Cynthia Soohoo, Close to Home: Social Justice Activism and Human Rights, 40 Columbia Hum. Rts. L. Rev. 7 (2008) (published). SSRN.
This introductory essay to a special issue of the Columbia Human Rights Law Review discusses the history of human rights advocacy in the United States. It traces the roots of United States exceptionalism, discusses the political and institutional factors that have led to a renewed interest in human rights domestically, and provides insight into the advocacy benefits that human rights strategies can offer in particular cases.