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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~NDHRC PAUR Report~ April 15, 2003
Programs ~ Announcements ~ Updates ~ Resources
Hello members and friends of the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition!
PLEASE NOTE: We believe we have resolved the report duplication problem, however email AndreaDeegan@NDHRC.org if you receive two copies of this report.
In this week’s PAUR Report:
1) (Reminder) Human Rights Network Conference, April 26, 2003, Fargo 2) Saturday Peace Demonstrations in Fargo 3) Bismarck Tribune Article, “U-Mary student captures Lakota life” 4) Grand Forks Herald Responses to Opinion Article by Lloyd Omdahl “Time for a billionaire” Continued 5) Plan a Local Event to Honor All Sacred Sites – World Peace and Prayer Day, June 21, 2003 6) Building A Human Rights Community: People With Disabilities Forum, Friday, April 25, 2003, Moorhead 7) (Reminder) Amnesty International Meeting, April 19, 2003, Fargo 8) (Reminder) Sisters of the Presentation at Sacred Heart Convent Presents “Peace Studies” (Various Locations in ND and MN)
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1.) (Reminder) Human Rights Network Conference, April 26, 2003, Bismarck
The 1st Annual Human Rights Network Conference on Saturday, April 26 at the Doublewood Inn in Bismarck (10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.), sponsored by the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition.
The conference includes information to enhance your “skill set” and time for conversation and comparison of the challenges and opportunities that exist in our communities and at the state level in North Dakota.
Information on the conference and a registration form are available on our website at http://www.ndhrc.org/conference.htm. Please feel free to forward this to all who might be interested.
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2.) Saturday Peace Demonstrations in Fargo
The North Dakota Peace Coalition and the Red River Anti-War Coalition continue to sponsor have weekly pro-peace demonstrations in Fargo in front of the Federal Building (657 2nd Ave N) at noon every Saturday - until further notice.
More information is available at the Red River Anti-War Coalition's website: www.rrawc.org
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3.) Bismarck Tribune Article, “U-Mary student captures Lakota life”
A set of cheap Wal-Mart
gel pens, with more might than the proverbial sword, have put to canvas the
history of a people.
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4.) Grand Forks Herald Responses to Opinion Article by Lloyd Omdahl “Time for a billionaire” Continued
Con: Columnist ignored racism's destructive hold Grand Forks Herald – 4/11/03
FARGO - I am writing in response to Lloyd Omdahl's column, "Time for a Native billionaire" on March 31 . Having been a political science student of Omdahl's at UND, I hope I understand his sincere motivation in encouraging Native Americans to achieve the economic success of other people of color in the United States today. But I disagree with the avenue he chose to use in his encouragement.
Omdahl chose to determine, on his own, why Native Americans purportedly have failed to achieve economic success, and he chose to supply his solutions to that problem to Native American leadership. If Omdahl were to use the same logic to encourage his former students to change their ways (i.e., quit pointing to the past as a reason for their lack of success), I, as member of that group, would question Omdahl's knowledge of my circumstances as a former student, as well as his decision that he as a professor knew what was best for me and my fellow former students. But, this is exactly what he did in his column when he analyzed the supposed problems that Native Americans have in not achieving economic success, and then devised his own solutions to those problems, without engaging the people from that group in his analysis or in his offer of solutions.
Omdahl said Native Americans opt out of opportunity. I seriously question how he can say this from his position of white privilege in this society. I recommend that he read "Black Like Me," by John Howard Griffin. Omdahl might begin to understand the institutional and individual barriers in our society that create the perception that people of color "opt out" of opportunity. Much too often, those opportunities are denied to people of color because of the inherent benefits of white privilege, benefits that those of us who enjoy that privilege are not even aware exist on a daily basis.
Omdahl recognizes that people of color must "battle up the ladder of success" and "break through the remnants of racism." What he does not recognize is that the "ladder of success" for people of color has rungs missing. People of color cannot simply declare that those rungs are there, as Omdahl would have them do. The remnants of racism exist for people of color; they cannot declare, on their own, that the remnants do not exist. Only a change in the attitude of those who continue to apply the remnants of racism to people of color can replace those rungs.
Cheryl Bergian
Bergian is director of the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition.
