Greetings everyone.

When Dr. Gary Heath let me know that the nominations were being accepted for the annual Clinton Human Rights Commission award, the organization that immediately came to mind was L'Arche Clinton, also known as "the Arch." I could speak for a long time about the virtues of L'Arche, and in particular the L'Arche community in Clinton, but for the sake of time, I will narrow my focus.

As you may know, L'Arche is an international organization that provides community living for people with and without developmental disabilities. Initially, I came to know about L'Arche, as many people have, through the writings of the Dutch Catholic priest and theologian, Henri Nouwen. A few years ago, though, my wife and I decided to explore more of what L'Arche was about when we saw an announcement for the celebration for the fortieth anniversary of the Arch. We went to that event, and things haven't been the same since. The welcome we received from the community and the joy we experienced drew us in. My wife and I both ended up serving for a time on the board and continuing to attend Arch events and to get to know the community.

What we experienced was a group of people, as it is put in L'Arche terms, who shared life together. This was not just a social service agency; it was a community. A community in which people are encouraged to live to their fullest. A community where people live together, eat together, sing, dance, laugh, tell jokes, and understand each other, even if no words are said. A community where people intentionally develop relationships and strive to live at peace with each other. A community that attempts to hear and consider everyone's voices.

I think that L'Arche Clinton truly does exemplify the mission statement of the Clinton Human Rights Commission, "To secure for all individuals within the City freedom from discrimination." L'Arche particularly does this with people who are often invisible to many people in our society, providing both advocacy and a sense of dignity. L'Arche Clinton also fulfills the purpose of the award by "embody[ing] the spirit of human of human rights."

Allow me to explain this a bit more. It seems people often use this term, "human rights," placing a particular focus on the aspect of rights. Certainly, it is important to talk about "rights"; this is a significant aspect of our society. However, there is the other part of this term – "human." I think that this is where L'Arche embodies this spirit in another, very significant way. L'Arche shows people what it means to be human. Without knowing what it means to be human, I think it is difficult to appreciate what is meant by the term "human rights." In many cases, people may be denied human rights not because we don't think that humans have rights, but because we don't think that certain people qualify as being human.

As I mentioned at a faculty panel discussion last year at Ashford, I believe part of what makes us human is our recognition as human beings by other people. When one is a part of L'Arche one realizes what it truly means to be human because one is recognized by the community as a fellow human being – a person. One also is given the opportunity to recognize the humanity of others – to see their personalities, gifts, senses of humor, and yes, their struggles, their frustrations, and their pain. We need to recognize both the good and the challenging aspects of being human and being in community with other humans. L'Arche does not let you escape the humanity of others, or your own humanity, for that matter.

As L'Arche Clinton's mission statement states, "Our mission is to create homes of welcome, to appreciate the unique gifts of each person and to respond to each one's needs." This is the recognition of one another's humanity: welcome, appreciation, and response. This recognition forms the basis for the rights that we accord one another. This welcome, appreciation, and response is part of the fabric of L'Arche. Being part of the community, interacting with core members, assistants, office staff, and board members has make me more cognizant of my humanity and the humanity of others. This is one of the great gifts of L'Arche, and a reminder that the purpose of rights is not just to set minimal standards for society, but to allow all members of our society to flourish.

For this and many other reasons, I nominated L'Arche Clinton for this year's Clinton Human Rights Commission Award.

Ed Gall
Friend of L'Arche Clinton