There is No Such Thing as a Lesser Person

By: Dr. Brad Klein, Associate Director, SMU Human Rights Program

 

December 9, 2024

 

December 10, 2024, marks 76 years since the horrors of the Holocaust compelled the global community to enshrine the promise of “Never Again” in a transformative document that shed light on a new vision for justice and peace. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) articulated, for the first time in history, 30 equal and inalienable rights that belong to all human beings. While the UDHR is not without its imperfections, it illuminated a path forward by affirming the fundamental truth that every person deserves to live a life with dignity.

Dr. Klein speaking with Human Rights program students.

This truth radiates across everything we do in the SMU Human Rights Program. Our mission is to educate a new generation of leaders who understand, promote, and defend human rights. Since our founding in 2006, we have extended a bold invitation to aspiring change-makers, advocates, and activists: if you want to learn how to build communities where all people can thrive, come to SMU. Over the past 18 years, thousands have answered this call by enrolling in our academic courses, joining our global immersion trips, and participating in our social impact initiatives.

 

Today, SMU is one of only nine universities in the United States (out of more than 5000) to offer an undergraduate degree in human rights. The hundreds of students currently being mentored as human rights majors and minors form a vibrant, diverse, and powerful community. Nearly 80% of them identify as women or nonbinary, more than 50% as students of color, and significant percentages as LGBTQ+, religious minorities, first-generation college students, or members of other underrepresented groups. Across their differences in background and belief, these students stand united in their shared commitment to advancing our guiding principle—” there is no such thing as a lesser person”—through groundbreaking research and meaningful action.

Program students on a global immersion trip.

 

Graduates of the SMU Human Rights Program are uniquely equipped to “do good and do well,” tackling critical problems with innovative solutions while pursuing fulfilling and impactful careers. Our alumni are changing the world as doctors, lawyers, artists, nonprofit leaders, government officials, scientists, engineers, counselors, ministers, researchers, and more. They have earned acceptance into top law and graduate programs and hold prominent roles in organizations such as the United Nations, the U.S. Department of State, the International Rescue Committee, Goldman Sachs, Human Rights Watch, and Google. In fact, the most common questions our alumni encounter in job interviews is: “Tell me about your human rights degree.”

Program students in the community.

  

This legacy of success has earned the SMU Human Rights Program recognition as one of the most influential forces for human rights education in the United States. At a time when inhumanity is again casting a shadow—when compassion is ridiculed, cruelty applauded, and civility ignored—our students are carrying forward the light that was ignited three-quarters of a century ago. They are the trailblazing leaders our world desperately needs: champions of fairness, models of integrity, and defenders of the vulnerable. Through creative, practical, and inclusive responses, they rise to meet the formidable challenges of the 21st century.

 

They are living proof that human rights education remains a beacon, guiding societies away from darkness.

Program students engaging in volunteer community initiatives.