The UN General Assembly adopted a Universal Declaration of Human Rights on Dec. 10, 1948, which recognized the equal and inalienable rights accorded to every human being. The newly formed Poets for Human Rights commemorates International Human Rights Day with an afternoon of spoken word at the Clearwater Main Library. Poets and organization co-founders Larry Jaffe and Stazja McFadyen appear for readings, along with Renee Duke, Venus Jones, Alicyn Lopez and Wayne Williams. Buddhist scholar and activist Dr. Frank Tedesco is the keynote speaker, and cellist Elyse Van Breemen provides a soothing soundtrack. All attendees receive a copy of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and local wordsmiths are invited to share rights-related poetry in a brief open mic segment. Sat., Dec. 10, 2 p.m., South Meeting Room, 100 N. Osceola Ave., Clearwater, 727-562-4970.
This article appears in Dec 7-13, 2005.