FAQs

Q: What is the mission of Eleanor Lives!?

A: The mission of Eleanor Lives! is to celebrate and further the legacy of Eleanor Roosevelt, and others, for an International Bill of Rights, enforceable in the courts of all countries”.

Q: How does Eleanor Lives! carry out its mission?  

A: Eleanor Lives! brings people, nonprofits, businesses and governments together to draft an International Bill of Rights,humanity’s social contract, the rules for those who govern, enforceable in all countries.

Q: What program does Eleanor Lives! have to carry out its mission?  

A: Eleanor Lives!, like Eleanor herself, works on “a plan for humanity” To prepare this plan, Eleanor Lives! uses a “Drafting Through Dialogue” process through which “Drafters”, anyone who would like to suggest wording to add, or to  remove, from the draft International Bill of Rights, are encouraged to do so by putting their comments on the Eleanor Lives! website. Every suggestion is responded to, also on the website. In this way, the development of the document, including a new booklet Version each year, printed and digital, is completly transparent.

Q: Who should participate in the drafting of the International Bill of Rights? 

All comments are given equal weight. It is the weight of comment, not the position of the person, nonprofit, business or government, that matters. Beauty is the standard of review, not what is acceptable to present leaders or governments. Every Drafter is asked to approach their writing from the same perspective: A Drafter should intentially remove their bias towards their particular country, and dispatch with thinking about what one country might or might not accept. To achieve this, the Drafting through Dialougue process applies a “Veil of Ignorance” originated by the insightful philosopher, John Rawls. That is, every Drafter must consider the best International Bill of Rights possible, assuming that, after the Bill of Rights is drafted and implemented, they may emerge in any country, at any income level and position.

Q: What educational program does Eleanor Lives! have to carry out its mission?  

“Educational Curriculum” including lesson plans, articles, books, music and movies, teach all of humanity, particularly students of all ages in all countries, about the legacy of Eleanor Roosevelt. 

Q: How will the International Bill of Rights be implemented?

This “Drafting Through Dialogue” process will lead to the International Bill of Rights on the website being submitted to the Human Rights Council, the International Law Commission, and the United Nations General Assembly, so that an International Bill of Rights, including a system of Regional Courts and an International Court of Human Rights, can be in operation by the year 2048, the 100th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Q: How Can I Donate to Support the Work of Eleanor Lives?

A: You can click on the DONATE button to easily make a donation by credit card:

If you would like to include Eleanor Lives! in your will so she does indeed live on, call our CEO, Kirk Boyd, at   415 690 – 6687.

Eleanor Lives is a 501(C)(3) organization and all donations are fully tax deductable. A letter is sent for every donation made so that the funder has proof of a tax deductible contribution.

Q: What is the ultimate goal of Eleanor Lives?

A: Following the plan of Eleanor, Rene Cassin, John Humphrey and others, humanity is emerging from warring nation states to peace and prosperity within an international community built upon an International Bill of Rights. Given people as they are, Eleanor Lives! revives and furthers the work since the end of WWII so that this transition can take place. Eleanor Lives!(EL) does not change the world. EL facilitates the change that the world is making away from warring nation states to an international community. Nation states do not go away, nor should they.  People and businesses will thrive within those nations, embracing diversity, but ensuring some fundamental rights for all, regardless of country, and that authoritarians can never remove those rights.

Q. Isn’t it better to spend time and resources to help people with immediate needs such as giving a starving person something to eat, or a child the medicine they need?

A. Yes, it is better! However, the immediate and the long term are not mutually exclusive. There is a good story that highlights this answer:

• There was a town by a river and one day bodies started floating down the river, some injured and many of them dead. The people in the town were caring and immediately started pulling bodies out of the water. The bodies kept coming so they started building facilities by the river so they could help more people effectively. One day, as a young woman was helping others to pull a body out of the water, she looked up and said “we should continue to pull these bodies out of the water, but shouldn’t somebody go take a look upstream.”

Eleanor Lives is for the millions internationally who are ready to go upstream. EL only seeks 1% of individuals, organizations and businesses to participate in the Drafting Through Dialogue” process – those who have the imagination and courage to go upstream. Eleanor Lives! supports 99% of all energy and money to going to immediate needs to get the bodies out of the river of violence, discrimination and war, and to have 1% go for the trek upstream to implement an International Bill of Rights which will dramatically reduce the flow of bodies downstream.

Thank you for taking the trek with us.