October 21, 2020

Edmonton-AB-​On Global Dignity Day, the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights launches a larger conversation about dignity in collaboration with the community in a new podcast titled, Dignity In a Pandemic.

The podcast theme is ‘no one left behind’. The discussions explore what dignity looks like for vulnerable members in our community and how it has been affected by the pandemic. Our team began gathering stories in March when the pandemic began to take hold of the world. Our first episode features Shima Aisha Robinson, a poet, community organizer, and activist. We talk about Camp Pekiwewin, which is led by Indigenous 2 Spirit women working in solidarity with Black and 2SLGBTQ communities.

Renee Vaugeois, Executive Director of John Humphrey Centre of Peace and Human Rights, adds, “I’m excited for others to hear the new podcast. The episodes uplift local voices with lived experience and name injustices we see during Covid-19 for a call to action. These are real people with tough realities, who imagine futures where human rights are upheld.”

#YEGdignity was first created by members of our Youth Action Project in 2015 where art was used to challenge perceptions of poverty. The campaign launched that year with the public painting of four murals looking at dignity and poverty. Five years later, the project has expanded to include a podcast to give voice to the vulnerable.

Each week over the next three months, JHC will share new episodes told with diverse Edmontonians. This effort is part of JHC’s commitment to building a Human Rights City, where all participate, belong and are included.

Click here to listen to the first in the series of podcasts.

The ​John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights works to advance a culture of peace and human rights through education and community building guided by the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

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