Two pillars stand strong amidst a storm of oppression, remaining steadfast in the fight for human rights in the Americas. Promotion and protection: the two founding and guiding principles of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, or IACHR. This organization lies within the Organization of American States (OAS) and primarily focuses on making each individual citizen aware of their rights. The Commission cooperates with states to improve the quality of human rights, and has a sense of diplomatic urgency and power once they become involved in situations, such as the civil unrest in Chile, January 2020. 

The University of Oklahoma’s Center for Brazil Studies, co-directed by professor Michelle Morais de Sa e Silva, hosted a Webinar featuring guest speaker George Lima. Lima serves as a Human Rights Officer for IACHR and has spent over nine years working to preserve human rights within the Americas, three of those with the Commission. Through an oral presentation and Q & A session, Lima effectively informed me, along with several other peers, of the IACHR’s focus, mission and intentionality behind promoting and protecting human rights for all. 

As a white, middle-class 19-year-old, it is an understatement to say I live a sheltered life. I grew up in a bubble. Being here now for the past three months at the University of Oklahoma has greatly shifted my perspective and outlook on life. Many of my stressors as a high school student now appear trivial, comparing them to the challenges faced during adulthood and even more so, the world and communities beyond me where individuals aren’t guaranteed a comfortable life. To think basic human rights aren’t a given, aren’t a baseline is a concept quite foreign to me. The information presented, hearing about Lima’s most recent trip to Chile where he visited Chileans whose eyes had been shot out by rubber bullets for protesting during a time of social unrest in the country, shocked me. Once the shock dissipated, I realized I have barely embarked on the path to becoming a global citizen. While attending events such as this webinar and being a part of GEF is a great start, Lima made it very clear why being an informed and engaged global citizen is so important. It is not just his job or the IACHR to promote and protect the sanctity of human rights; it is also every single citizen’s job to promote and protect.