The Human Rights Video Project is a national library project created to increase the public's awareness of human rights issues through the medium of documentary films. To that end, we have curated a collection of 12 documentary films on human rights issues. The project also encourages collaborations between public libraries and human rights advocacy organizations to present film screenings and discussion programs. The project was developed by National Video Resources in partnership with the American Library Association Public Programs Office. Major funding provided by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Ford Foundation.

        

Doris Busch Boskey (L), Kadiatou Diallo and Iris Baez (R), featured in Every Mother's Son, by Tami Gold and Kelly Anderson

     

Every Mother's Son
This powerful documentary explores the involvement of the New York Police Department in the high profile slayings of three men, and the mothers working for their cases to be brought to justice. The circumstances surrounding the deaths of Anthony Baez, Amadou Diallo and Gideon Busch brought into question the conduct of police officers while on duty, and were hallmarks of a time in which many American cities adopted aggressive law enforcement strategies to fight crime.

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Complete list of films

Thematic Programing
The Human Rights Video Project provides resources for organizations that wish to create effective discussion programs around human rights issues through documentary film screenings. These five essays suggest how to use the Human Rights Video Collection to present programs on specific human rights issues.

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Women’s Rights

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Children’s Rights

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Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights

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Refugee Rights and Related Issues

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Arms, Conflict and International
Humanitarian Law

See Programing Resources for discussion group (list-serve), promotion guide, graphics and press.

 
Essays
• Introduction: Because We’re All Global Citizens Now
• Globalizing the Local: Towards a Global Understanding In Promoting Human Rights
• Talk About Talks: Facilitating Difficult Discussions
• Moving Pictures, Moving Mountains: Using Video in Advocacy Campaigns
• Sustaining the Public Sphere in Libraries
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