Entitlements: Children & the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Celebrating the resilience of children denied the just & secure environments to which they are entitled.
The National Center for Civil and Human Rights
Featuring the photography Diana Cervantes, Jasmine Clarke, Meghan Dhaliwal, Stephanie Eley, Alexis Hunley, & Danielle Villasana. Authority Collective
"Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status..."
- Article 2, Universal Declaration of Human Rights
"All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination."
- Article 7, Universal Declaration of Human Rights
As violence and inequality cause scarcity and displace populations, impacted groups are frequently discussed as data sets and given impersonal categorizations such as refugee and asylum seeker. Entitlements humanizes conflict and insecurity around the world through compelling images of children at play and at rest.
It celebrates the resilience of children denied the just and secure environments to which they are entitled. The children embody hope and inspire an urgency to uphold rights and protections detailed in documents such as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Universal Declaration for Human Rights.
“All children are entitled to grow up with stability, love, and free of fear or exploitation.” - Jasmine Clarke
Featuring the photography of Authority Collective photographers Diana Cervantes, Jasmine Clarke, Meghan Dhaliwal, Stephanie Eley, Alexis Hunley, and Danielle Villasana, Entitlements is a global survey of childhood experiences.
Watermelon Swimsuit (2019) by Photographed by Jasmine ClarkeThe National Center for Civil and Human Rights
Watermelon Swimsuit
Jasmine Clarke | Somone, Senegal | 2019
"All children are entitled to grow up with stability, love, and free of fear or exploitation.” Jasmine Clarke
Boko Haram Refugees: Jumping Rope (2016) by Photographer: Danielle VillasanaThe National Center for Civil and Human Rights
Boko Haram Refugees: Jumping Rope
Danielle Villasana | Maiduguri, Nigeria | 2016
Students jump rope during recess at a school for children orphaned by Boko Haram bombings and other acts of terrorism.
Children climb a schoolyard tree in Honduras (2018) by Danielle VillasanaThe National Center for Civil and Human Rights
Children climb a schoolyard tree in Honduras
Danielle Villasana | San Pedro Sula, Honduras | 2018
Children climb a schoolyard tree in the Honduras’ notoriously dangerous la Rivera Hernandez neighborhood.
A Migrant Child sets up a Tent in El Barretal (2018) by Photographer: Meghan DhaliwalThe National Center for Civil and Human Rights
A Migrant Child sets up a Tent in El Barretal
Meghan Dhaliwal | Tijuana, Mexico | 2018
A child sets up a tent in El Barretal— an outdoor shelter for thousands of refugees at the US-Mexico border, fleeing violence, extortion, unemployment, and draught in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua.
Migrant Family Blowing Bubbles Together (2018) by Photographer: Meghan DhaliwalThe National Center for Civil and Human Rights
Migrant Family Blowing Bubbles Together
Meghan Dhaliwal | Tijuana, Mexico | 2018
Marta blows bubbles for her sons, ages eight and six. The family of four shares a tent in El Barretal as they face the months-long wait for their asylum claims to be heard. “We have a number,” Marta explains, “1387.”
Juneteenth Joy: Sidewalk Chalk (2020) by Photographer: Alexis HunleyThe National Center for Civil and Human Rights
Juneteenth Joy: Sidewalk Chalk
Alexis Hunley | Los Angeles, USA | 2020
A child draws with sidewalk chalk in South Los Angeles’ Leimert Park neighborhood, a hub for African American art, music, and culture.
A young girl walks alone in San Pedro Sula, Honduras (2018) by Danielle VillasanaThe National Center for Civil and Human Rights
A young girl walks alone in San Pedro Sula, Honduras
Danielle Villasana | San Pedro Sula, Honduras | 2018
A young girl walks alone in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, a city ranked among the world’s highest homicide rates due to endemic violence from both gangs and police forces.
Globally, 420 million children are living in active conflict zones. More than half of people with refugee status are children and youth. Many are victims of detention, trafficking, exploitation, and family separation. In the United States, 13 million children reside in households below the federal poverty line, and 2.5 million American children are experiencing homeless.
“Perhaps the most unjust consequence of war, conflict, and violence is that innocent civilians suffer—and there’s nobody more innocent than children.” - Danielle Villasana
Systemic injustices are evident in trends such as the school-to-prison pipeline, a system that disproportionately refers Black children and children with learning differences to discipline by police instead of school administrators. This results in arrests and juvenile detention as opposed to counseling and educational alternatives. Outside of school, overpoliced neighborhoods render parks and playgrounds opportunities for interaction with law enforcement instead of places to learn, grow, and thrive.
