Difference between revisions of "Pittsburgh Human Rights City Alliance"

From Pittsburgh Human Rights City Alliance
Jump to: navigation, search
(→‎Ways to Get Involved)
(→‎Calendar)
Line 39: Line 39:
  
 
=Calendar=  
 
=Calendar=  
−
'''Community Forum, Allegheny County Housing Crisis: The Intersections of Housing Issues in the Mon Valley and Pittsburgh,''' Tuesday, September 23rd, 5-7pm, Carnegie Library of Homestead, 510 East 10th Avenue, Munhall, PA 15120.  
+
'''Tuesday October 14, 6:00PM -Housing Rights Working Group meeting''' -Carnegie Library East Liberty, 130 S Whitfield St, Pittsburgh, PA 15206. Help us plan upcoming events. Learn about current initiatives of housing justice coalition partners. Learn about housing policy and where we can advocate for change. Contact working group chair Leeretta Payne for information via pghrights@riseup.net.
−
:This community discussion will focus on the intersections of housing issues in Pittsburgh and the Mon Valley. We will specifically address evictions, health concerns, and overall tenant rights while seeking to understand the housing structure in Allegheny County, including those in Pittsburgh, McKeesport, and the county at large.
 
−
:Tenant rights advocates and housing justice organizers will collaborate with officials from regional housing authorities to discuss existing eviction protections and explore how community organizations can enhance tenant access to stable and quality affordable housing. This forum aims to empower community members with knowledge and tools to advocate for themselves and their fellow tenants, fostering a stronger, more equitable housing environment in the region.
 
  
−
'''Co-sponsors''': Take Action Advocacy Group (TAAG), Pittsburgh Human Rights City Alliance, Hill District Consensus Group, Pittsburgh Housing Justice Table.
+
'''Thurs. November 13 (4:30-6:00PM) & Friday Nov. 14 (9:00AM-4:00PM)'''--'''''Symposium: Race and Displacement in Pittsburgh:Commemorating the 10th Anniversary of the Penn Plaza & 70th Anniversary of Lower Hill Demolitions''''' University of Pittsburgh, William Pitt Union
 +
Keynote speaker Prof. Edward Goetz, director of the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs U. of Minnesota, author of: ''New Deal Ruins: Race, Economic Justice and Public Housing Policy; Clearing the Way: Deconcentrating the Poor in Urban America''
 +
The symposium will commemorate the 10th anniversary of the eviction of residents from the Penn Plaza Apartments in East Liberty and the 70th anniversary of the demolition of the Lower Hill and displacement of 8000 residents. Panels will present analyses and provide space for dialogues on the impacts of displacement on Pittsburgh residents and on policies that can prevent similar displacements going forward. The symposium will include space for exchanges among scholars, community activists, and policy makers about strategies for reducing housing insecurity and displacement in our region.
 +
 
 +
 
 +
'''Save the date!''' Saturday March 28 is the 2026 '''Pittsburgh Housing Justice Summit!'''
  
 
=Current Work=
 
=Current Work=

Revision as of 20:03, 3 October 2025


Human Rights City Alliance Logo -w TEXT- copy 4.png

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

Donate to Bring Human Rights Home!

Pittsburgh Delegation Travels to D.C. to "appeal to the world" for human rights Joining activists from around the country, local delegates will encourage foreign ambassadors to support recommendations for improving human rights conditions in our communities. The initiative is part of the United Nations peer-review assessment of the U.S. human rights record, known as the “Universal Periodic Review,” or “UPR.”

About Us

Pittsburgh Human Rights City Alliance is a grassroots network of individuals and groups committed to advancing and protecting human rights for all people in our region. We work to create a culture of human rights by building and supporting broad coalitions advocating for human rights, fostering human rights learning, and promoting policies that help all people to live with dignity and justice.

We work 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 foster a human rights culture that maximizes human rights and dignity for all people who live in our region. We help network leading community organizations and concerned residents to advance people-centered human rights in Pittsburgh.

