Cooper high-schooler plans human rights walk to raise awareness

Pablo Flower wants to become president of the United States someday so he can make a difference in the world. But for now, the high school freshman is starting with his community.

Flower, a John Cooper School student, is organizing the sixth annual Human Rights Walk and Festival, an event to promote awareness of the continuing global fight to end human rights violations.

"Right now, (human rights violations are) happening in Houston," said Flower, referencing the human trafficking issues the city faces. "This event is to bring attention - that it's not just happening far away, it's happening in our own back yard."

The event was first established by another John Cooper School student, Demme Durrett, who graduated two years ago. Durrett rallied a number of area businesses and organizations to support the event and built the foundation. She hand-selected Flower to take the reins when she graduated.

Last year, Durrett helped Flower ease into the planning process. But this year, Flower has headed the drive to get sponsors, entertainment and awareness for the festival. Although he plans to continue running the event for the next three years, Flower already is vetting a couple of younger students to eventually take his place.

As participants walk the course at the festival, they will be able to read 30 signs, each one outlining one of the 30 articles in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a document proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948. Flower hopes the festival can increase awareness of the human rights violations that persist around the world as well as locally.

The event will include a variety of entertainment, including inflatables, games, performances and speeches from community leaders.

The Human Rights Walk and Festival will be at Town Green Park in The Woodlands Saturday, Dec. 3, from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. To register for the free event and for more information, visit humanrightswalk.org.