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 30, 2003 Hello members and friends of the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition! We’re pleased and honored to give huge thanks to our fourteen new members! Thank you! In this week’s PAUR Report:
********************************************* 1.) Amy Schauer Nelson from the North Dakota Fair Housing Council announces the receipt of a grant from Otto Bremer: Otto Bremer Provides Grant To NDFHC In September, 2002, the North Dakota Fair Housing Council (NDFHC) was notified that it had received a grant for $36,173 from the Otto Bremer Foundation to prevent, reduce, and eliminate housing discrimination in North Dakota. The Otto Bremer Foundation’s mission is to be an accessible and responsible resource to aid in the development and cohesion of communities within the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, and Montana with preference given to those communities served by the affiliates of Bremer Financial Corporation. Under this grant, the NDFHC will perform outreach projects to educate housing providers and service users on housing discrimination laws in Bremer Bank communities. The grant will also assist in the investigation of complaints of housing discrimination. ********************************************* 2.) On Diversity and Discrimination: On October 20, 2002 he Bismarck Tribune published a series of articles on diversity and discrimination called "Our Way of Life" at http://www.bismarcktribune.com/owol/bismarck/index.html. Two examples:" A little more diverse" and "Top college student, Army vet still faces racism in Bismarck". Thanks to Amy Schauer Nelson for the info. ********************************************* 3.) Fred Phelps Visit Update: Fred Phelps, an anti-gay protester known for protesting at Matthew Shepard's funeral, is planning a protest visit to Fargo & Grand Forks the weekend of November 1-3. More on Fred Phelps is available at his website, www.godhatesfags.com, and at the Topeka, Kansas newspaper, The Topeka Capital-Journal, http://cjonline.com/webindepth/phelps/. There is a community response being planned in Fargo (confronting Fred Phelps and those accompanying him is not recommended). Press Conference Wednesday, October 30 11:00 a.m City Commission Chamber at Fargo City Hall Sponsored by the Pride Collective, PFLAG, Women’s Network of the Red River Valley, People Escaping Poverty Project, Straight And Gay Alliance, Ten Percent Society, and Fargo Human Relations Commission. Tailgate to stop the hate! NDSU Memorial Union (Refreshments and celebration as a pro-active response to the hate speech of Fred Phelps) Grand Forks Herald article on Phelps activity in Grand Forks: Posted on Wed, Oct. 30, 2002 PROTEST: Westboro members coming to GF Rabidly anti-gay church sending disciples to UND By Stephen J. Lee Herald Staff Writer http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforksherald/4400668.htm Local Christians are concerned that the Wichita, Kan., church notorious for preaching that "God hates fags," will give the faith a bad name when it brings its amazingly vociferous protests to UND on Friday. And the UND student organization for gays and lesbians is gearing up for a counter demonstration. UND's police chief, meanwhile, says he's ready for the whole thing. ********************************************* 4.) Women in Politics: Where Are We? Lyn Nichols hosts First Friday at the Fargo Theater: First Friday At The Fargo Theatre Hosted by WDAY Radio’s Lyn Nichols and broadcast live on WDAY Radio from 12:30-2 p.m. This is your opportunity to share your thoughts and discuss issues important to women (and men) in our region. Each month we will discuss issues central to women’s lives and come together on common concerns. Interact as part of the audience, meet your friends & visit over important topics during lunch & most importantly, help develop a voice for women in our area. This Month’s Discussion Topic: Women in Politics: Where Are We? 12 noon-2 p.m. Friday, November 1, 2002 Bring a bag lunch or purchase lunch from the Fargo Dog House on site. No charge or reservations to participate in this exciting community event!! ********************************************* 5.) From the Grand Forks Herald, Dorreen Yellow Bird’s Column: Wellstone’s voice will be missed on reservations: Posted on Tue, Oct. 29, 2002 Dorreen Yellow Bird Column: Wellstone's voice will be missed on reservations Sadly, at times, it takes a tragic death like that of the honorable Sen. Paul Wellstone to make us realize how important his voice was to Minnesota, in general, and to Native Americans, in particular. Wellstone listened to tribal people and sometimes was our only voice. As the populations on reservations grow and American Indians become shrewd in the political arena, our block of votes grows more pivotal to election outcomes and we will have a stronger voice. I vote in North Dakota because I live across the river. Yet for us - Native Americans - Indian country has no borders. We once moved freely as far as our horses would carry us. Today, we still move in those same areas, but we move faster by car and air. This long-distance travel introduces us to our neighboring tribes, where we sometimes choose life companions. So, some of the issues that Wellstone fought for helped this North Dakotan. Unfortunately, we have a long history of not voting. First, we weren't allowed to vote. That silence is evident in the land and laws, where we came up short and lost so much that we were devastated. Here is some of our voting history. Even though, in 1870, the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution