Small group keeps fighting for human rights
OCEAN CITY — A small group of people can make a big difference.
In March, Amnesty International’s local chapter was presented with the Hironaka Award, which recognizes exceptional efforts in human rights activism.
The award from Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) honors chapters that also show creativity, persistence and impact in that activism, according to longtime member and former Ocean City resident Georgina Shanley.
She accepted the award with Cynthia Hart of Ocean City on behalf of the South Jersey Chapter of Amnesty International (Group 543), that does its volunteer work out of Ocean City.
RELATED STORY: Amnesty Chapter’s ‘voice for the voiceless’ almost folded
The Hironaka Award highlights outstanding, locally driven initiatives such as the Write for Rights campaign and education programs that contribute to the broader global movement, according to Shanley, who now lives in Red Bank.
“We learned that a small group of dedicated and focused people can make a difference in the lives of victims of human rights abuse,” Shanley said, noting the group was cited for its “consistency in sending letters to government officials seeking rights for people who are unknown to us and have very little power.”
Amnesty International Area Coordinator David Rendell said the award was named for human rights activist Sister Laola Hironaka, an early support of AIUSA.
“She was a tireless advocate with a compassionate smile. Sister Laola’s activism and leadership are exemplified in the work all of our local groups are doing every day,” Rendell said.
“It is presented annually to a local community group of volunteers who have demonstrated exemplary activism to further the cause of human rights,” he said.
Hart nominated the group, citing the work it has done over the course of its more than three decades and of work alone in 2025.
“Group 543 has remained a steadfast voice for the voiceless in a community not known for its progressive stance,” Hart wrote in the nomination. The 16 active members of the group put out 130 to 150 letters a month, a total of more than 1,600 appeals in 2025.
She made the point that the group tries to include the image of the prisoner or victim in the letters. “That helps drive home the human face of the person for whom we are working,” she wrote, encouraging other groups to adopt the tactic.
They honored the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre in China in 1989, “ensuring the history of those who stood for democracy remains alive,” and hosted events to support peaceful protesters and prisoners of conscience.
Hart also wrote about the group’s regional impact, organizing Palestine support activities across the state, raising ICE (Immigration and Customers Enforcement) awareness through cards detailing legal rights; supporting families navigating the immigration system; and, among other things, working to expand the “fabric” of the community to eliminate barriers to activism.
Fellow member Charlie Herlands expanded on that, believing their group was recognized for its “tenacious, continuous, long-term human rights efforts.”
“Just as Amnesty’s 1977 Nobel Peace Prize provided important global publicity and credibility for Amnesty’s human rights work,” Herlands said, “the 2026 Hironaka Award provides significant recognition for Group 543’s persistent human rights activism over the past 30-plus years.”
Group member Brian Arnett, who got involved with Amnesty in high school and with the chapter around 1990, was glad to see the group’s hard work being recognized.
Arnett stays involved “because I believe that persecution has no place in this world.”
“It seems more and more that governments are trying to silence the people that speak out, and Amnesty helps speak out for those who are persecuted,” he said. “It is also rewarding when you see our efforts are effective in getting people released.”
Arnett lives in Ocean City and conducts group therapy with people who have suffered a traumatic brain injury.
Herlands joined Amnesty International in the late 1970s. He and his wife moved from Southern California to South Jersey in 1974 to teach at the newly opened Stockton State College.
He organized and served as faculty adviser for Amnesty Campus Network Group at Stockton (now Stockton University) from 1980-1985, and as faculty adviser to Stockton student Amnesty groups off and on between 1985 and 2006.
In 1989, Herlands said, they started a local Amnesty chapter — then called an “Adoption Group” — Group 379 in Galloway Township. He explained that many of the members lived in Cape May County and split off to form Chapter 543. He said the two groups ran in parallel for about 15 years and often coordinated activities together. When he retired from Stockton in 2006, they disbanded Group 379 and he continued his work with Group 543.
“Human rights violations continue, in the United States and around the globe,” Herlands said about his continued activism with the group. “I have spent the last half a century trying to be part of the solution, but there is always more to be done.”
Shanley called human rights work “addictive,” which is what keeps her involved.
“Once we get to see how making our collective effort can get results, it is hard to deny helping others,” she said. “We also have a great group of people who have humor, dedication and a lot of love in their hearts.”
– By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
Photos provided