'Native billionaires,' pro/con Grand Forks Herald – 4/11/03
GRAND FORKS - I hope that other Herald readers caught the irony. In his column of March 31, "Time for a Native billionaire" , Lloyd Omdahl made three points:
1. Native Americans are as capable as any other group of high levels of achievement and significant contributions to "business, government and sports - or any other endeavor of society."
2. Many Native Americans have deprived themselves and society of the benefits they could yield because they buy too completely into the "victim" mentality. That is, they focus predominantly on past unfairnesses and grievances to the relative exclusion of opportunities they could take advantage of and/or make for themselves.
3. "To their credit," increasing numbers of Native Americans are "taking up challenges in numerous fields of endeavor."
These three points lead to what appears to me to be an eminently sensible suggestion: Leave the grievances of the past behind (or at least de-emphasize them), and move more into the mainstream of opportunity and challenge.
So where's the irony? The Native Americans who took offense at Omdahl's suggestion and chose to respond publicly are those who have developed their potential and risen to impressive levels of achievement by the very process Omdahl suggested. Moreover, each of these persons provided a litany of numerous other Native Americans who have done the same thing.
I was glad to be made aware of these lists of Native American achievers. Among other things, it tells me that the many competent and energetic Native Americans whom I was involved with in my days as a UND faculty member were not as much of a minority as I thought.
So, why did I think they were such a tiny minority? Well, frankly, it was because of my ignorance. But, in my own defense, it was not an ignorance borne of my carelessness or indifference. It was an ignorance borne of the media's emphatic and seemingly incessant perpetuation of the "helpless victim" image. I would like to see the media give much greater visibility to the considerable number of impressively successful (by anyone's standards) Native Americans. Perhaps, this visibility would also impact the minority or majority (whichever it is) of those Native Americans who are still in need of role models to show them the kinds of things they can reasonably aspire to.
So where does this leave us? Simply this. If there is still a problem with underachievement and its attendant ills among Native Americans in general and Native American Indians on reservations in particular, it may be well for those who are concerned to find remedies to heed Ohmdal's suggestion. Perhaps, in other words, it is time to turn significant attention to helping more Native Americans to shed the "victim" image and move on to better things.
Finally, I think Lloyd Omdahl has done all of us a great service with his column. I see here the possible beginning of a very productive dialogue.
Paul H. Wright
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5.) Plan a Local Event to Honor All Sacred Sites – World Peace and Prayer Day, June 21, 2003
Planning for
an event Honoring All Sacred Sites - World Peace and Prayer Day, June 21, 2003
will begin soon.
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6.) Building A Human Rights Community: People With Disabilities Forum, Friday, April 25, 2003, Moorhead
The event will begin with an overview of the human rights framework. This will include education of human rights into personal awareness and behaviors. The Americans with Disabilities Act as well as the application of human rights to people with disabilities will be discussed.
Guest speakers will disclose personal stories of human rights violations right here in our community. The afternoon will focus on specific issues; action steps will be developed to produce change. Educational information from local organizations will be on display throughout the day.
The event will take place at:
Trinity Lutheran Church 210 7th Street South Moorhead, MN
For more information or to register contact:
Cultural Diversity Resources 303 Roberts Street Fargo, ND 58102 (701) 526-3000
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7.) (Reminder) Amnesty International Meeting, April 19, 2003, Fargo
The next meeting will be Saturday, April 19, 2:00 – 3:00 pm, at Reggie Windham’s home at 621 9th St. South, Fargo. Normally the group meets at the Nativity Catholic Church Fireside Room the third Saturday of every month from 2:00 – 3:00 pm, however the church is having Easter services all weekend.
For more information contact:
Reggie Windham
“Better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.” – the Amnesty International motto.
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8.) (Reminder) Sisters of the Presentation at Sacred Heart Convent Presents “Peace Studies”(Various Locations in ND and MN)
Sr. Yvonne Nelson has begun a Peace Studies program at the Sacred Heart Convent. Lectures will take place at the Presentation Center through May 30.
View Schedule of lectures here.
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***Member Reminder*** Please keep us in mind for your group or church social action/social justice meetings! We’d be happy to provide a presentation at a meeting or provide newsletter articles for your organizations.
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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 AndreaDeegan@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.htm
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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 AndreaDeegan@NDHRC.org for immediate assistance |
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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