by Amanda Ong

This Friday is Human Rights Day — the international celebration of the United Nations General Assembly’s proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on Dec. 10, 1948. The declaration has been recognized as the first international delineation of standards for the protection of fundamental human rights, including freedom, justice, equity, education, and standard of living. It has since been foundational to more than 70 human rights treaties and is the most translated declaration in the world, having been translated into over 500 languages. 

But not only do few of us celebrate this date, but many of us have also never read or really considered the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. These kinds of charters and declarations might make human rights feel academic and abstract, but really “human rights” reflect simple values that we can, and should, live every day.