Staff Writer
AMHERST — Human Rights Day, the commemoration of the United Nations adopting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, will be marked in Amherst next month, as the local chapter of Amnesty International honors the service of the late Martha Spiegelman, its leader for the past decade until her death Nov. 10.
The Human Rights Day program is set to take place at the Jones Library’s Woodbury Room on Dec. 9 from 1:30 to 3 p.m.
Spiegelman, who died from pancreatic cancer at the Hospice of the Fisher Home, will be recognized for overseeing Amherst Chapter 128 and her many activist pursuits, including marches and protests for gun control and for peaceful solutions to war, weekly tabling for Amnesty International, sponsoring letter-writing to prisoners of conscience, and financial support of organizations such as the Media Education Foundation.
A native of New York City, Spiegelman began her career teaching chemistry and biology, last employed at Smith College.
With her husband, Irwin, Spiegelman founded the Thomas Paine Friends group that sponsored regular events calling attention to injustices and human rights issues, emanating from the spirit of Paine’s works.
Amnesty International’s Amherst Chapter 128 was founded in 1978 by two Amherst College seniors before the reins were handed to Professor George Greenstein. Then, a small group convened at the Bangs Community Center on the first Monday of every month. The group’s first case was Indonesian labor leader Abdul Rachman, followed by the case of Zhang Jingzheng, a dissenter in China. Other early cases included actions from Central America and Eastern Europe.
The chapter still organizes several events in which the public takes part, including the annual Human Rights Day program, at least one “Write-for-Rights” activity every year, a torture awareness demonstration in June and the Human Rights Art Exhibit at the Jones Library, showcasing pieces done by Amherst Regional Middle School students inspired by the 30 articles of the Declaration of Human Rights.
That exhibit will be on display in the Jones throughout December. Students and teachers involved in the creation of the exhibit will make short presentations at the Human Rights Day event.
Martha Spiegelman speaking with author and human rights professor Joseph Wronka
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