Putting humanity back into human rights: Marie Marjarais Smith at TEDxGreenville 2014
Channel: TEDx Talks
Date: 2014-06-15

"Are you comfortable in your seats?" Marie Majarais Smith asks the audience upon hitting the stage. "I hope so. Because after this talk, you won't be." This passionate human rights advocate relates a shocking true story of abuse, brutal beating, and rape. We learn that it happened in retaliation for the woman reporting her husband for abuse, and that the retaliation was by her husband's family. Horrifying stuff, but that's not all. With a tense and dramatic build-up, we learn that the woman is an undocumented resident — a resident of Greer, South Carolina. This heinous crime took place not in a third world country but just a few miles from where the TEDxGreenville audience sat. The woman did not get legal assistance or adequate medical help. "In a country that prides itself in law and order, liberty, and justice...she received none," says Marie. "If we believe as a community in human rights, we need to stand up for rights of others right here in our community. There are no humans that are more human than the next person."

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