Subject
title
Proclamation Declaring December 10, 2025, as Human Rights Day in Rockville, Maryland
end
Department
CMO - Public Information and Community Engagement
Recommendation
Staff recommends the Mayor and Council read, approve, and present to the Co-Chairs of the Human Rights Commission, Rebecca Murphy, Gabrielle Zwi, and the other Commissioners.
Discussion
December 10, 2025, is the annual observance of Human Rights Day, commemorating the day in 1948 when the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Declaration was the first global enunciation of human rights and one of the United Nations' early significant achievements. The United Nations Prize in Human Rights and the Nobel Peace Prize awards are traditionally made on Human Rights Day.
The year 2025 marks the 77th anniversary of the commemoration of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and this year’s Human Rights theme is “Holocaust Remembrance for Dignity and Human Rights.”
In the City of Rockville, the Human Rights Commission is tasked with supporting and promoting human rights in our community. The Human Rights Commission fulfills these responsibilities by sponsoring programs and celebrations (e.g., the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration and Rockville Pride). The Commission also hosts educational forums on human rights issues, holds diversity and inclusion training for high school and Montgomery College students, sponsors a multimedia contest for high school students on the topic of human rights, and conducts voter registration drives.
Mayor and Council History
The Mayor and Council present this proclamation annually.