PHA-Exchange> PHM in National Truth Commission in USA

[Jennifer Cox]

REPORT FROM THE NATIONAL TRUTH COMMISSION
On July 15 and 16, 2006, the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights 
Campaign (PPEHRC) made history in Cleveland, Ohio by holding the first 
National Truth Commission on Poverty in the United States of America. 
The National Truth Commission was held in Lincoln Park, in Cleveland’s 
Tremont neighborhood. Years in the planning and modeled after similar 
commissions in Africa and Latin America, the National Truth Commission 
brought people from all across the U.S. and the world to bring to light 
the actual suffering and economic human rights violations that many 
Americans endure on a daily basis. Nearly 500 people came to listen and 
be heard over the course of the weekend. 

Social movement leaders from all over the nation and world converged on Cleveland to hear testimony and serve as Truth Commissioners. These included Dr. Arjun Sengupta, Independent Expert on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights for the High Commission on Human Rights of the United 
Nations and a member of Indian Parliament; Dr. Hani Serag, the incoming Coordinator of the Global Secretariate of the PHM; Nora Morales de Cortinas, one of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo from Argentina; and Peter Weiss from the Center for Constitutional Rights in New York. They and the other commissioners will convene before the end of the week to strategize appropriate responses to all the gripping testimony they heard. In their closing comments, all of the commissioners stated how touched they were by the testimonies and committed to documenting all that they had heard and learned. People from communities across the U.S. presented testimony detailing economic human rights violations that they have experienced. Testimony 
was presented in six broad categories, or panels, including: 

•Right to Health Care Panel 
•Living Wage Struggles Panel 
•Right to Housing Panel 
•Right to Water and Basic Utilities Panel 
•Right to Education Panel 
•Unjust Child Removal Panel

Each panel featured individuals who were adversely affected by the 
policies of this administration. Union representatives from UNITE-HERE 
spoke alongside the unemployed about the right to a living wage. Donn 
Teske from the Kansas Farmers Union talked about the experiences of 
small farming families struggling against big corporate agriculture. 
Lori Smith from Nashville, Tennessee spoke about being dropped from her 
health insurance plan after being diagnosed with Lupus and Multiple 
Sclerosis. Mailon Ellison from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania testified 
about his struggles trying to make a home for himself and his family 
while continuing to battle to remain sober. DawnMarie Fucile from 
Cleveland, Ohio told us about how her child was taken away from her 
simply because she is deaf and poor. Maureen Taylor from Detroit, 
Michigan testified about massive water shut offs in Detroit. Two young 
men from New Orleans spoke eloquently about the realities they face in 
what was once their hometown. J.R. from Chicago’s Cabrini Green Housing 
Projects described the position held by Chicago housing officials that 
the best way to deal with Chicago’s poor residents is to forcibly evict 
them.   

The individuals who testified at the National Truth Commission spoke 
the 
truth about what is really happening to people in communities all 
across 
the United States. And each of the individuals offering testimony 
played an important role in helping the Truth Commissioners understand 
the difficulties of their plight and all of the obstacles they face. 
Later this year the PPEHRC plans to release a publication featuring the 
testimonies, as well as the findings from the National Truth 
Commission. 


The National Truth Commission was also unique in that it provided an 
important forum for artists and musicians to discuss their work trying 
to shine a light on economic human rights violations and tell the world 
about poverty in America. Hurricane Katrina survivors, performers from 
the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign, and other cultural 
workers discussed strategies to use arts and culture in the movement to 
end poverty. These deep and powerful messages, incorporated into art, 
music, theatre and dance, remind us that we are not alone. The soulful 
songs and amazing performances at the Truth Commission inspired and 
united us. The poetry of Ernie Perez and other artists from Rock-a-Mole 
remind us all of the importance of creativity when addressing the 
difficult issues surrounding poverty. 

The Truth Commission was an enormous success. The testimonies of the 
brave individuals exposed the numerous human rights violations that 
many in the United States face. We cried together and got angry together as we created a space to tell the truth and inspire one another from our struggles.   

Given this huge success, it is important for each individual who 
attended or read about the National Truth Commission to spread the word 
in their own communities. Take the time to speak to your neighbors and 
friends about what you know to be the reality of poverty in America. 
Prepare yourself to read the findings of the Truth Commissioners and to 
take action in your community. We can not do this alone and are hopeful 
that individuals like you will continue to support us and join us as we 
fight for all of our economic human rights. 

More information about the PPEHRC and the National Truth Commission, 
including photos, videos, and transcripts, can be found at 
www.economichumanrights.org. 

 			
---------------------------------
See the all-new, redesigned Yahoo.com.  Check it out.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://phm.phmovement.org/pipermail/phm-exchange-phmovement.org/attachments/20060724/65dd22fe/attachment-0001.html>