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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Programs Announcements Updates Resources October 16, 2002 Hello Friends and Member of the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition! Thank you to the F-M Coalition for the Homeless for accommodating Lesa Caskey of NDHRC on your meeting agenda Tuesday, October 15, 2002. We appreciate every opportunity to raise awareness of our mission and goals. Thank you Duke Schempp of PEPP for your membership and efforts for a contribution! ********************************************* In this week’s PAUR Report: - A Request from NDHRC - An Update from the Human Rights Division of the North Dakota Department of Labor - Dan Mahli of the Fargo Human Relations Commission provides information on the upcoming Human Relations Survey - Marcia Paulson, Executive Director of the FM YWCA shares an invitation to attend a workshop entitled “Understanding and Dismantling Racism”, facilitated by Minnesota Collaborative Anti-Racism Initiative. (Workshop information document attached) - Newspaper article recording the city of Bismarck’s formation of a Human Relations Committee - Jeff Gerst – A (soon to be?) founding member of the Fargo Local Group of Amnesty International brings us an invitation to attend a talk by Sister Sharon Altendorf, P.B.V.M. - Larry Peterson, NDHRC Board Member, Equality North Dakota Steering Committee Member and Professor and Chair of the Department of History at NDSU has another reminder for the NDSU Homecoming Parade and the Safe Zone Allies’ participation. ********************************************* A Request from NDHRC: It's time to ask our candidates for the North Dakota legislature if they support a Human Rights Commission in North Dakota (check out the fact sheet at , also attached as Word Documents). Legislative forums are sponsored by Fargo, West Fargo, and the League of Women Voters, are scheduled as follows: Wednesday, Oct. 16 at West Fargo City Hall 6:00 p.m. District 13 7:45 p.m. District 27
Thursday, Oct. 17 at Fargo City Hall, City Commission Room 6:30 p.m. District 41 7:40 p.m. Measure 2 (Lottery)
Tuesday, Oct. 22 at Fargo City Hall, City Commission Room 6:00 p.m. District 11 7:10 p.m. District 21 8:20 p.m. District 45 Please attend as many of these as you can & ask the candidates if they support a Human Rights Commission in North Dakota. We're coordinating with the North Dakota Progressive Coalition and encouraging attendance and questions at the Tuesday, October 22 forum, to have a number of people who are interested in progressive issues asking the candidates to support those issues. So, if at all possible, attend the October 22 forum! There is one more forum, on Thursday, Oct. 24, 6:30 p.m. for State's Attorney, and 7:35 p.m. for Measure 3 (Youth Initiative), at the Fargo City Commission Room, for those who are interested. ********************************************* Update from the Human Rights Division of the North Dakota Department of Labor: The Human Rights Division of the North Dakota Department of Labor has found for the first time probable cause to charge a discriminatory action in a complaint involving housing discrimination since it received the ability to investigate and enforce housing discrimination complaints in October, 1999. The complainant in this action was assisted in filing the complaint by the North Dakota Fair Housing Council. While the Human Rights Division has resolved other discrimination complaints since 1999, this is the first time a complaint has gone beyond the conciliation stage (or been dismissed for other reasons than by agreement of the parties) in the area of housing discrimination. ********************************************* Fargo Human Relations Commission The Fargo HRC is planning to test a draft local human relations survey on Tuesday, October 22 in City Hall's 1st Floor Conference Room at three different times -- 4:00 p.m., 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. If you can, please stop by at one of those times to test the survey (it should take about one hour, possibly less). The actual human relations survey will be conducted on Native Americans, Refugees/New Americans, people with disabilities and GLBT residents in November.
