Groovefest was started in 1986 by a group of University of Oklahoma students, artists, musicians and activists. They wanted to raise awareness of human rights locally and internationally. The people leading the event have changed many times since then, but the aim of widening public understanding of human rights has stayed the same.

The Universal Declaration in brief

The festival’s materials often return to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations in 1948. A short summary:

• Article 1 sets out the basic idea that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
• Article 2 establishes that these rights apply without discrimination.
• Articles 3 to 21 cover civil and political rights, including life and liberty, freedom from torture and arbitrary arrest, a fair trial, freedom of thought, religion and expression, and peaceful assembly.
• Articles 22 to 27 cover economic, social and cultural rights, such as work, fair pay, social security, rest, an adequate standard of living, education and taking part in cultural life.

Readers who want more can consult an established human rights organisation, such as Amnesty International USA, which the original page recommended.

What the theme means

The organisers argued that rights work did not stop with earlier twentieth-century movements such as women’s suffrage or the civil rights struggle, and that it is not only relevant to distant countries. In their view it also takes place in Oklahoma and affects local residents. The festival therefore sets out to showcase local organisations, artists and businesses that promote human rights in different ways, and to encourage people to keep learning about the complexity of human experience.

See also the history of the festival and the overview.