Abstract

In this article, we argue that not educating all people about human rights adversely impacts the education of children, world poverty, police brutality, politics, and the environment. We also argue that the type of character leaders have can inform them of the importance of advancing human rights for all. As a practical and specific matter, the advancement of human rights is essential to achieve equality and justice for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and other marginalized groups to promote peace, harmony, and civil rights in society. Peace and harmony should be normal in our schools and communities, but stress and conflict are commonplace, particularly with the rise of Fascism and Nazi influence by the conservative right-wing section of society who want to control educational policies. Peace and harmony lead to empathy to embrace kindness, grace, justice, and equity which directly influences social awareness for human rights. Without human rights, there is an existential threat to the normalization of society and we as art educators should be concerned and vigorously teach these concepts in our classrooms. 

Keywords: Civil rights, art education, leadership

How to Cite:

Willis, S. & Richards, A., (2024) “Political Degradation of Human Rights and Art Education”, Journal of Cultural Research in Art Education 41(1), 46-67. doi: https://doi.org/10.2458/jcrae.5965