Eccles community joins in for Human Rights Day

“It’s the opportunity to stand in solidarity, to reflect, to remember, to think about the others, to think about human rights…,” said Angie Tunstall the organizer of this year’s Human Rights Day candlelight vigil. Tunstall is a community minister that is open to all faith and non-faith alike.  

Human Rights Day, recognized 10th of December, is a universal day of significance dedicated to when the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. 

The candlelight vigil will be hosted to celebrate Human Rights Day on Saturday 9th of December at Eccles Cross at 4pm. 

The Eccles community holds a special place for human rights after they lost a local taxi driver in 2014. Alan Henning was working as an aid in Syria when ISIS captured and killed him. The people of Eccles feel strongly about the concept of human rights and celebrate the rights of all humans at this event. 

This is the second time the ceremony has been held, and this year will be an hour-long celebration inclusive of a multitude of presenters such as the Arabic Children’s choir, Women Asylum Seekers Together choir, poetry readings, and a reading by Helen Dale. 

Helen Dale, 70, is a resident of Salford and was the first openly transgender person in the Probation Service when she joined Greater Manchester Probation in 1999. Now, Helen is a specialized Gender Identity counselor and counseling supervisor. 

“I believe that everybody should be treated with dignity and not be discriminated against…,” said Helen. 

At the Human Rights Day celebration, Helen will be sharing her words of wisdom. She will elaborate on the safety of transgender people across the world as well as give her honest perspective on aspects of transgender lives that she believes have been sensationalized.  

The celebration is an opportunity for the local community to gather together and honor people from all around the world who have their rights as a human threatened. 

Dress for the weather and meet at Eccles Cross. As Tunstall said, come and join us all are welcome.