CREATE YOUR FUTURE:
Jack Healey: Lessons from a life in human and civil rights
2nd Edition OUT NOW!
Create Your Future tells the gripping story of how a kid named Jack Healey, growing up as the youngest of eleven children in a poor family in Pittsburgh, went on to become one of the foremost champions of human rights in the world. Along the way, he became a friend and ally to such civil rights icons as John Lewis, Muhammad Ali, Dick Gregory, and Fannie Lou Hamer.
After running the American Freedom from Hunger Foundation, Jack became the director of the Peace Corps in Lesotho, Southern Africa, and a fierce opponent of apartheid. He went on to head Amnesty International USA, where he persuaded some of the world's best-known rock 'n roll stars to tour the world and raise the consciousness of millions of people about human rights.
Jack inspired people like Bono, Sting, Peter Gabriel, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Joan Baez, U2, Tracy Chapman, k.d. lang, and dozens of others to make their voices thunder for those who have been silenced by repression and tyranny.
In 1994, Jack founded and still runs the Human Rights Action Center. He has provided indispensable help to people in such places as the former Yugoslavia, Haiti, South Korea, Chile, Taiwan, and Myanmar, where he was instrumental in freeing Aung San Suu Kyi after years of confinement.
Jack believes that creating your future is not just a possibility- it is a responsibility; one that we owe ourselves, our families, our communities, and our world.
KEEPER OF THE FLAME Documentary
Bring your family together and discuss human rights!
WETA PBS will air the “Keeper of the Flame” on May 26, 2024, at 4:30 pm EST*!! Tune in and watch a story of human rights, some of the best musicians ever, and moments with John Lewis, Dick Gregory, and Fannie Lu Hamer.
*Check all the WETA PBS air times at https://weta.org/watch/shows/keeper-flame.
"Keeper of the Flame" is a feature-length documentary about the life and work of human rights activist Jack Healey. Tracking his activism from the Civil Rights Movement into his later role as the director of Amnesty International USA, the film shows how Healey played a major role in bringing human rights to a televised national and international public by fusing popular music and activism.
KEEPER OF THE FLAME debuted on PBS member station Maryland Public Television (MPT) on Sunday, December 10, 2023 - the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Playing now across the US on PBS - Click Here to Watch!
Check Local AMERICAN PUBLIC TELEVISION (APT) Providers for further times.
Our Mission
The Human Rights Action Center (HRAC) is a voice for the voiceless and an advocate for human rights for all of the world.
HRAC partners with leaders in the creative arts world (music, theater, film, written word) to focus awareness on areas of critical importance in the struggle for human rights and lend a hand to some of the less-publicized cases of human rights abuse and neglect.
We welcome involvement on all levels and look forward to many more voices in the chorus calling for human freedom. One way this can be achieved is through our initiatives to have the Universal Declaration of Human Rights printed inside all passports.
Jack Healey, HRAC Founder, signing his memoir “Create Your Future” during the book launch event.
“Create Your Future” - a Memoir by Jack Healey
(SOLD OUT, Revision Edition To Be Released Soon)
The Human Rights Action Center was founded by Jack Healey, a human rights activist and pioneer.
An effective and innovative leader in the human rights movement for 60 years, Jack helped move the topic of human rights from closed-door diplomatic negotiations to widespread awareness, public debate, and direct citizen action.
Colleagues credit him with making human rights a major focus of governments, advocacy organizations, and individuals around the world.
Called ‘Mr. Human Rights‘ by U.S. News and World Report, Jack brought human rights to the global stage through his creative use of media and enlistment of world-class musical talent as advocates and spokespersons as Executive Director of Amnesty International USA for 12 years.
Get Involved
The Human Rights Action Center is committed to creating awareness and access to human rights for all people.
We encourage you to engage as a citizen and communicate your concerns about human rights to your government. Sending a written letter to your local government representative can help raise awareness of human rights issues that matter to you.
To contact your local representative, you can consult this Online Congressional Directory to find their contact information.
We urge all the Governments in the world to add the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to all passports issued.
Did you know that less than 5% of the world knows the Universal Declaration of Human Rights exists?
Human Rights Action Center asks governments to acknowledge its existence and pronounce their commitment to uphold these basic human rights by including the Declaration in all passports.
You can WRITE A LETTER asking your senator, representatives, and the White House to include the UDHR in all US passports. If the United States Government does this, it would send a strong signal to the rest of the world that we intend to live by international standards and would signal that the new government is quite serious about protecting the rights of all people. All it takes to get this done is a presidential order. It doesn't need any new legislation.
Your letter can help push our government to take this step towards universal human rights! By sending this letter you are asking the government to acknowledge that these rights belong to all people and the governments themselves. The more of you help, the greater our chances for success.
Another way to support the Human Rights Action Center is by donating to the organization. HRAC is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and is currently engaged in several human rights campaigns. We need YOU to help us succeed!