We Can Be the ‘Nelson Mandelas’ of Today, And Stand Together for Freedom and Justice
The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author.
Another Fourth of July has come and gone, and it is an incredibly opportune time for reflection, not only about our own country, but the entire world around us.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”
The immortal declaration that was penned by Thomas Jefferson in 1776 which became the foundation of the U.S. Declaration of Independence has extra special meaning today.
If you were to read these powerful words out loud, you would feel the inspiration. Yet, what you would hear is a stark contrast of the social injustice our forefathers built our country upon–unity while segregating.
While our forefathers believed “all men to be created equal”, they left out women, a fact that has been the subject of heated debate for many years, and has still not been amended in today’s version (and reading) of the Declaration of Independence.
But this article isn’t about arguing for its change (that’s evident in itself), but rather an open invitation for us all to wake up each day and make a difference, uniting in the most important battle of our time.
It is July 2020. And our world is ass backwards. Our country is more than divided. It’s broken, weakened by a global pandemic, social injustice, racial inequality, and gender discrimination that has been encouraged and supported by our world’s leaders and state actors.
Our country, in fact our planet–needs help and it’s time we hold those who violate our most holy of values accountable. And our world’s leaders who are supposed to protect its people are in fact oppressing and hurting them. And in the words penned into parchment by Thomas Jefferson, when any government becomes too powerful or corrupt, it is the peoples’ responsibility to overthrow and remove those from the seats of abused power.
It is why the time is now to step up and immerse ourselves in social justice. It is also time that those with extensive and powerful networks help make our world brighter and less hateful.
With figures ranging from Tyler Perry and Michelle Obama to Bill Gates and Gary Vaynerchuk using their voices for good across social media, giving of their time and reaching deep into their pockets to donate to other organizations that stand for equality, love, and the betterment of our planet, it’s time for the rest of us to step up.
Because you know what? We can all be the Nelson Mandelas of today’s world.
Meet the Social Justice League
I chose to highlight some key activists who have been leading the change in fighting for justice for all and the betterment of our planet for decades:
Take Irwin Colter, for example. A Canadian international legal scholar, parliamentarian, and former attorney general and Minister of Justice of Canada. Colter founded the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights.
Born in Montreal, Colter is one of the most vocal international proponents of the responsibility to protect doctrine for the prevention of genocide. Oh, and he also worked to bring Nazi war criminals to justice. And he was the Chair of the search for the whereabouts of Raoul Wallenberg. And the list goes on.
But what we all can take away from Colter’s massive portfolio of social justice work, is he has talked the talk, and walked the walk.
In 2000, he was appointed special advisor to the International Criminal Court. As an international human rights lawyer, Colter has first-hand experience bringing change to the world, having represented Nelson Mandela, Jacobo Timerman, Saad Eddin Ibrahim, and Natan Sharansky among many others. He currently represents Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, Venezuelan political prisoner Leopoldo Lopez and Iranian cleric Ayatollah Boroujerdi, among others.
And that’s where Canadian entrepreneur, visionary, and trained lawyer Jay Rosenzweig comes in. Rosenzweig found a life-changing mentor in Colter, and used his own passion for law over the years to become a leader in executive fulfillment, talent strategy, and fight for women’s equality.
Cotler and Rosenzweig recently joined up with Jason Flom, founding board member of the Innocence Project, on the Jens Söring case. Jens’ story is a tragic one, a story of an innocent man locked up in prison for 33 years for a crime he did not commit. We are relieved to report that Jens was finally granted parole, and is now a free man. Another example of the importance of cross collaboration to fight injustice.
Rosenzweig & Company’s annual Rosenzweig Report releases data on women in the upper echelons of the Canadian corporate world, while simultaneously taking into account gender disparities in the workplace globally, and the cause of women’s rights generally.
Rosenzweig serves as an active board member on Cotler’s Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights.
“We are representing the Nelson Mandelas of today all around the world,” Rosenzweig says. “We are combatting hate, antisemitism and racism in all its forms. We speak out to prevent current and future genocides. We work to protect democracy around the world at a time when we are witnessing a global resurgence of authoritarianism. And, of course, women’s rights are an important cause for us.”
As for Rosenzweig & Company, the company has done work in Dubai, Brazil, Hong Kong, Europe and all across North America.
Rosenzweig’s legacy and reputation continues to attract multi-billion dollar corporations to help be a driving force to fuel innovation on a global scale.
His own branded Rosenzweig Report has been cited in government reports, university research, various books and widely in the media.
“We’ve gotten endorsements and contributions from important influencers such as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Sheryl Sandberg, Deepak Chopra, Andrew Yang, Van Jones, Zainab Salbi, Chrystia Freeland, CEO’s and Board Chairs of banks, Toronto Mayor John Tory, and many more,” Rosenzweig says.
Over the years, notable individuals have contributed to the Report. New additions to the list, include Nancy Buese, EVP & CFO of Goldcorp; Helena Foulkes, CEO of HBC, Karen Higgins, CEO EVP & CFO of Cooperators; Barbara Munroe, EVP Corporate Services and General Counsel of Westjet; Jocelyn Perris, EVP & CFO of Fortis, and Mary Anne Whitney, SVP & CFO of Waste Connections.
If you take a look at this year’s Report, you will find some new figures from the entertainment industry who also contributed, including Academy Award and Grammy winning composer A.R. Rahman and celebrated activist and actress Alyssa Milano.
Obtaining dignity, respect, and advancement for women is not just a woman’s issue, it’s a human rights issue,” Milano shared. “It requires including men and welcoming their help to change behavior and perceptions. Jay Rosenzweig, through The Rosenzweig Report and his support for the #MeToo movement, shows that men can be important and effective allies and advocates for real change.”
“As a musician and as one who travels the world practicing my art form, I have observed that collaboration and inclusion make for better music and for better societies,” says Slumdog Millionaire and Game of Thrones composer, A.R. Rahman. “The Rosenzweig Report plays an important role in that regard because it tells us how far we have come, while also reminding us of how much further we have to go.”
With the state of our world now fighting against COVID-19 and against racism and injustice, now is the time to begin holding one another accountable.
Colter continues to bring to the world’s attention the many international injustices that must be remedied. He is currently speaking out for example on the existing culture of corruption in Beijing surrounding Beijing’s arrest of whistleblowers and its coverup and misinformation surrounding the coronavirus.
“…this is another assault on the rules-based international order”, he told The Epoch Times, comparing these events to similar encroachments in Hong Kong.
“Beijing’s proposal to impose national security legislation on Hong Kong in the aftermath of the arrest of 15 pro-democracy activists and [one current and nine former] legislators constitutes yet another frontal assault on the rule of law, the politicization of fundamental freedoms protected under Hong Kong’s basic law, and politicized prosecutions under the cover of the pandemic,” said Cotler.
We must do our part to uphold the rules based international order at home and abroad.
It’s time we all stand up for social justice. After all, we are each other’s keeper.
Together we stand.
Feature image (L-R) Jason Flom, Irwin Cotler, and Jay Rosenzweig
