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh (BAMP)—a special interest group made up of corporate developers—has sued the city to prevent the implementation of the ordinance, and community partners are working to fight this move as we defend the rights of all residents to affordable, safe and secure housing. Please sign the petition! here https://secure.everyaction.com/ymOliRNNIkKlrrqVBDdOkQ2] and help spread the word!
  • Global housing leader visits Pittsburgh: In April 2022, Pittsburgh welcomed global housing expert, former UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Right to Adequate Housing, Leilani Farha to meet with city officials, housing advocates, students and other residents. We compiled this report on the visit, highlighting insights and recommendations from our discussions with Ms. Farha, who now leads global housing rights organization, The Shift. Here you’ll also find helpful links to learning resources and legal tools to help advance housing as a human right. (Download report PDF)


Recent Actions


Other meetings

Human Rights & Anti-Racism Organizing

Historical Truth-Telling: Key to Human Rights & Racial Healing Today:Building a human rights city requires efforts to remedy past injustices and ensure that all residents have equitable opportunities to thrive. The International Decade on People of African Descent (2015-2024) and the 400th anniversary of the first auction of enslaved Africans in North America provides an opportunity for renewing conversations about how we can address persistent inequities resulting from the United States's brutal history of slavery and genocide against people of African descent and indigenous peoples.

  • Indigenous People's Day & Anti-racism work
Student human rights leaders compiled the following list of films, podcasts, and short articles and reports to inspire learning that acknowledges past harms and furthers a process of truth-telling and racial healing. Recording: Community Dialogue: Indigenous Peoples Day: Deconstructing white supremacy and celebrating Indigenous Peoples' history More Resources on Indigenous peoples and human rights

Past & Ongoing Projects

Statement to City Council: Human Rights City Alliance backs community organizations calling for pause in vote on ARP funds: Our message to Council reminds them of past commitments and priorities that must be addressed in ARP allocations while calling for transparent and democratic process for deciding how funds will be used.

Sign the petition for a more transparent, accountable, and democratic process for allocating public resources.


Learning from COVID-19:Shaping a Health and Human Rights Agenda for our Region
We can’t return to status quo if we are to prevent the multiple breakdowns and failures we’re now seeing with COVID-19. Resilience and long-term, community well-being requires dramatic improvements to public infrastructure and support for housing, food, & health security. We're working with diverse groups in the community to host this forum series and build a strong people’s movement to help us realize a society that prioritizes equity and the human right to health, so that every member of our community can live dignified lives. Click here for details, recordings and summaries of past discussions

Co-Sponsors: Pittsburgh Human Rights City Alliance, Atlanta Housing Justice League, Organization for Human Rights & Democracy, University of Pittsburgh Global Studies Center & Urban Studies Program, Student Human Rights Task Force- Pitt & The New School (NYC) Collaboration.
Further background and recordings at:Zero Evictions Days Resource page and webinar recordings Featuring dialogues with Leilani Farha, former UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Right to Adequate Housing.)

Pittsburgh Human Rights City Alliance Steering Committee Members named to Mayor’s Community Task Force on Police Reform Community leaders Brandi Fisher, President and CEO of the Alliance for Police Accountability and Monica Ruiz, Executive Director of Casa San Jose, have been tasked with helping our city develop a plan to review existing policing practices and policies and make recommendations. Here is the outline of the City’s Agenda for Police Reform.

Bringing Human Rights Home

Universal Periodic Review (UPR)

*UPR Pittsburgh Bringing Global Human Rights Home: Pittsburgh's Human Rights Assessment & the United Nations Together with human rights defenders around the country, Pittsburgh residents are working to bring the stories and accounts of human rights conditions in our region to the United Nations through the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process. Over 2019-2020, the United States human rights record will be reviewed by international representatives and human rights experts, and the UN will issue a formal report with recommendations to the US government for improving respect for the country's international human rights obligations. A key to the UPR's effectiveness is engagement from civil society, and we're working to provide opportunities for residents to learn about human rights and the UPR process as we generate ideas for how we can make Pittsburgh and Southwest PA places where human rights thrive.


Pittsburgh Activists File Report to UN on State of Human Rights in Region

Pittsburgh City Council Passes Zero Evictions Proclamation in Solidarity with Global Movement for Housing Justice


Housing Justice

Learn more about how Amazon's bid to move to Pittsburgh would affect human rights here. Resources, data, and recordings of community forums.


International Human Rights Monitoring

This page links to work by national and international human rights organizers to use international treaties and United Nations human rights review processes to hold local and national officials in the United States accountable to our international human rights obligations.


News & Updates


Human Rights Budgeting-Ideas and Resources for transforming how our city plans: This page shares links and background resources about how activists around the world are working to change the scripts of local politics to prioritize human rights over economic measures of progress. We believe that urban planning and development should be explicit in its attention to human rights and equity. More democratic budgeting processes are key to making this happen, and that means we all need to learn more about how city budgeting works and how it could be re-organized to engage more of the people who live in our region.

Resources

Link to more resources--toolkits, reports, and organizations supporting local human rights work

Pittsburgh

People-Centered Human Rights: Analyses from Around the Nation and World


Dangerous Times: Defending Human Rights


Past Actions & Events

Actions

International Human Rights Day 2020 Public/Media Statement:
Pittsburgh Joins Global Efforts to Target Systemic Racism, Bring Human Rights Home [1]

  • Campaign to Stop Plan to Increase Policing on Public Transit-- This campaign led by the Alliance for Police Accountability, Casa San Jose, Pittsburghers for Public Transit, and the Thomas Merton Center warns that the Port Authority's planned fare enforcement policy will unfairly impact communities of color, increase the problematic trend of criminalizing young people, and threaten immigrant residents.The campaign is calling for civilian fare enforcers rather than armed Port Authority Police and a citation process rather than a criminal process to deal with fare evasion (See FAQs for more information). Community organizations and individuals are asked to write letters to the Port Authority in support of this campaign (see sample letter).
  • PIttsburgh Public Schools Passes Sanctuary Resolution
  • Pittsburgh becomes 6th US City for CEDAW A broad coalition of human rights advocates helped advance a new ordinance enacting the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women in our City, December 6, 2016. Stay involved in the work to carry out this commitment to better address needs of women and girls, families and communities in our city! www.pgh4cedaw.org


University-Based Projects

  • Pittsburgh area university faculty, staff, and graduate students are invited to join the University Human Rights Network. We invite volunteers from different campuses to help support work on your campus and coordinate with other campuses.
  • Pitt Human Rights Initiative
  • Campus worker organizing: Pitt faculty, graduate student workers, and other workers are organizing for their rights and to support and protect the right to education. Keep informed about the campaign on their website and Facebook page


Events

Annual Reports




Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. --Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

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e-mail: pghrights [at] riseup.net

Universal Declaration of Human Rights booklet with Pittsburgh's Human Rights City Proclamation

All Pages

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