Campobello Island and Human Rights
By Sara Lennon
Given Campobello Island’s place in the 20th century work for human rights, it is fitting that the staff members at the Roosevelt Campobello International Park are planning a youth conference to be held this summer on the island. We are honored to be presenting educational programs on the topics of human rights for the young adults attending the weekend gathering. We look forward to sharing details as the planning takes shape.
On August 25, 1979, The Campobello Conference on Peace and Human awarded the Human Rights Award Medal to President Jimmy Cater. The conference was held at the International Peace Park; Dr. Lincoln Bloomfield of the National Security Council read the President’s message and accepted the medal on the President’s behalf. In his remarks, President Carter said:
“There is no cause with which I am prouder to be identified than that of fostering human rights for all people. I accept this honor not as a personal tribute, but as an affirmation of our effort to support the brave and decent people everywhere who struggle for human dignity, often against daunting odds. It is especially fitting that your meeting this year is on a beautiful island, forever associated with Franklin D. Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor. Their lives and works embodied a selfless quest for peace and human rights, not only for their fellow Americans, but for all humankind.”
The conference marked the 10th anniversary of the International Institute for Human Rights’ founding in Strasbourg, France. From this conference, and the close connection that Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt had with the island, it has become associated with gatherings and work on issues of international human rights.
The island is at the entrance to Passamaquoddy Bay, one of the Fundy Islands. It is connected by the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Bridge to the eastern most town in the United States, Lubec, Maine. The park is a joint memorial established by Canada and the United States as a symbol of the close relationship between the two countries and is well known from its most famous summer residents, the Roosevelt family. James Roosevelt and his wife Sara bought four acres of land and a partially completed house, which was finished by the summer of 1885, and the Roosevelts became summer residents. Young Franklin spent most of his summers there sailing, hiking, horseback riding and playing with the other children. The natural beauty, wilderness, and local people remained with him for the rest of his life.
At Campobello, FDR learned about the ocean and tides from Tomah Joseph, a Passamaquoddy Tribal Citizen and Native Leader. At that time, Joseph was the elected Governor for the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Motahkomikuk. A skilled craftsman and fishing guide, his generosity and expertise had a lasting impact. As President, FDR enacted governmental policies that restored millions of acres of land to the descendants of the nation’s first peoples, including the Indian New Deal, which may have been limited in granting land reparations to free the Native communities from dependence on the government, but his focus highlighted the necessity of self-determination and property ownership,
For many years before the island first appeared on a European map in 1607, the Passamaquoddy Indians had hunted, fished, and harvested clams and sea urchins. Sadly, the land originally settled by native Americans, and inhabited by them for centuries, is rarely mentioned in the widespread praise and publicity for Campobello Island and its inhabitants.
It was Eleanor Roosevelt who worked tirelessly, and boldly, for the cause of human rights around the world. By the time she and Franklin arrived in the White House in 1933 as President and First Lady, Eleanor was immersed in social justice work. She advocated equal rights for women, African-Americans and Depression-era workers and brought attention to their causes in public and outspoken ways. In 1946, Eleanor was appointed as a delegate to the United Nations by President Harry Truman. As head of the Human Rights Commission, Eleanor was instrumental in formulating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which she submitted to the United Nations General Assembly with these words:
“We stand today at the threshold of a great event both in the life of the United Nations and in the life of mankind. This declaration may well become the international Magna Carta for all men everywhere.”
During her husband’s tenure in office, and long afterward, the First Lady founded organizations, hosted activists, attended conferences, advocated policies, and became a famous and influential champion of human rights around the world. She was instrumental in creating the Peace Park on Campobello Island. What more fitting place for a group of youth activist to gather, share ideas and forge relationships than this small piece of land with a big history.