Sandy Shin is program coordinator at Breakthrough USA. Breakthrough is an international human rights organization that uses media, education and pop culture to promote values of dignity, equality and justice. It has two offices, one in NYC and one in New Delhi, India.
Sandy Shin has a Masters in Human Rights from Columbia University and an undergraduate degree in Women’s Studies and Sociology from the University of Albany. She was the Legal Advocate Project Director at the New York State Coalition Against Sexual Assault where she coordinated statewide trainings and provided constituents and the general public with services. Sandy has also been involved with community-driven social movements led by local activists employing anti-racism, anti-war ideologies.
Here's Sandy...
What is a human rights framework and how does Breakthrough follow through on this framework?
A human rights framework allows us to move beyond single issues and identities, and it encourages us to understand the interconnectedness of humanity. It gives individuals an opportunity to recognize each other as human beings entitled to rights, regardless of gender, race, wealth, educational history, political advantages, and so forth.
Using the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a conceptual framework, Breakthrough reaches out to young people and educates them about the importance of honoring universal human rights and encouraging civic engagement. Because of our belief in the effectiveness of pairing pop culture with digital media, we create educational and engaging tools, such as animations, pod casts, and music videos, that can be used to teach others about human rights.
With offices in India and the United States, Breakthrough encourages youth to build a culture of human rights through four avenues:
* Music, art, performance, television for social change.
* Our interactive website, www.breakthrough.tv, which is an educational and entertaining forum packed with ideas for action.
* Public forums and workshops.
* Multi-media educational materials.
What do you consider to be some common misperceptions of human rights?
Domestically, the concept of human rights is often confused with civil rights.
At its most basic form, human rights are inalienable and make up the daily fabric of our lives, of how we tend to live individually and as a community. The rights to life, food, shelter, freedom of expression, freedom from violence, religious freedom – these are all human rights to which we are all entitled.
Civil rights are those afforded to individuals by the government. Ideally and ironically, it's a system that was established to protect individuals from governmental intrusion.
What are some of Breakthrough's highlights from 2007? What does your organization have in store in '08?
Breakthrough USA's greatest highlight has been our immigration video game called, "ICED! I Can End Deportation." "ICED!" is a 3D, downloadable game that teaches players about the unjust nature of current immigration laws that affect legal permanent residents, asylum seekers, students and undocumented people.
"ICED!" debuted in the spring of 2007 at the Games for Change conference in NYC, and since then we've received an overwhelming amount of media attention, ranging from conservative to progressive media outlets.
We're officially launching "ICED!" in a few weeks, and we're hoping that it will be used as an educational tool and conversational starter, especially now that we're in election year and immigration reform has been a very prominent issue in everyone's minds.
What are some human rights issues you're hoping will get more attention in '08?
Breakthrough's two offices focus on issues that are most prevalent to the community in which we reside. For Breakthrough USA, immigrant rights and dismantling racism are our current campaigns, the former which has clearly been a hot topic for voters and candidates.
How did you make your way to human rights work?
Haha—I suppose one could say it was a life-long journey that started by being born a Woman of Color of Asian descent in a predominantly Black and Latino neighborhood in Brooklyn, raised by feisty parents who didn't know how to keep their mouths shut.
College and graduate school provided a decent foundation for theoretical conceptualization, but it was my professional and community commitments and relationships that provided me with invaluable experiences.
Honestly, I'm not sure how I could not do this work. Whether it was my own experiences with racism, sexism, and classism or witnessing such atrocities on the streets of NYC or in 11PM newscasts—I don't see how I could not care. People who do human rights work tend not to be able to explain it any other way except to say that we can't not do this work.
What advice do you have for readers who would like to make human rights a bigger part of their lives?
Unfortunately, it's easy to be blind or complacent, but it's important for human rights to become the universal lens for domestic and international approaches to humanity. I doubt there is anything I can recommend that wouldn't already repeat what others may suggest, except to say that embracing and engaging others in human rights can happen in small and large scales. Whether it's cutting a check or participating in a weekly protest, everyone must find their comfort level of activism participation.
Engagement can come in all forms, but to make human rights a bigger part of your life means the willingness to recognize issues that may be at odds with your daily routine, political beliefs, or perhaps the very core of who you are. You must be willing to force yourself to be uncomfortable, and explore what exists outside of your personal realm and not be okay with injustices and violations.
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I want to play the ICED! game, but when I go to icedgame.com, it redirects me to the article about the game. Does anyone know where I can download it?
And I will definitely bring up human rights in conversations with my friends.
Just wanted to share a link you might be interested in. Check out the most recent entry on elysesewell.livejournal.com
Elyse was on America's Next Top Model and writes here about being beat up by her now ex-boyfriend, Marty Crandall from The Shins.
I just became acquainted with Breakthrough in the last year but I have already come to really admire their work and approach to human rights. I'm really excited for the launch of ICED too. Great interview!
Wow, I really like her viewpoints and method of expression.
I would love to read her analysis of the hot topics of the day, including those that have devastated my family life.