The Idea Behind Freedom Friday
Hello my fellow Steemians,
It's been about a month since I started this new initiative I call #FreedomFriday, and I have to admit I'm a bit tuckered out with still getting adjusted to my new locale.
I had a short but sweet discussion with @richardcrill and his new group -- one of my newfound homes @freedomtribe but not to be confused with @earthtribe or @tribesteemup a soon to be realized home for Steemians, and a collaboration effort for those interested in making the world a better place.
Sorry, I digress. So the conversation I had with @richardcrill was the importance of freedom and my new initiative. I needed a new freedom subject to discuss and this was his suggestion last week. Sorry RC, I’m just getting to it this week and it is Freedom Of Assembly.
RC didn’t say why he thought of this form of freedom to discuss and I forgot to ask. Maybe he’ll let us know in the comments below. But, he did say he would like to participate and I look forward to reading his thoughts.
I have to say that being a part of Steemit was pretty fantastical to begin with, but now that I'm being brought into the fold of some amazing groups this is becoming an unbelievable place. I've met so many creative people during my nine month long journey, so to speak out about certain issues will be an experience.
Interestingly, after I posted my intro post regarding Freedom, entitled Eagle Spirit's Freedom Friday Initiative ---> I Begin With Freedom Of Speech!, I began to see people start Freedom of Speech Friday and many posts on Freedom.
Well, sorry folks Eagle Spirit started this idea and she shall prevail! Let me share how I came up with this initiative.
Freedom Initiative
This all began after I saw the articles and YouTube video's on The China Ink Girl, my heart pretty much exploded in my chest for her and yet a huge amount of respect, admiration, pride, and prayers quickly went out to her.
If you haven’t heard her story then please take a few minutes to read about her. She stood up to speak her truth and told the government to come get her, well they did. She disappeared within a few days of her public outcry.
Initiative outline
It is my hope that people will continue this initiative by posting about not only their ideas of what freedom means to them, but also what is going on in their country as events shift. There is an understanding that a lot is going on in the world and people are having a very tough time. Tough time, as in not even having food to eat and the total reliance on government assistance. This in of itself bothers me a great deal.
In addition, I would like positive posts on what we all can do to make freedom happen for all. Post a photo, poem, rant, or whatever you want on the meaning of freedom. The tag #freedomfriday will be created with this first post and continue on with your help. There are so many people from around the world that enjoy freedom in their own way. Examples of how you enjoy freedom is an encouragement for those who are trying to obtain their freedom, or just something beautiful to see.
Freedom Of Assembly
As stated above, the last thing I want to do is get political or religious (at least on Steemit), since these may appear to be not so sexy topics to discuss. Let's be honest, none of us want a penny post.
So, going back to what the basic meaning of a "peaceful assembly,” and since this is a term from U.S. law and human rights we will first take a trip to the Library of Congress, and read what they had to say here:
The First Amendment states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” U.S. Const. Amend. I
Of course, if you ask me we all have a right to assemble or make our voices heard one way or another. This does not mean we have to do it in a negative way or by harming anyone and no one has a right to be negative or harm us in return.
This also brings up the question, what is Peaceful Assembly? According to The Law Dictionary:
It is a right afforded under the constitution for people to meet peacefully and discuss important matters.
This bring into question what makes an assembly and what is peaceful? These days so many people have their own ideas and terminology. We have to wonder ...
The Rights To Free Assembly Explained
Thankfully I found this great website Free Assembly, and even though the person is a former United Nations special reporter, he did okay in my book. He explains:
The rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association are among the most important human rights we possess.
These rights protect peoples’ ability to come together and work for the common good. They are a vehicle for the exercise of many other civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights, allowing people to express their political opinions, engage in artistic pursuits, engage in religious observances, form and join trade unions, elect leaders to represent their interests and hold them accountable.
Today, the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association are enshrined in international law as fundamental freedoms. But their philosophical origins are not cultural, or specific to a particular place and time. Rather, these rights are born from our common human heritage, rooted in the simple fact that every civilization is built upon cooperation and collaboration, from many and not one. It is human nature – and human necessity – that people come together to collectively pursue their interests. Vibrant assembly and association rights are a prerequisite not only for a legitimate democracy, but also for a just society.
What I loved the most about this website is that you can go to almost any country and there is an updated alphabetized list regarding the Human Right for Peaceful Assembly. The list gives updated laws, rules, and reports. You can find this list here.
Of course we have seen or heard of groups that could not assemble. I worked at the United Nations for a year and the Burmese Ambassador I worked alongside had to meet in secret even in the United States. As much as I would like to believe humans have legal freedoms, humankind as a whole are far from where we need to be.
The freedom to assemble was constructed from these four human rights instruments:
As a part of the human race, hopefully we all think of ways to improve humankind and earth. In other words, make it a better place by giving and not taking. This may be idealistic but there are many of us that feel it is our duty. I will not go into a deep discussion about this right now but maybe in the near future.
I leave you with this question ...
How are you celebrating your Freedom?
Yours,
Eagle Spirit
Greetings,
Thank you for stopping by to read my blog. I’m a First Nation member of the Hopi & Apache Native American tribes, Medicine woman in-training, first time blogger since November 2017, (right here on Steemit), paralegal, researcher, and writer based in the Mountains of Colorado, USA. I work closely with fellow planktons and minnows in a few groups by helping them adjust to Steemit and curate quality content. I’m especially interested in finding others who love natural medicine originating from ancient practices, gold and silver, energy work, and the spirit world. Additionally, I'm the creator of #MedicineCardMonday, so if you are interested in receiving a Native American blessing stop by my blog every Monday, or just say hello!
See you soon, @eaglespirit