granted all U.S. citizens the right to vote regardless of race, American Indians weren't granted the right of full U.S. citizenship until 1924 through the Snyder Act. At a critical time in our history when land was being taken without consideration to us we had no vote. Yes, I realize that some people at the time couldn't speak or read English, but many could with a little help. It wasn't that long ago really. My mother, father and grandparents can remember when they weren't citizens and were not allowed to vote. Even after the Snyder law, some states said the heck with the act. Those states still didn't allow Native Americans to vote. It wasn't until 40 years later that all Native people were given the right to vote by the action of individual states. In researching some of the old records, I found a statement that was amazingly true even today. An Indian went to town to see some official in city hall about voting. He was answered with: ³We don't want you people over here. You have your own elections over on the island, and if you want to vote, go over there.² Actually, I heard a similar statement several years ago, at a meeting with officials of a small town near the Fort Berthold reservation in North Dakota. A couple of years ago, I asked one of the candidates running for a state office what his thoughts were about tribes in North Dakota. He said, ³Dorreen, they don't vote.² In other words, unless they can affect this election, he wasn't spending time listening or talking with them. Today, it is a matter of rethinking the importance of our participation in the state and federal government. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., is concerned about the irregularities in the voting in and around reservations in South Dakota. Many tribal leaders there think that will cause Native people to put two and two together and come up with ³Our vote will be thrown out and not counted, so why bother.² Vote! I say. Dog those officials until they get it right. Sometimes elections are won by just a few votes. When I first moved home to Fort Berthold 20 years ago, there were so few people voting in state elections that it was pathetic. I heard the same story again as I became involved in the state election: Our vote doesn't matter. But we have made changes at Fort Berthold. The numbers are increasing because more and more people on the reservation are realizing that a block of votes from each of the four reservations in North Dakota can choose the leaders of the state. I was approached with the idea that are tribes moving toward the Republican Party - okay, I thought, party shouldn't matter. What matters is that men and women get elected who are wise, fair, thoughtful and help those who need help - not themselves and their cronies. Some casino tribes, I was told, are seeing political leaders who support big business as partners. They have money for campaigns and that goes a long way toward electing a candidate. So, I repeat the advice from an old spiritual man, who said to look for a leader who selflessly has the whole tribe in mind - the whole nation, and not just those who can buy an election. Paul Wellstone was one of those leaders, and his death is a personal loss for Native people. Yellow Bird writes columns. Reach her at 780-1228, (800) 477-6572 ext. 228 or dyellowbird@gfherald.com ********************************************* 6.) MSUM Women’s Center presents Ann Reed, Minnesota singer and songwriter performance: The MSUM Women's Center proudly presents: Ann Reed, Minnesota singer and songwriter, will be performing at the Glasrud Auditorium on the MSUM campus, Thursday, November 7, at 7:00 PM. Admission is $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for students (with ID). The concert is open to the public. Reed offers original music on a variety of themes, but she is most noted for her philosophy regarding women's issues. Reed has won every major Minnesota music award including Artist of the Year, Folksinger of the Year, and the Alumni fine Arts Award. She has performed at world renown folk festivals, including Bumbershoot and the Winnipeg Folk Festival. She has also received recognition from Billboard magazine and the National Association of Independent Recording Distributors, as well as from several non-profit groups, most recently the Girl Scouts. The concert is sponsored by the MSUM Women's Center. For more information on Ann Reed, visit her website at: For more information on the concert, contact the Women's Center, 236-3792 or womenctr@mnstate.edu ********************************************* 7.) David Whitcom announces the third annual Safe Connections Workshop: Lets talk about Men, Sex, Communication and Community: We hope you join us for this unique and enjoyable workshop, held in the privacy of the elegant Avalon Center in downtown Fargo. Lunch and door prizes are provided to all participants. For more information, contact David Whitcomb at (701) 777-0071, david.whitcomb@und.edu or visit www.safeconnections.info ********************************************* 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 LesaCaskey@NDHRC.org 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! On-line or by mail, it's all set at: http://www.ndhrc.org/membership.htmNot getting the PAUR Report directly in your email? It's so easy to be added to the PAUR mailing list! Email LesaCaskey@NDHRC.orgIf you have received this email in error, or would like to be removed From the PAUR Report mailing list, please send an email to LesaCaskey@NDHRC.org for immediate assistance.
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