Perhaps you wonder why we choose to read the Declaration, seated in circles, in the relatively intimate setting of International House. To quote Eleanor Roosevelt in 1948: “Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home, - so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighborhood he lives in; the school or college he attends; the factory, farm or office where he works. Such are the places where every man, woman, and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world.”

Participants and audience are invited to gather at International House rom 2-4 p.m. on Sunday, December 7, 2025. Everyone present will receive a copy of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a gift from UNA Davis.

There will be refreshments after the formal part of the program. The event is free, but donations to the chapter to help defray costs will be gratefully accepted.