Eleanor Lives! is about keeping the legacy of Eleanor Roosevelt alive! She is one of the great leaders in the history of humanity. When her husband, President Franklin Roosevelt, died, Eleanor said “great leaders can show the way, but others must come along and do the building.” This quote applies equally to her: Eleanor Lives! is for those of us who want to follow her lead and do the building. Eleanor explained: ““that nothing of what has happened to me, or to anyone, has value unless it is a preparation for what lies ahead.”
Her work on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) 
has value for what lies ahead for human beings and life on Earth. The UDHR is a plan for human rights to become enforceable in the courts all countries. There is much yet to do, but the plan is unfolding. Eleanor Lives! takes the list of rights in the UDHR, along with new rights that belong on the list like the environment, and makes them legally enforceable through an International Bill of Rights, with Regional Courts, and an International Court of Human Rights, so that the rights in the UDHR become genuine for all, no longer only an aspirational statement.
Making rights enforceable in the courts of all countries may seem difficult, and it is, but it’s time. Eleanor was a champion of a World Court after World War I, and then again pushed for enforceable rights after WWII. She saw that leaders of all nations need to heed the rights of all people. Despots must be restrained by courts before they become too strong to stop. The invasion in Ukraine is a good example, and it’s not alone. Authoritarianism is increasing internationally. It’s time to act before humanity deteriorates into police states or WWIII results. As she said, “We will all go ahead together, or we will all go down together.” Eleanor saw enough of war first hand to know this is true – she visited every military hospital in the South Seas during WWII.
Following her lead, we have the means to connect and write the rules who govern, then put those rules in the hands of impartial people, Judges, to enforce them. Together we can do this. The timing is right. December 10, 2023 is the 75th anniversary of the UDHR. Too often anniversary celebrations are last minute affairs that look back, mostly reminising. Eleanor Lives! does not want this to happen for the 75th: the goal is to look back and also act to carry her plan forward. Too this end, Eleanor Lives! is facilitating a celebration/reaffirmation of the UDHR during the two years prior to the 75th anniversary, from December 10, 2021 to December 10, 2023, and then helping to arrange multiple events internationally to celebrate on the day of the anniversary.
During this time, Eleanor Lives! will work with individuals, nonprofits and businesses who want to continue her legacy and support the UDHR. There is a spinning globe on the homepage of the Eleanor Lives! Whenever a person, nonprofit or for-profit business enters their name and country, a light ignites on the globe wherever they are: white for an individual; green for a nonprofit and blue for a for-profit business. It’s no longer enough for people to sing about rights, or even just to vote, a movement for rights is needed to transfer the energy of singing, acting, writing, caring, into law – not something we talk about, but something we have, our deal with those who govern. Rights are not given us; they are a demand we make, and put into writing to enforce in courts with impartial Judges.
When combined with others, your small act of becoming a “Light for Rights” on the Eleanor Lives! website will breath life into her legacy. It is one of the most powerful things you will do in your life. Some things, like the UDHR, can only be achieved through a collaborative effort. The goal is to have 100,000 people, nonprofits and businesses become lights on the globe by the 75th anniversary on December 10, 2023. With that achievement, the goal will become 1% of people, nonprofits and businesses.
Once 1% has been achieved, there will be a movement with sufficient strength to then ask/demand that an International Bill of Rights be drafted and implemented as a treaty for governments internationally. The draft International Bill of Rights on the Eleanor Lives! website can serve as a starting point. This is the realization of Article 28 in the UDHR which invisions that future documents will be created to make the rights in the UDHR legally enforceable in the courts of all countries.
Again, Eleanor guides us: “You cannot live for yourselves alone. You depend on the rest of the world and the rest of the world depends on you.” Acting together we can do something grander than any of us can do individually, whatever our wealth or position, and create an international communuity at peace instead of war.
Welcome. Bring others. She told us “we must do the thing we think we cannot do.” Let’s follow in her footsteps to a world of well-being for all, including other species and life with which we share our planet, Earth.
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