The Foundation

History

Inspired by a letter from John Humphrey's widow, Dr. Margaret Kunstler Humphrey, the Hampton Town Council established an ad hoc committee which has evolved into an incorporated, charitable foundation. The Foundation's mandate has been to find appropriate ways to honour and continue the legacy of John Humphrey.

Raising the profile of this extraordinary Canadian continues through educational initiatives such as Hampton Elementary School's musical "Peace Cranes 2000″, which tells the story of John Humphrey's life. The school received the N.B. Human Rights Award in 2000 for its effort. Hampton High School and the Humphrey Foundation continue to sponsor human rights events in Hampton such as: the annual John Peters Humphrey Human Rights Forum, with public presentations by eminent speakers such as human rights lawyer Lee Cohen, journalist Sally Armstrong, Rwandan activist Godelieve Mukasarasi and Lieutenant-General (retired), Senator Romeo Dollaire;

In June 2006, the Hampton John Peters Humphrey Foundation was selected as the recipient of the 2006 New Brunswick Human Rights Award.

The award was established by the Human Rights Commission in 1988 to mark the 40th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The objective of the award is to recognize outstanding effort, achievement or leadership on a volunteer basis in the promotion of human rights and equality in New Brunswick.

Board of Directors

Georgie Day (Chair)
Leah Robichaud (Secretary)
Andrew Turnbull (Treasurer)
Mary Wanamaker
Bev Harrison
Neil Brodie
Michel Boudreau
Ken Chorley (Ex-Offio Town of Hampton)

Human Rights Forums

In keeping with the mission of the Foundation, annual Human Rights Forums were held on or around December 10th, Human Rights Day, the anniversary of the United Nation's adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Starting in 2002, these have included:

December, 2002: Lee Cohen, Halifax immigration lawyer
January, 2004: Sally Armstrong, journalist and activist for women's rights in Afghanistan
December, 2004: Godolieve Mukasarasi, Rwandan massacre survivor and recipient of the 2004 John Peters Humphrey Freedom Award, given by Rights and Democracy
December, 2005: Sen. Romeo Dallaire, Canadian Amed Forces General who led the mission in Rwanda
December, 2006: Professor Roland Chrisjohn, Chair of the Native Studies Programme at St. Thomas University
December, 2007: Richard Blaquiere, recipient of the New Brunswick Human Rights Award in 1994
December, 2008: Alex Neve, Secretary General of Amnesty International (Canada)
November, 2009: Nelofer Pazira, filmmaker, author and Afghani human rights activist
November, 2010: Dr. Israel Unger, professor and holocaust survivor.
February, 2012: Sheila Watt-Cloutier, Nobel Peace Prize Nominee and former International Chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Council
November, 2012: Jacob Deng, one of the Lost Boys of Sudan
February 2014: Sally Armstrong, journalist, author and human rights activist
December, 2014: Richard Blaquiere, human rights educator and activist
April, 2016: Syrian Refugee Crisis: Four Personal Perspectives, featuring immigration lawyer, Lee Cohen; professor of history and politics, Hepzibah Munoz-Martinez; Syrian refugee, Layla Rahmeh; and community volunteer liaison, William Tarr

Past Events & Happenings

Murals at Hampton Elementary

On the last day of school

in June 2016 the students and staff

at Hampton Elementary

School unveiled their beautiful

Human Rights Mural entitled

John's Dream. A second mural

was added in 2018.

The Foundation was pleased

to assist with the funding of

this project, which was

facilitated by Kathy and

Sue Hooper in conjunction

with the HES Staff.

Artifacts at the Kings County Museum

At the entrance to the Kings County museum you will find the

John Peters Humphrey cabinet and artifacts. These had

been located at the Hampton High School Library

for many years, and can now be found in the new

exhibition space in the Kings County Museum. We wish to

thank HHS Librarian Shane MacMillan for caring for the

cabinet and contents for many years. The Foundation hopes

that more people will be able to see the artifacts and learn

about John Peters Humphrey at the new location.

2016 New Brunswick Human Rights Award

Hampton's Anne Huestis Scott was the recipient of the New Brunswick Human Rights Award for 2016. The award was presented to her at a ceremony at Government House in Fredericton.

Lapel Pin

In 2010 the Board commissioned artist Bud Merritt to design and produce a silver lapel pin, in the form of a dove, for the first Hampton John Peters Humphrey Human Rights Award. This award will be presented annually, if a suitable candidate is found, to a person who has dedicated much time, energy and passion to the betterment of human rights. The first recipient of this award was Dr. Israel Unger, and it was presented to him in a special ceremony at the Human Rights Forum, October 25, 2010.

Speak truth to power, voices behind the dark (A HHSTC Performance)

The Hampton John Peters Humphrey Foundation and Hampton High School Theatre Company teamed up to present Ariel Dorfman's play, Speak Truth to Power;

Voices Beyond the Dark. Directed by Shane MacMillan

and designed by George Fry, this brilliant work is based

on actual cases of human rights abuses throughout the

world revealed through the words of men and women of

many races. The play was presented at Hampton High

School and will be performed in other communities in

2013. The production went to the Edinburgh Festival in

August of 2013.

"Take the voices home with you, carry them into the world. It is a world that needs changing."

Ariel Dorfman.

Bloomin' Artists

This major annual fundraiser is an event of the Hampton JPH Foundation. The Bloomin' Artists weekend event invites up to 40 professional artists to paint in Hampton's gardens. Art works are then sold at silent auction with the proceeds going towards the Foundation's Projects.

Click here

JPH Interpretive Site

In its quest to establish a tangible presence of John Peters Humphrey's legacy in

Hampton, the Foundation has worked towards establishing a John Peters Humphrey

Interpretive Site in the centre of the town. "Credo", an interactive human rights

sculpture, is the focus, and is now located in the centre of Hampton on the historic

Courthouse lawn, the Town of Hampton's Municipal Office. This major work has been created

by Hooper Studios working with sculptor Darren Byers as a memorial to John Humphrey and

his legacy. A series of interpretive panels have been strategically placed linking the Credo

Sculpture Project, the old Humphrey homestead and John Humphrey's gravesite. These

panels feature Humphrey's biography, his relationship to Hampton, the history of the United

Nations and the story of the creation of the Declaration of Human Rights.

Click here for The Story of Credo and its future.

Amnesty International

John Peters Humphrey was one of the original founding members of Amnesty International in Canada in 1973, which now boasts over 65,000 supporters. Hampton AI groups, both within the community and the high school, work diligently through letter-writing campaigns and social justice events, in support of human rights defenders in Colombia and prisoners of conscience throughout the world.

The Green Team

This hands-on student environmental group operates at Hampton High School. Co-ordinated by the Art Dept., the Green Team, through its recycling efforts, raises money in support of social justice initiatives within the school.

Between the Lines

Art students at Hampton High School produced and curated their own human rights art exhibit entitled Between The Lines. Their art works were on view to the public in Gallery 3 of the New Brunswick Museum from June to September 2000. Hampton native John Humphrey was given a special place in the exhibition.

Anne Scott's Books

In October, 2011, the board sponsored Hampton teacher, musician and human rights volunteer Anne Scott in the production of her children's book, The Boy Who Was Bullied, the story of John Humphrey's life, by placing copies in all Anglophone middle schools in New Brunswick, in libraries, all Canadian Human Rights Commissions, museums, various government departments and offices.