AGM 2014 Highlights

	On Saturday - in front of a packed audience of energetic human rights activists at this year's Human Rights Conference in Chicago - I announced that Amnesty will be leading a million person march on Washington D.C. to stop gun violence. This action is a pillar of Amnesty's vision to bring human rights home. To create a culture that values and respects human rights, we must start first with ourselves in our own communities. Bringing human rights home means that from Aleppo, Syria to the south side of Chicago - whether it's a war-torn region, or a neighborhood ravaged by extreme poverty and the proliferation of gangs - all kids should be safe from gun violence. We are all connected to each other. And the threat of gun violence impacts all our lives.  I will update you soon to get your help planning this march, where allies including women's rights groups, LGBT activiist, faith organizations and labor unions will join us. In the meantime, please check out some other "can't miss" moments from the AGM. Edward Snowden joined Glenn Greenwald, the journalist who first published Snowden's leaked documents for The Guardian, via video. A local volunteer activist organized a candlelight vigil for Syria to honor those whose communities are under attack. The parents of Hadiya Pendleton, a Chicago teen who was shot and killed in a park last year, shared their story as part of our panel on gun violence, which was live streamed by CAN TV. We marched to Daley Plaza to demand reparations for survivors of torture at the hands of the Chicago Police Department, where survivor Darrell Cannon told us "People power is gonna keep this issue alive." I'm proud to say we nearly doubled attendance from last year, which showcases a renewed energy to fight against injustice – and to fight for the protection of human rights. Thank you for being part of this global movement. Sincerely, Steven W. Hawkins Executive Director Amnesty International USA