Boko Haram Refugees: 19-year-old Zara cradles her young daughter at a safehouse (2016) by Photographer: Danielle VillasanaThe National Center for Civil and Human Rights
19-year-old Zara Cradles her Young Daughter at a Safehouse
Danielle Villasana | Maiduguri, Nigeria | 2016
19-year-old Zara cradles her young daughter at a safehouse. The shelter provides recovery and support for women who have suffered sexual assault, forced marriage, and other abuses at the hands of the Boko Haram.
A Sweltering Summer Day in Atlanta’s West End (2018) by Photographed by Stephanie EleyThe National Center for Civil and Human Rights
A Sweltering Summer Day in Atlanta’s West End
Stephanie Eley | Atlanta, USA | 2018
Children proudly pose in front of a professional backdrop staged between a beauty supply store and a Goodwill Thrift Store on a sweltering summer day in Atlanta’s West End neighborhood before running back into the street to play.
Father and Daughter March for Justice (2020) by Photographed by Diana CervantesThe National Center for Civil and Human Rights
Father and Daughter March for Justice
Diana Cervantes | New York, USA | 2020
Joshua, father of 8-month-old Luna, holds his daughter at a protest on the fourth day of uprisings demanding justice for George Floyd, an unarmed man killed by police in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020. Luna watches, then raises her fist on her own.
Boko Haram Refugees: A child rests on her mother’s lap (2016) by Photographed by Danielle VillasanaThe National Center for Civil and Human Rights
Boko Haram Refugees: A Child Rests on her Mother’s Lap
Danielle Villasana | Maiduguri, Nigeria | 2016
“Perhaps the most unjust consequence of war, conflict, and violence is that innocent civilians suffer—and there’s nobody more innocent than children.” Danielle Villasana
Tenderness (2020) by Photographer: Alexis HunleyThe National Center for Civil and Human Rights
Tenderness
Alexis Hunley | Los Angeles, USA | 2020
“The tenderness they bestowed upon that horse resonated with me because it is that type of care that they themselves deserve as children.” Alexis Hunley
Children gingerly pet a painted horse between rides at Juneteenth festivities.
Amina (2016) by Photographer: Danielle VillasanaThe National Center for Civil and Human Rights
Amina
Danielle Villasana | Maiduguri, Nigeria | 2016
Amina suffered a forced marriage and was held captive for seven weeks at the age of 13. She was finally able to escape, trekking on foot for days. Standing in the courtyard of a shelter, she discusses her hopes to attend school.
Juneteenth Joy (2020) by Photographer: Alexis HunleyThe National Center for Civil and Human Rights
Juneteenth Joy
Alexis Hunley | Los Angeles, USA | 2020
“Black children deserve to live in a world where their biggest worries are who gets the last popsicle or where they last left their homework; not if they will be safe if they have encounters with the police.” Alexis Hunley
Despite this, children remain incredibly resilient. From children playfully climbing trees in one of the world's most dangerous cities to displaced children skipping rope and blowing bubbles, Entitlements depicts the persistence of childhood creativity and the unwavering youthful quest for exploration.
“While children are impressionable, they’re also incredibly wise and understand the world and communities in which they live. When we look at issues surrounding climate change, violence, and disparity around the world, we should ask ourselves, ‘Is this the example we want to set for our children?’" - Danielle Villasana
Human rights laws and declarations charge us with securing our futures by providing environments where children are not criminalized and are free to realize their potential. When children reflect and imagine, their capacities to learn and build relationships are strengthened. As they find ways to process hardship, they also develop the skills required to become our next generation of leaders, advocates, and innovators.
Original Lead Curator: Lauren Tate Baeza
Digital Curator: Sam Landis
Photographers: Diana Cervantes, Jasmine Clarke, Meghan Dhaliwal, Stephanie Eley, Alexis Hunley, & Danielle Villasana.
Exhibition Partners:
Atlanta Celebrates Photography (ACP) is dedicated to the cultivation of photography as an art form and the enrichment of the Atlanta art community. ACP provides educational experiences through lens-based media and produces the largest annual community-oriented photo festival in the United States.
acpinfo.org | @acpfest
The Authority Collective (AC) is a community of women, non-binary, and gender-expansive people of color working in photography, film, and VR/ AR industries. AC empowers historically marginalized artists through providing resources and community and takes action against workplace abuse and inequity in lens-based professions.
authoritycollective.org | @authoritycollective
