On December 10, 1948 in Paris, the United Nations adopted the now historic Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Holding title to the world’s most translated document, the UDHR says everyone has “the right to life, liberty and nationality, to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, to work, to be educated, [and] to take part in government.”

Along with the United Nation’s High Commissioner for Human Rights (Navi Pillay), Intrigue Chocolates urges you to celebrate Human Rights Day by advocating non-discrimination (the focus for 2009). Too often ordinary citizens—not just governments and political leaders—are silent when faced with prejudice that interferes with the social, economic, civil, political, and cultural rights of others. It’s hard to know what one person can do for people that are miles and oceans away. We also miss the trees for the forest, losing sight of local issues because the problems seem too big.

Something you can DO: Raise awareness and reach out to your community by joining in Amnesty International’s global “write-a-thon”. Write a letter for Amnesty to send to the appropriate governments regarding real people being held for political reasons as “prisoners of conscience”. Read their personal stories at Amnesty’s website, and if you aren’t able to organize a group, make the commitment to write at least one letter as an act of compassion in the name of worldwide human rights. (http://www.amnestyusa.org/writeathon)

Each one of us can make a difference. And we believe that businesses—as well as individuals—are called upon to contribute. Though we don’t have the means to make major financial donations, we remain dedicated to evolving as a socially and ecologically conscious business. We give our pledge this Human Rights Day that we will keep economic justice, environmental responsibility, and the support of nonprofits for at-risk populations in our community at the heart of what we do here at Intrigue Chocolates (plus we are going to write an Amnesty Letter!)