Ways to Get Involved

Subscribe

Subscribe to our newsletterfor updates on events & action opportunities!
University Human Rights Working Group: Faculty members, staff and graduate students can subscribe here.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram

Join a Working Group
--Working groups meet regularly to develop projects on specific issues. Everyone is welcome to attend & learn about local human rights issues and find ways to get involved! Current working groups include:

For more information, meeting times and links, please contact Maddy McGrady at madeline@theglobalswitchboard.org

[ Donate] Coming soon

Calendar

Tuesday October 14, 6:00PM -Housing Rights Working Group meeting -Carnegie Library East Liberty, 130 S Whitfield St, Pittsburgh, PA 15206. Help us plan upcoming events. Learn about current initiatives of housing justice coalition partners. Learn about housing policy and where we can advocate for change. Contact working group chair Leeretta Payne for information via pghrights@riseup.net.

Thurs. November 13 (4:30-6:00PM) & Friday Nov. 14 (9:00AM-4:00PM)--Symposium: Race and Displacement in Pittsburgh:Commemorating the 10th Anniversary of the Penn Plaza & 70th Anniversary of Lower Hill Demolitions University of Pittsburgh, William Pitt Union Keynote speaker Prof. Edward Goetz, director of the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs U. of Minnesota, author of: New Deal Ruins: Race, Economic Justice and Public Housing Policy; Clearing the Way: Deconcentrating the Poor in Urban America The symposium will commemorate the 10th anniversary of the eviction of residents from the Penn Plaza Apartments in East Liberty and the 70th anniversary of the demolition of the Lower Hill and displacement of 8000 residents. Panels will present analyses and provide space for dialogues on the impacts of displacement on Pittsburgh residents and on policies that can prevent similar displacements going forward. The symposium will include space for exchanges among scholars, community activists, and policy makers about strategies for reducing housing insecurity and displacement in our region.


Save the date! Saturday March 28 is the 2026 Pittsburgh Housing Justice Summit!

Current Work

The Human Rights City Alliance helps build alliances among individuals and groups in our area supporting human rights for all. We support local engagement in national and international human rights advocacy, and participate in UN human rights reviews of U.S. policies.

Universal Periodic Review 2025

We are currently involved in the United Nations Universal Periodic Review of the U.S. government and will be hosting a series of related community forums. See our Reports to UN Human Rights Bodies, submitted as part of the global work to improve compliance with international human rights law.

Working Groups Our current working groups focus on the following issue areas, and they are shaped by efforts of volunteers like you!

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

Steel City Shared Equity Housing Association
Remembering Penn Plaza

Relevant Events & Actions

Immigrant Rights

HRCA partners with the Global Switchboard, Casa San Jose, and other organizations led by and supporting immigrants and immigrant rights. We also collaborate with advocates and experts in the National Human Rights Cities Alliance to uplift ways cities can organize locally to protect and strengthen immigrant rights.

Recent events & actions:

  • (January 29, 2025) How Cities Can Defend Human Rights in the Face of Mass Deportations, Hosted by the Human Rights Cities Alliance and Young Initiative on the Global Economy, Occidental College. Panelists: Mary Meg McCarty, National Immigrant Justice Center, Bettina Rodriguez Schlegel, Chief of Staff-Acacia Center for Justice, Ev Meade, Director, Proceso Pacifico & Human Rights Cities Alliance Steering Committee Webinar recording How Cities Can Defend Human Rights in the Face of Mass Deportations

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 (CERD) in 1994 and has thus legally agreed to comply with and implement its requirements.

Recent events & actions:

Policy, Legislation and Governance (PLuG): 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 and to create a City in which everyone can thrive. 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.

Relevant Events & Actions

  • (December 10 2024) International Human Rights Day Press Conference & Proclamation. The Human Rights City Alliance assisted in bringing together City leaders, residents, and community groups to commemorate the 76th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and to renew our shared commitment to using human rights as a path to building a just and equitable city in which everyone can thrive. The Mayor's office also issued and presented our proclamation recognizing Dec. 10 as International Human Rights Day in the City of Pittsburgh.

Relevant Documents

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.

Relevant Documents

Resources

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

Annual Reports

Past Events & Actions

Archive




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

All Pages

Retrieved from "http://wiki.pghrights.mayfirst.org/index.php?title=Pittsburgh_Human_Rights_City_Alliance&oldid=2625"