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Topics: Civil and political rights

Stories

What Is Two‐Spirit? Part One: Origins

By Scott de Groot

Discover the history and meaning of Two‐Spirit. The term speaks to community self‐determination, rejects colonial gender norms and celebrates Indigenous sexual and gender diversity.

A poster featuring large artwork depicting two faces in dramatic colours and patterns, with background imagery including hands, standing figures and geometric shapes. A large title at the top reads “The 10th Annual International Two Spirit Gathering” and text at the bottom reads “August 27-31, 1997. Onamia, Minnesota.”

Manitoba’s Mincome experiment

By Travis Tomchuk

A landmark study performed in Manitoba in the 1970s showed that guaranteed annual income could improve the lives of people in poverty.

Late 1960s-era photo of downtown Winnipeg showing the Eaton’s building decorated with many bright Christmas lights.

Star Trek and human rights

By Alana Conway and Murray Leeder

Star Trek has offered an intelligent, socially conscious approach to science fiction since it debuted in 1966. Current Star Trek series feature complex, nuanced perspectives on important human rights matters such as genocide, migrancy and refugees.

A humanoid alien stands next to a wall.

The chaotic story of the right to vote in Canada

By Matthew McRae

An illustration of people in line waiting to vote. The man in front places his ballot in the box on the table.

Face the music: Canadian musicians and human rights

By Julia Peristerakis

Music is a universal language that transcends geographic and cultural barriers. Music moves us in a way that words alone cannot. But it can do much more than evoke emotion.

Two women and a man stand on a stage while a group of people in white shirts stand on risers behind them. The woman in the centre is waving to someone off-camera, and the man on the right is holding a microphone.

The Sharpeville Massacre

By Matthew McRae

Discover how the South African government’s murderous response to peaceful protest inspired local and international action against apartheid.

People stand in front of a row of coffins.

Fighting for a vision of a free and democratic Russia

Explore the motivation, inspiration and hope that sustain Kara-Murza’s courageous fight for human rights and democracy in Russia.

Des roses rouges et blanches fanées dans un vase. En arrière-plan, on voit la cathédrale Saint-Basile sur la place Rouge, à Moscou, avec ses multiples coupoles et dômes, qui rappellent un feu de camp montant vers le ciel.

The story of Nelson Mandela

By Matthew McRae

Mandela spent 27 years in prison for opposing South Africa’s apartheid system. He refused to give up his efforts to achieve equality for all people.

Un homme et une femme levant le poing en signe de victoire, suivis d’une grande foule.

Making Mandela: Struggle for Freedom

By Matthew McRae

A man and a woman sit in chairs facing each other. There is a microphone on a stand positioned between them. There are also large lights on both sides of the woman’s chair, which are pointed towards the man.

Four fundamental freedoms

By Jeremy Maron

In his January 1941 State of the Union address, American President Franklin D. Roosevelt articulated four fundamental freedoms that everyone in the world ought to be able to enjoy – freedom of speech, freedom of belief, freedom from fear and freedom from want.

A book on display. The cover reads: The Pocket Poets Series. Howl and Other Poems. Allen Ginsberg. Introduction by William Carlos Williams. Number Four.

Resource guides

Talking to Kids about the Israeli‐Palestinian Conflict

In this guide you will find links to resources that can help when talking with children and youth about the current and ongoing Israeli‐Palestinian conflict.

The covers of seven books in English and in French.

Wrongful convictions and systemic racism

In this guide, you will find links to resources related to wrongful convictions and the impact of systemic racism and discrimination on the justice systems in settler colonial contexts such as Canada, the United States and other countries around the world.

An simple illustration of a white hummingbird picking the lock of a door and opening it. The door is in a row of doors.

Technology and surveillance

Learn more about technology and human rights in our resource guide. Discover journalist Megha Rajagopalan’s coverage of state surveillance in China and explore resources about privacy, security and human rights.

Three surveillance cameras on the corner of a building

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