History

Our goal has always been to educate and foster a vibrant transatlantic community of innovative leaders who are committed to social justice in increasingly diverse democratic societies.

1997

  • January

    Humanity in Action was founded by the historian Dr. Judith S. Goldstein

  • April

    Humanity in Action was founded in New York

1999

  • May

    The Fellowship begins

    The first Humanity in Action Fellowship gathers 40 students from Denmark, the Netherlands and the USA for programs in Amsterdam and Copenhagen.

  • August

    Humanity in Action The Netherlands is chartered

2001

  • January

    Lantos Fellowship launches

    Humanity in Action launches the Lantos Fellowship program under the patronage of US-Congressman Tom Lantos and his wife Annette. It provides opportunities for Senior Fellows to work in the US Congress.

  • April

    Humanity in Action Germany is legally incorporated

  • September

    Promotes Exhibition: Resistance and Rescue in Denmark by Judith Ellis Glickman

    Humanity in Action sponsors the distribution of the exhibition "Resistance and Rescue in Denmark - Photographs by Judith Ellis Glickman."

2002

  • May

    Inaugural Berlin Fellowship kicks off

  • June

    Humanity in Action launches internship program at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia

2003

  • January

    Humanity in Action Denmark is legally incorporated

  • October

    First Annual Conference held in New York

    Senior Fellows in the United States hold their first Annual Conference.

2005

  • January

    Humanity in Action launches the Pat Cox-Fellowship under the patronage of Pat Cox, former President of the European Parliament

    It provides opportunities for Senior Fellows to work in the European Parliament.

2006

  • May

    Humanity in Action Fellowship programs kick off in Paris, New York, and Warsaw

  • June

    Internship programs for Senior Fellows are established in Berlin and San Francisco

  • July

    Senior Fellows in Europe hold their first Annual Conference

2008

  • January

    Senior Fellows take part in Humanity in Action's first Study Trip to Poland

    Our first educational exchange brought Fellows to Kraków and Auschwitz, Poland around the theme of "The Relevance of the Holocaust."

  • April

    Bosnian Fellows join Humanity in Action

2009

  • January

    Humanity in Action launches the San Francisco Grassroots Fellowship

    Partnering with non-profit and civic organizations in the Bay area expanded Humanity in Action's programming in the United States.

  • February

    P!oneers program takes off

    Humanity in Action partners with the Dutch government and the Felix Meritis Foundation to run a Pioneers program in Amsterdam and New York for young leaders in technology.

  • April

    Humanity in Action Poland is legally incorporated

2010

  • July

    Humanity in Action holds its first Europe-based Annual International Conference in Amsterdam

  • August

    The number of Senior Fellows surpasses 1,000

  • November

    Humanity in Action Poland launches project, "Looking for the Cure. People with Disabilities in Poland: From Patients to Citizens"

    This two year project was the first Polish human rights educational project that tackled disability from a human rights perspective and built a network of non-disabled and disabled activists who in various ways advocated for the ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), organized the first Polish happening commemorating the European Day Against Discrimination of People with Disabilities and translated the UNCRPD into the register of young people.

  • December

    Humanity in Action is featured in the Wall Street Journal

2011

  • February

    Humanity in Action Bosnia and Herzegovina is formally established

  • March

    Humanity in Action Denmark hosts "Youth for Democracy: Learning from Nonviolent Struggle Across the World" Conference

  • May

    Reflections on the Holocaust, Humanity in Action's first book, is published

  • June

    With "Just People," Humanity in Action releases its first film

    In 2011, Humanity in Action partnered with the acclaimed Dutch filmmaker Annegriet Wietsma to produce the organization's first film—one that would reach a large audience and share Humanity in Action educational concerns, messages and goals.

  • July

    The second Europe-based Annual Conference is held in Berlin

  • August

    Humanity in Action partners with the European Union Fundamental Rights agency to run a strategy workshop on human rights narratives in Europe

  • September

    Humanity in Action co-sponsors the discussion series "Exploring Diversity in France"

2012

  • January

    Humanity in Action begins to work closely with the New School in New York

  • March

    Humanity in Action partners with the International Human Rights Film Festival

  • July

    Former US President Bill Clinton addresses the Humanity in Action community at the third Annual European Conference in Sarajevo

  • Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Ron Chernow addresses the Humanity in Action community

    Humanity in Action launches its first Grants Competition for Senior Fellows

  • September

    Humanity in Action Bosnia and Herzegovina launches "Encouraging Democratic Values and Active Citizenship Among Youth" program

2013

  • May

    Humanity in Action runs its first Grant Competition for Action Projects

  • July

    Humanity in Action holds its fourth Annual International Conference in Warsaw at the Museum of the History of Polish Jews

  • August

    The Czech Republic uses the Humanity in Action Simulation “Diversity in the Police Force“ to train civil servants

  • Humanity in Action Denmark hosts conference "Civil Society: Reactions to the Holocaust in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the rescue of Danish Jews"

    The climax of the event takes place in Copenhagen at a concert attended by Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and many government ministers.

