Kerry Kennedy: Speak Truth to Power

Kerry Kennedy, author of Speak Truth to Power (www.lmc.edu)

"In a world where there is a common lament that there are no more heroes, too often cynicism and despair are perceived as evidence of the death of moral courage. That perception is wrong. People of great valor and heart, committed to noble purpose, with long records of personal sacrifice, walk among us in every country of the world." - Kerry Kennedy

Speak Truth to Power is a global community aimed at uniting these very people. These human rights defenders use chat, polls, on-line petitioning and letter writing campaigns, messaging, forums, interactive video and audio and other multimedia communities throughout the world to encourage public support for international human rights. Through the use of cultural, educational, and web-based programs, Speak Truth to Power seeks to create a more just and peaceful world by empowering individuals and communities to take up the defense of human rights. Using the speed and accessibility of the internet, and through the production of a book, play, exhibition, documentary, and album, they aim to "bring human rights issues to the general public in a way never before seen."

Speak Truth to Power has 5 goals:

1. To leverage the power and reach of the Internet to raise the level of human rights around the world.

2. To raise the individual level of awareness, personal identification, and sense of personal potential to affect human rights.

3. To inspire a dynamic, empowered, and expanding community dedicated to improving human rights.

4. To provide the infrastructure, resources, and tools required to enable community members to create powerful grass roots movements and achieve real change.

5. To provide a network through which already existing human rights organizations, activists, and educators, can communicate to one another, increasing the overall effectiveness and scope of human rights efforts.

Kek Galabru opposed the violence of the Cambodian People's Party (http://www.speaktruthtopower.org/)

The Speak Truth to Power book is a collection of interviews of fifty-one human rights defenders in forty different countries, all working against atrocities such as child soldiers, sex slavery, torture, honor killings, and repression of political rights. Each of these heroes persists in the face of imprisonment, torture, and death to fight for the cause to which they have dedicated their lives. These stories are a much-needed call to action to stop human rights violations. By spreading awareness and expanding the network of those who know and care about the atrocities that are occurring “may well stop a disappearance, cancel a torture session, or even, some day, save a life.”

Purchasing the book or making a donation enables Speak Truth to Power to continue raising awareness of human rights atrocities, and helps the next generation of human rights defenders get involved. “The more voices are raised in protest, the greater the likelihood of change.”