Please write or call Dan Mahli at dmmahli@ci.fargo.nd.us or 476-4144 if you have questions. ********************************************* Marcia Paulson, Executive Director of the FM YWCA shares an invitation to attend a workshop entitled “Understanding and Dismantling Racism”, facilitated by Minnesota Collaborative Anti-Racism Initiative. See the announcement. ********************************************* Bismarck Tribune News Report: Bismarck approves Human Relations Committee[PARA]By FREDERIC SMITH, Bismarck Tribune The city of Bismarck will join Fargo and Dickinson in having its own human rights commission, called the Bismarck Human Relations Committee. The commission unanimously approved an ordinance creating the committee Tuesday, following an hour and 45 minutes of discussion and public testimony. The body will have nine members appointed by Mayor John Warford and be advisory to the City Commission. The commission retains the right of final approval of all committee recommendations. The draft ordinance was developed by a local group called the Bismarck Human Relations Coalition, working with the city. Various members testified that discrimination is very real in the community, even if it is hard for some people to see. For instance, "There is no way (for a white person) to disguise yourself as an Indian" and experience what an Indian goes through when he looks for housing, said Carol Two Eagles.Lola Huwe and others said Bismarck would be helping itself on the development front by showing, with the committee, a welcoming attitude toward racial minorities, gays and lesbians, and others. “Companies locate where their employees will feel at home, Huwe said, and gay and lesbian employees "want to know what the climate will be like for them before they relocate -- they don't care about the winters." David Gipp, president of United Tribes Technical College, seconded that. "I've been told by companies, 'We like diversity in the community,' '' he said. Commissioner David Jensen had two concerns: Could the city be sued if it failed to act on committee recommendations, and would it be responsible for the cost of the "mediation services" included in the draft ordinance? Coalition coordinator Amy Schauer Nelson said the committee was "set up to be educational, not to do enforcement," and she did not see the city incurring any new liability. City Attorney Charles Whitman agreed that the committee was set up to be "more of a forum," but "you can never say never ... A board appointed by the city does come under the city umbrella," with that much risk. In the end, "mediation services" were amended out of the ordinance. So, at the request of Commissioner Connie Sprynczynatyk, was a list of specific problem areas -- discrimination on the basis of "race, color, religion, sex," etc. -- in favor of the more generic "protected class discrimination, ADA violations or other statutory or constitutional violations. "Coalition members did not agree with all of these changes, but still applauded when the 5-0 vote on the final version was recorded. Commissioner Sandi Tabor said that, following a trial run, the commission would be glad to look at restoration of the original language or at any other changes the new committee thinks are necessary. In its strategic plan for the committee, the coalition says the mission is "to protect and promote the personal dignity of all Bismarck citizens and eliminate any discriminatory barriers." It aims to be a vehicle of education for the public and also a clearing house for local complaints of discriminatory treatment. ********************************************* Jeff Gerst – A (soon to be?) founding member of the Fargo Local Group of Amnesty International brings us an invitation to attend a talk by Sister Sharon Altendorf, P.B.V.M. Sister Sharon Altendorf, P.B.V.M., will give a talk on Saturday, October 19 at 7:00 p.m. at the Presentation Center, 1101 32 Ave S, Fargo. Sister Sharon is from the Presentation Center in Fargo. She is the Executive Director of International Presentation Sisters Association (IPA). The IPA has NGO status at the United Nations and as Executive Directory Sister Sharon represents and speaks for the 5,000 Presentation Sisters and Associates world-wide. She will discuss her responsibilities and opportunities as Executive Director and share her experiences of working with people, delegates, councils and forums from around the world. You are all invited to attend the talk and to contribute to the discussion. Sincerely, Jeff Gerst ********************************************* Larry Peterson’s Info on NDSU Homecoming/Parade Safe Zone Allies: Kara Stack wrote to Larry: I have entered NDSU Safe Zone Allies into the NDSU Homecoming Parade on Saturday, October 19. We'll have a big banner to carry and I'll have extra buttons available, if needed. Line-up begins at 9am on 17th Street North. I encourage everyone who is able to walk with this unit. It sounds as though members from the Ten Percent Society may also be walking with us, though I've yet to receive solid confirmation on that. If you are interested, please let me know and I'll try to get you all in contact with one another. Contact Kara Stack at Kara.Stack@NDSU.NODAK.EDU ********************************************* Do you have a Program, Announcement, Update or Resource that you would like shared on our weekly PAUR report? If so, please send an email to and we will do our best to accommodate you. If you are not a member of NDHRC yet, what are you waiting for? Sign up now! Membership forms HERE. Not getting the PAUR Report directly in your email? It’s so easy to be added to the PAUR mailing list! Email Lesa Caskey (lesacaskey@ndhrc.org) or click HERE for a reply form. If you have received this email in error, or would like to be removed from the PAUR Report mailing list, please send an email to Lesa Caskey (lesacaskey@ndhrc.org) for immediate assistance or click HERE for a reply form. ********************************************* Larry Peterson, NDHRC Board Member and Professor and Chair of the Department of History at NDSU, would like to remind us about the Equality North Dakota workshop on GLBT rights: Please join Equality North Dakota (END) in Bismarck for a statewide *********************************************
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