  • September

    Humanity in Action Germany organizes a week-long workshop on political transitions called "EUTRA: European Transitions from Dictatorshop to Democracy in the Late 1980s"

2014

  • March

    Humanity in Action announces the three-year Diplomacy and Diversity Fellowship for emerging and established leaders in foreign affairs

  • July

    Humanity in Action holds its fifth Annual International Conference in the Danish border town of Sønderborg

  • October

    Humanity in Action runs a Study Trip in Berlin on populism, nationalism and extremist movements in Europe

    Populism, Nationalism and Extremist Movements in Europe Study Trip
  • The first major Impact Study on Humanity in Action is conducted

    A landmark study of US-based Humanity in Action Senior Fellows is released, finding that 93% of alumni from the United States rate the Humanity in Action Fellowship as a “tremendously positive experience” and 98% would participate in the Fellowship again if they could.

  • November

    Humanity in Action Poland organizes Inter@ction Zone Congress

    Marking the first nationwide activist meet up in Poland devoted to tackling hate speech on the Internet. More than 200 activists from Poland and other European countries took part in the congress.

2015

  • April

    Humanity in Action announces a partnership with The National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta, Georgia

  • May

    The John Lewis Fellowship in Atlanta is created

  • In Detroit, Humanity in Action launches Philanthropy and Social Enterprise Fellowship for Senior Fellows

  • July

    Humanity in Action holds its sixth Annual International Conference in The Hague

  • Humanity in Action Poland receives Intercultural Achievement Award from the Austrian Federal Ministry of Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs

  • August

    Humanity in Action Denmark launches a one-week "I AM ROMA" campaign and conference

    Effort aimed to enhance understanding of the social, political and economic context of European Roma

  • September

    Under the sponsorship of Ron Chernow, Humanity in Action hosts a benefit at the Public Theater in New York to view "Hamilton"

  • Humanity in Action runs a study trip to Athens on human rights, diversity, and civic engagement

  • October

    Humanity in Action Denmark launches the Gender & Identity in the Global South project

    This initiative invites LGBTQ activists from Kenya, Uganda, and Pakistan to discuss LGBTQ inclusion strategies in the Global South.

  • November

    Humanity in Action leads a Senior Fellow Training in Berlin on effective mediation

2016

  • January

    US Congressman John Lewis speaks in film about Humanity in Action

  • June

    Humanity in Action Poland awarded "Best Non-Governmental Initiative" by S3KTOR and Warsaw residents

    The famed S3KTOR (Third Sector) competition awarded Humanity in Action Poland in its Education category. In addition, Humanity in Action Poland received a special prize from the citizens of Warsaw.

  • July

    Humanity in Action runs its largest conference in Athens

    300 community members attended

    Humanity in Action Fellows in Athens
  • October

    Cornell Brooks, then President of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), speaks at the annual New York conference

    Humanity in Actions sixth Annual New York Conference focused on social justice and United States election

  • Humanity in Action Denmark runs study trip to Kigali, Rwanda

    Fellows and staff spent a week examining the country's history of genocide and reconciliation.

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    Rwandan Genocide Memorial - Denmark

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    Rwandan Genocide Memorial

2018

  • May

    Artist Ai Weiwei meets with Humanity in Action Founder Judith S. Goldstein

    Together they discuss the role of art and non-profit organizations in upholding civil democracies and human rights.

  • June

    Humanity in Action launches the Senior Fellows Leadership Council

  • July

    Humanity in Action hosts a major conference in Strasbourg at the European Parliament

    This conference's theme is the European Union: the largest peace project on the planet.

  • Humanity in Action launches Professional Fellowship programs for Senior Fellows at the Bertelsmann Foundation North America, All Voting Is Local, and ACLU Georgia

  • August

    Humanity in Action Denmark hosts a three-day conference: "Pre-Genocide - Warnings and Readiness to Protect"

    genocide
  • September

    The number of Humanity in Action Senior Fellows surpasses 2,000

  • Judy Goldstein contributes a written piece to Judy Glickman Lauder’s "Beyond the Shadows"

    The rescue of Danish Jews in October 1943 to Sweden has served as the inspiration for the inception of Humanity in Action. Judy Glickman Lauder’s photographs in Beyond the Shadows document the horrific sites of the Holocaust, while telling the uplifting story of the Danish Rescue. Beyond the Shadows demonstrates poignantly what hate can lead to, and what can be done to stand in its path. Judy Goldstein contributed a written piece in the book.

