North Dakota Human Rights Coalition
Working to effect change so that all people in North Dakota enjoy full human rights
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North Dakota Human Rights Coalition Working to effect change so that all people in North Dakota enjoy full human rights |
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North Dakota Human Rights Coalition 2003 Annual Report
The North Dakota Human Rights Coalition’s activities in 2003 followed the strategic plan developed by the NDHRC Board of Directors in 2002 and consisted of the following five goals, with the accomplishments in 2003 for each goal:
(1) NDHRC is well known throughout the state, independent and self-supported with mixed public and private support.
At the end of 2003, the NDHRC grew to 63 individual members and 32 organizational members. The NDHRC staff consisted of two full-time employees, Cheryl Bergian, Director, and Andrea Warren-Deegan, Assistant Director.
The NDHRC participated in or presented to: (1) the board of the North Dakota Disabilities Advocacy Consortium, (2) the Greater North Dakota Legislative Affairs Committee, (3) the Fargo Moorhead Chamber of Commerce Public Affairs Committee, (4) Nativity 5th Grade Religious Class and their parents, (5) All Nations Youth Group, (6) NDSU “Inspiring Creative Communities”, (7) the North Dakota Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, (8) Nativity Catholic Church Lenten Lunch, (9) Central Dakota PFLAG, (10) the Fargo Mayor’s Committee on People with Disabilities, (11) the North Dakota Association of the Blind Annual Meeting, (12) a North Dakota Fair Housing Council Workshop, (13) “Why Not Home”, a workshop sponsored by the North Dakota Progressive Coalition and the North Dakota Disabilities Advocacy Consortium, (13) the North Dakota Medicaid Buy-In Conference, (14) Fargo Moorhead PRIDE 2003, (15) Arc of Cass County Annual Meeting, (15) North Dakota Coalation for Homeless People meeting, and (16) Fargo area labor unions.
The NDHRC increased its Board of Directors from 12 to 15 members, added board members from across the state, and increased the diversity of the Board of Directors. Information on the current Board of Directors is available at http://www.ndhrc.org/ndhrc_board%20&%20staff_bios.htm.
The NDHRC sponsored its first annual North Dakota Human Rights Network Conference, “Fostering a Network of Support for Human Rights Advocates in North Dakota”, a one-day conference with a multi-cultural social the prior evening, attended by 78 people. Eleven organizations from across the state participated in the resource tables. More information on the conference, including the agenda, is available at http://www.ndhrc.org/Events/2003%20NDHRC%20Conf/Summary%20&%20Highlights.htm.
The NDHRC participated in the planning meeting for the Building Racially Inclusive Communities Conference sponsored by the Upper Midwest Regional Network of Race Relations and Racial Justice Organizations scheduled for May, 2004.
(2) Establish a Commission on Human Rights in North Dakota that includes all protected classes from the North Dakota Human Rights Act.
The NDHRC continued monitoring the adequacy of the enforcement of the North Dakota Human Rights Act through the Division of Human Rights in the North Dakota Department of Labor. The NDHRC requested action from the North Dakota Labor Commissioner on three requests outstanding since June, 2001: (1) the establishment of an Advisory Committee to the Division of Human Rights in the North Dakota Department of Labor, (2) the implementation of administrative rules for the operation of the Division of Human Rights, including a definition of reasonable cause for the determination of discrimination in a complaint, and (3) the issuance of the report on the extent of discrimination in North Dakota conducted in December, 2001. The NDHRC added the request that the toll-free number of the Division of Human Rights be listed in the telephone books across the state.
The Labor Commissioner failed to fulfill any of the three requests in 2003. In lieu of an Advisory Committee to the Division of Human Rights, the NDHRC supported a bill in the 2003 North Dakota legislative session that would have created an independent Commission on Human Rights in North Dakota. The NDHRC drafted six fact sheets about the bill, including one that reported the failure of the Division of Human Rights to find probable cause for discrimination despite the documentation of the discriminatory comments of a landlord about a black tenant, including calling the black tenant a “nigger in the woodpile.” Copies of the fact sheets are available on the NDHRC website at http://www.ndhrc.org/NDHRC_02_03_goal1_dev.htm. The NDHRC garnered the support of 35 organizations in North Dakota for an independent Commission on Human Rights; the list of organizations is available at http://www.ndhrc.org/supportingorgs.htm. The bill did not pass, despite the lack of opposing testimony to the bill at any committee meeting on the proposed legislation.
Subsequently, the NDHRC met with Governor Hoeven and renewed its request for an Advisory Committee. Governor Hoeven declined to create the Advsiory Committee, citing the legislature’s rejection of a Commission on Human Rights.
In its meeting with Governor Hoeven, the NDHRC also requested the issuance of administrative rules for the governance of the Division of Human Rights. Governor Hoeven promised that those administrative rules would be drafted by the end of 2003 (which was not accomplished by the Labor Commissioner).
In January, 2003, the Labor Commissioner released the survey conducted on the extent of discrimination in December, 2001, after the NDHRC pointed out the failure to release the survey to the North Dakota legislature.
Governor Hoeven and the Labor Commissioner agreed to have the Division of Human Rights toll-free telephone number listed in the phone books across the state.
(3) Human rights in North Dakota will include more protected classes are in the current human rights act, including sexual orientation.
The NDHRC coordinated its educational and advocacy efforts with Equality North Dakota, a statewide gay/lesbian/transgender/bisexual advocacy group. The NDHRC supported legislation to create “Safe Schools” for GLBT youth (which failed) and opposed legislation that permitted adoption agencies to discriminate against GLBT prospective adoptive parents or foster care parents (which passed).
(4) There are free-standing human relations commissions in North Dakota (at least one in each of the eight regions).
The NDHRC assisted the Bismarck Human Rights Coalition in their successful effort to create a local human relations commission in Bismarck, including providing information to the Bismarck City Commission at the city commission’s request.
The NDHRC facilitated the strategic planning of the members of the Dickinson Human Relations Commission for their first year of activities.
The NDHRC met with 45 people in Devils Lake and with 15 people in Williston who are interested in starting local human relations commissions in those communities.
Cheryl Bergian, Director of the NDHRC, is a member of the Fargo Human Relations Commission and past-chair of that commission.
(5) There is an increase in number of women, people of color & people with disabilities in leadership positions in the legislature and in local and state government.
The NDHRC coordinated its efforts in this area with the North Dakota Disabilities Advocacy Consortium and the North Dakota Progressive Coalition. The NDRHC worked on continuing to raise awareness of the lack of diversity in state and local government through its website, media, and in public forums and presentations by the NDHRC (listed in #1, above). The NDHRC encouraged the Governor to appoint women to two district court vacancies; one woman was appointed.
The NDHRC participated on the steering committee for the National Education for Women’s Leadership Development Institute scheduled for May, 2004, in which approximately 40 women from the region will be able to attend a 5-day residential program designed to teach participants about participation in politics and policymaking.
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North Dakota Human Rights Coalition P.O. Box 1961 Fargo, North Dakota 58107-1961 Phone: (701) 239-9323 Fax: (701) 478-4452 Email: humanrights@ndhrc.org
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