Here’s to You, Mrs. Robinson

It’s rare when a politician comes along that everyone can agree with. Barack Obama achieved noteworthy fame throughout his campaign in this respect, but he definitely had (and still has) a large number of haters. Yet when he won the election that night in November, I received a congratulatory e-mail from an Irish friend that said: “Now you have your own Mary Robinson.” Reflecting on that small, but poignant remark seven months later, it seems appropriate that President Obama will be the one to award former Irish President, Mary Robinson with the highest civilian honor bestowed by the United States. This year, Robinson will receive the US Presidential Medal of Freedom for her exceptional tenure in Irish office and her fearless campaigning for universal human rights.

As a non-Irishman, you may best recognize Robinson as the previous UN Commissioner of Human Rights from 1997 to 2002, a position she resigned from presidential office in order to take up. Her resignation was a bold move – she was the first female president of Ireland, the first president to be elected without the major party support of Fianna Fail, and one of the few politicians whose popularity rating reached an incredible 93% only halfway through her term – but  her decision to use her power and sway on a more global scale – within the United Nations – easily proved her long-standing commitment to preserving human rights.

Having lived in Ireland myself, I can attest to the fact that the Mrs. Robinson is truly loved by her country. I was repeatedly told the story of how she left a light on in the window of her Dublin estate as a symbol of welcome for all of the Irish emigrants who left their homeland over the course of the famine. She was preserving a tradition that extended as far back as the Celtic age. She broke the seal on an otherwise old-fashioned and cautiously Catholic country by pursuing an aggressive campaign for the environment, women’s rights, and gays. She risked the wrath of her parents by marrying a Protestant man and she risked the rioting of her nation by becoming the first Irish president to visit Britain, meet the queen, and entertain the company of Belfast MP Gerry Adams (despite his direct ties to the Provisional IRA).

Within the international realm, she chairs various boards for human rights organizations – Oxfam International, International Institute for the Environment and Development, and the Council of Woman World Leaders are only a few. She raises awareness on gross violations of human rights, such as the genocide in Darfur and she calls fellow politicians out when they are not keeping their humanitarian promises. In 2002, she founded Realizing Rights, a group committed to giving voice to the needs of the less fortunate and bringing human rights to the forefront of global governance. She still works as chair of the organization, based in New York.

In short, Robinson is the “Rose of Tralee” to human rights. So much power and voice coming from such a small country is proof that change can happen anywhere, any time. Some might say “luck of the Irish” but if you watch any Robinson interview, you’ll see brilliance, compassion, and a light in her eye – like her light in the window – that will never go out until every individual is given equal recognition of their worth.

• A mission to put human rights standards at the heart of global governance and policy-making and to ensure that the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable are addressed on a global stage.
• Organization Type: Non-Profit
• Website: www.realizingrights.org
• Founder(s): Mary Robinson
• Founded: 2002
• Location: New York, New York
• See complete company list here