  • November

    Humanity in Action partners with the Bertelsmann Foundation in the video series "How To Fix Democracy"

  • December

    Humanity in Action United States receives record application numbers

    Over 500 applications from 239 universities and colleges.

  • Resistance, Reconciliation and Remembrance Benefit takes place at Christie's in New York

    Humanity in Action celebrated a benefit honoring Danish Ambassador to the United States Lars Gert Lose, German Ambassador to the United States Emily Haber, Judy Glickman Lauder and Ai Weiwei.

2019

  • January

    Humanity in Action partners with the Migration Policy Group in The VoteEuropa Project's to run the Democracy Fellowship

    Fellows across the European Union mobilize European voters prior to the 2019 European Parliament elections.

  • February

    Humanity in Action The Netherlands Honours Frieda Menco-Brommet by Dedicating the 2019 Amsterdam Fellowship to the Bravery and Memory of Frieda, Founder and Close Friend of Humanity in Action The Netherlands

    Frieda Menco-Brommet passed away on Friday February 22, 2019. Frieda played a crucial role in the foundation and development of Humanity in Action The Netherlands. Frieda was a Holocaust survivor who insisted that we remember the past to be vigilant in the present. Year after year, the Fellows in the Dutch program went to her immersive apartment to converse with her about the war of the past and the challenges of the present. Through those instructions she became friends with so many Fellows. Frieda is dearly missed by the Humanity in Action Community.

  • April

    Humanity in Action partners with the Foundation EVZ and The Ted Arison Family Foundation to host a conference in Israel on social cohesion snd coercion

  • September

    Humanity in Action partners with the Foundation EVZ to launch Addressing Antisemitism Grant Competition

    Senior Fellows successfully led multiple civil society projects to addressing rising levels of Antisemitism in Germany, Poland, Ukraine, the United States and online.

  • June

    Humanity in Action Denmark is awarded the prestigious Dialogue Award

  • October

    Humanity in Action Denmark launches October '43 Travel Grant

    In commemoration of the solidarity of Danish civil society in its rescue of its Jewish population in October 1943, the travel grant provides funding for young professionals and students working on issues regarding refugees and/or the protection of minorities.

  • November

    Humanity in Action Bosnia & Herzegovina launches BOLD Action

    In collaborating with the United States Embassy in Sarajevo, the "Building Leadership Locally" program is launched for young leaders in Bosnia

2020

  • January

    Humanity in Action Germany and Goethe University Frankfurt enter into a two-year partnership

  • February

    6 Degrees Global Forum for Inclusion and Humanity in Action Germany enter Knowledge Partnership

    For the 2nd edition of 6 Degrees Berlin, Humanity in Action Germany partners with the forum to maximize the goals of 6 Degrees to push for inclusion, fight the fear of diversity, and to support the build-up of local, national and international alliances and coalitions working on this mission.

  • June

    Launching the Landecker Democracy Fellowship

    The Alfred Landecker Foundation and Humanity in Action launch a new fellowship program for young professionals to tackle the impacts of coronavirus and other current political challenges to democracy.

2021

  • June

    Humanity in Action’s animated short film “Voices in the Void” is selected for the prestigious LA Shorts International Film Festival

  • December

    Humanity in Action completes the production of its short film series "Traces: Portraits of Resistance, Survival and Resolve," encouraging resistance and resilience through documentary animation film

    The film trilogy, which began with "Voices in the Void," made in cooperation with the Danish foreign Ministry and Danish embassy in Israel in 2021, was completed with the two new films, "Two Trees in Jerusalem" and "My Father's War," supported by the Alfred Landecker Foundation.

2022

  • January

    Humanity in Action’s animated short film "Two Trees in Jerusalem" premieres at the Miami Jewish Film Festival, the largest Jewish film festival in the world

  • April

    Humanity in Action’s animated short film "My Father's War" premieres at the prestigious American Documentary and Animation Film Festival in Palm Springs

2023

  • March

    Founding CEO Dr. Judy Goldstein retires after 26 years of leadership, Senior Fellow Talia Dubovi steps into her footsteps as Interim CEO

2024

  • September

    Humanity in Action hosts 25-year Fellowship anniversary reunions attended by several hundred Senior Fellows