Three Decades and Counting

The Athens Human Rights Fest Soldiers On

originally published April 30, 2008

“A Short History - 1979–83,” reads one of the reprinted headlines in the ubiquitous newspaper-program for this year’s Athens Human Rights Festival, taking place Saturday and Sunday, May 3 and 4, in downtown Athens. The article, by early-days organizer Michael Collins, is one of many program excerpts from the ’80s and ’90s reproduced in the paper, all of which are complemented by an extensive history found at the festival’s website, www.athenshumanrightsfest.org. A somewhat ever-shifting cadre of organizers and activists over the years has meant a strong sense of tradition for the festival, even if infusions of new blood are common.

Relative newcomer Sue Cullen has been volunteering with the festival for the past five years, and says there’s been an effort this year among its organizers to branch out to sectors of the community not necessarily fully reached in recent years. “As always,” she says, “our focus is to get the word out to a lot of people who aren’t aware of organizations working on human rights.”

One example of such community outreach is the local Latino population; in that regard, Terry Salguero of Athens community center Casa de Amistad speaks on Sunday afternoon. Also, the musical act that kicks off Sunday’s activities is local group The Fact, a Spanish-language punk band which, Cullen says, brought out an impressive crowd at the Human Rights Festival’s annual battle of the bands at Tasty World earlier this year.

Another expansion this year, as compared to recent years’ fests: participation from UGA students. Students involved with various campus groups, including The Red & Black and new progressive student paper StandUP, make up a bigger portion of this year’s schedule than has lately been the case. In truth, though, a greater student-body presence may function simply as a return to the festival’s roots: its first incarnation in 1970 arose from student-led organizing in the wake of the shootings of students at Kent State University in Ohio and at Jackson State College in Mississippi. The latter event was witnessed by Dr. Gene Young, who is the featured speaker at this year’s Human Rights Fest. Young joins many familiar Athens names in the program, both among speakers and among musical acts - and it’s worth noting that for this milestone 30th festival, Athens musicians have apparently pitched in vigorously. At the top of the musical list is peerless local songwriter Vic Chesnutt, who’s scheduled to play at 10:15 p.m. on Saturday. All festival events take place outdoors on College Square.

Ben Emanuel

Saturday, May 3

Youth Program:

10:00 a.m. Athens Montessori Singers

10:45 a.m. Worldwide Education of Children - Warren McPherson

11:00 a.m. Girls with Guitars

11:50 a.m. Dancing Flowers for Peace

12:15 p.m. Athens-Oconee CASA

12:30 p.m. Rites of Passage

Voting-Age Program:

1:00 p.m. Festival Welcome; Just Equal

1:30 p.m. The Squallz

2:00 p.m. Invisible Children United; Teen Matters, Clarke Central High School

2:15 p.m. Tacit (Battle of the Bands Teen Category Winner)

2:45 p.m. Amnesty International; Citizen Advocacy, Festival Charity Beneficiary

3:00 p.m. Goodbye Donovan

3:30 p.m. UGA HEROs; Xavier Kim, Depleted Uranium Activist

3:45 p.m. Art Rosenbaum

4:15 p.m. Jim Barksdale, Businessman for Peace; Living Wage Athens

4:30 p.m. Fleeta Mitchell

5:00 p.m. UGA Habitat for Humanity; UGA Green Party

5:15 p.m. The Suex Effect

5:45 p.m. Open Mic

6:00 p.m. Jackpot City

6:30 p.m. Millard Farmer, Activist Attorney; Prof. Eugene Wilkes, UGA Law School

6:45 p.m. Kite to the Moon

7:15 p.m. Featured Speaker: Dr. Gene Young

7:45 p.m. Breathlanes

8:15 p.m. Athens Justice Project; Athens FAQ

8:30 p.m. Michael Guthrie Band

9:00 p.m. Common Ground; G.L.O.B.E.S.

9:15 p.m. Diva Experience

9:45 p.m. Project SAFE; UGA NORML

10:15 p.m. Vic Chesnutt

Sunday, May 4

1:00 p.m. The Fact

2:00 p.m. Gabriela Mejias

2:30 p.m. Featured Speaker: Dr. Gene Young

2:45 p.m. Jimmy Parr & Michael Crowe (Battle of the Bands Adult Category Winner)

3:15 p.m. Denise Grier, ticketed for anti-Bush bumpersticker; Women in Black

3:30 p.m. Incatepec

4:00 p.m. Casa de Amistad; Jubilee Partners

4:15 p.m. Paul Lombard

4:45 p.m. Open Mic

5:00 p.m. Tommy Jordan & String Theory

5:30 p.m. Planned Parenthood; UGA StandUP newspaper

6:00 p.m. Sursie

6:30 p.m. Immigration Issues - Janice Pulliam; Moore‘s Ford Committee

6:45 p.m. Squat/Grogus

7:15 p.m. Tamara Best, writer, The Red & Black; Janice Mathis, Operation PUSH/Rainbow Coalition

7:30 p.m. Music Hates You

8:00 p.m. Ed Tant, Athens Banner-Herald columnist and festival volunteer

8:15 p.m. Dubconscious