Canadian Human Rights Museum
Did you know that in Canada, women were not considered persons, under the law, until 1929? That may seem like a long time ago, but my grandmother was in the first generation of Canadian women to be considered persons. Not so long ago after all.
Did you know that First Nations (native) Canadians were did not have the right to freely vote until 1960? They could vote prior to that, but were then required to relinquish all treaty rights. First of all, this was an unreasonable and unjust expectations. Second, treaty agreements were violated again and again (and still not fully honoured) by the Canadian goverment anyway. Third, 1960 is practically yesterday. We may have come a long way in a short time, but we have a long way to go.
I bring these examples up to demonstrate the realities of the human rights battle that are a part of our own, relatively progressive context. Looking at the global community, we discover that human rights have been (and continue to be) systematically violated. These are battles that must be at the forefront of our missional endeavours as Christian communities- simply as humans created in God’s image.
This is why I am excited about the The Canadian Human Rights Museum being built here in Winnipeg. The CHRM is dedicated to advancing understanding and support for human rights in Canada and throughout the world and will be a national and international destination – a centre of learning and history where people can engage in dialogue and commit to taking action to combat the forces of hate and oppression. Located in at The Forks in Winnipeg,the museum will be the largest human rights centre in the world, with a special focus on equipping and educating young people to become human rights leaders and advocates. Check out the website to find out more.
One way you can support this exciting venture is the Shine pin campaign. They recently launched “Shine” a commemorative “reach for the stars” pin in support of the Museum. The pin is a limited edition pin, intended to raise awareness and funds for the Museum and to promote the idea that everyone can be a human rights “star”. It is great, as it is not a pin at all, but a magnetic “pin”, strong enough to stay put, but without danger of being poked or damaging your clothes. Get it at the website here.
Check it out and get involved. While it won’t official open until 2010, it is worth getting involved with now.
