Driven by the needs and interests of its membership, the Network has focused much of its efforts on building organizational capacity and skills at the grassroots level. A series of ongoing national, regional web-based and teleconference trainings and workshops have targeted specific issues for in-depth exploration and education. In 2007 alone, we trained hundreds of activists on the fine points of the human rights framework; internal displacement related to hurricanes Katrina and Rita; indigenous and migrant rights; audio and video production and media access; gender identity and expression; the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) and other international human rights treaties; the United Nations system; and health as a human right. The Network has also provided direct financial assistance to dozens of members to attend human rights trainings sponsored by other organizations.

Using these and other resources, and with the help of the Coordinating Center at their disposal, our member organizations have been at the forefront of the ongoing fight for reconstruction and justice for the victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita; fought for accessible and affordable public transportation as a human right; taken up and reframed the “school to prison pipeline” as a human rights issue; championed the fundamental human rights of immigrant and migrant workers; held U.S. authorities accountable for human rights abuses under the Convention Against Torture, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; and most recently, collaborated on an extensive “shadow report” that contributed significantly to the U.N. review of U.S. performance under ICERD.

Understanding the importance of developing new generations of leadership grounded in the human rights framework, the USHRN has devoted a substantial amount of time and energy to a substantive youth initiative. Led by a student and youth steering committee, the initiative includes the day-long youth summit at the national conference, production of a student/youth organizing toolkit, and the Network’s Historically Black College and University (HBCU) organizing project.

Creating a free-flowing information pipeline for the membership has been a long-term goal of the Network, and 2007 saw tremendous improvement in the delivery of important news, organizational updates and other resources, primarily via our website and electronic newsletters. This has in turn raised the Network’s national profile as well as those of its members. The consolidation of thie base and the development of a cadre of trained human rights activists, from these communities will provide the foundation for an expanded effort to build a popular base of support across all sectors of US society.

Our future

The USHRN continues to grow at a remarkable rate. Plans for 2008 include adding new staff positions based at the Coordinating Center that will enable the Network to better serve the membership, and publication of the revised edition of the Network’s resourece guide, Something inside So Strong. Additional trainings are slated throughout the year on a variety of issues. And we’ll continue to follow up on the CERD effort, Guld Coast reconstruction and other projects that are both crucial and timely.

The USHRN has begun to achieve the critical mass that will further establish the organization as a key player in the burgeoning human rights movement in the U.S. Our outreach efforts and increased media exposure have had a ripple effect that will translate into additional opportunities to expose and correct human rights violations in the coming months. If you’re not already a part of the Network, we invite you to join us in the fight.