Next Friday, December 10, is International Human Rights Day, which was first observed by the United Nations in 1948. This year's theme is human rights defenders who act to end discrimination.
The occasion will be observed in St. Pete at Studio@620, which is sponsoring, in partnership with Eckerd College and the Tampa Bay Refugee Task Force, an exhibit of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) photo exhibit, "Invisible in the City: the lives of urban refugees," a series of black-and-white photographs taken by Zalmaï Ahad, a former Afghan refugee.The exhibit is on view at the Studio from Dec. 7-11, and a reception will be held there on Thurs. Dec. 9 from 4:30-6:30 p.m.
Hiram Ruiz, director of refugee services for the Florida Department of Children and Families, will speak at the event, as will local refugees who will share their resettlement experiences. The event is free to the public.
Following the reception, the award-winning documentary The Last Survivor will have its Florida premiere at Muvico Baywalk at 7 p.m. Released earlier this year, the film focuses on survivors of four different genocides and mass atrocities — the Holocaust, Rwanda, Darfur and Congo.
