TAMPA, FLORIDA - MARCH 16, 2010 – Every 5 seconds during the school day, a Black public school student is suspended. In Cuba, 5,000 citizens were sentenced to prison for nothing more than the concept of "dangerousness," without being charged with any specific crime. Every day 270 children in the United States alone become victims of human trafficking. Every hour 1,400 children across the world die of starvation and preventable diseases. What do these statistics have in common? They are violations of basic rights, whether the cause is to eliminate racial discrimination, free Cuba or just plain educate people about their human rights.

Violations of basic human rights is what unites groups with different, but similar purposes, such as those who came together to walk and speak out for human rights. Dustin McGahee of Youth for Human Rights Florida, Femi Kennedy of Abel’s Community Services and Lianet Vazquez of the USF Cuban American Student Association united with the common purpose of the United Nations 2010 theme of “Embrace Diversity – End Discrimination”.

Abel’s Community Services, Inc. is a nonprofit, organization dedicated to positively supporting individuals throughout Tampa, Florida, with the mission to reduce violence by teaching the Dr. Martin Luther King's nonviolence principles and to eliminate recidivism of ex-offenders by providing comprehensive services that effectively change their perception of life's potential. Kennedy is inspired by the many words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. such as, “ A right delayed is a right denied." For more information go to: www.abelscommunityservices.org

Cuban American Student Association mission is to unite students around a cause of a free Cuba and disseminate information related to the human rights situation in Cuba as it still outlaws peaceful advocacy for human rights. The country is known for targeting for persecution human rights defenders, democracy activists, independent journalists and scholars such as Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet, Cuban physician, who has been imprisoned since 2003, for his work for democracy and freedom.

Youth for Human Rights Florida is a secular organization that educates about The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, both in and out of the classroom. This declaration was written in 1948 as a solution to World War II, and was designed to be taught in schools across the world, but 61 years later it is still not a part of most schools curriculum. McGahee became involved in educating others of their human rights as he is inspired to action by the words of humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard, “Human rights must be made a fact, not an idealistic dream.” For more information go to: www.youthforhumanrights.org

Working for the same cause of human rights these groups hope to change those statistics that still represent inequality and intolerance in the world.

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