ARCHIVED: The Sunrise Initiative for Human Rights in the U.S.

The Sunrise Initiative for Human Rights in the U.S. (Sunrise) recognized that when the federal, state or local governments within the United States violate basic human rights, they threaten the dignity and freedom of all people, weaken U.S. leadership in the world and betray the promise of the country’s deepest values and noblest aspirations.

The Sunrise Initiative recognized that a human right becomes enforceable when a high enough social or political cost can be imposed for violations of that right. To strengthen human rights accountability, Sunrise built the capacity of groups and communities to change government behavior by imposing that cost, or by presenting a credible threat to impose that cost.