Every five seconds during the school day, an African American public school student is suspended. In Cuba, 5,000 citizens were sentenced to prison for nothing more than the concept of "dangerousness," without being charged with any specific crime. More than 5.7 million students have been involved in bullying in American schools, with the bullies being four times more likely to be convicted of a crime by age 24. Regardless of the statistic, the violation of human rights is the message from Dustin McGahee of Youth for Human Rights Florida, Femi Kennedy of Abel’s Community Services, and Lianet Vazquez of the USF Cuban American Student Association.
United with the common purpose of tolerance and peace, and the United Nations 2010 theme of “Embrace Diversity—End Discrimination,” these youth have a message for all youth. It is the youth of today who are the voices that that speak for those targeted because of racial discrimination. It is the youth of today who are the voices who speak out for those imprisoned where there is no freedom of speech. And it is the youth of today who are the voices to say it is not okay to bully another, as we are all born free and with equal rights.
Abel’s Community Services, Inc. is a nonprofit organization dedicated to positively supporting individuals throughout Tampa Bay, Florida, with the message to reduce violence by teaching Dr. Martin Luther King's nonviolence principles for civil rights and to eliminate recidivism of ex-offenders by providing comprehensive services that effectively change their perception of life's potential. For more information go to: www.abelscommunityservices.org.
The Cuban American Student Association of USF has the mesage to unite students around a cause of a free Cuba and disseminate information related to the human rights situation in Cuba, as it still outlaws peaceful advocacy for human rights.
Youth for Human Rights Florida is a non-profit secular organization that educates about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, both in and out of the classroom, with youth friendly DVDs and educational booklets. For more information go to: www.youthforhumanrights.org.