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 PAUR Report~ Visit our Website at www.ndhrc.org
August 13, 2003
Programs ~ Announcements ~ Updates ~ Resources
Hello members and friends of the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition!
In this week’s PAUR Report:
Announcements 1) NDHRC featured on national web site 2) North Dakota Human Rights Coalition Network Conference, “Fostering a Network of Support for Human Rights Advocates in North Dakota,” October 24 & 25, 2003, Fargo
Newspaper Articles 3) The Forum (Fargo), Other views: Editorial invective; few facts 4) Bismarck Tribune, Disabled deserving of more 5) The Forum (Fargo), Other views: Backward N.D. Legislature makes it easy to leave state 6) The Forum (Fargo), Forum editorial: Population loss in N.D. accelerates 7) The Forum (Fargo), Forum editorial: Delaying Indian suit is shameful 8) The Forum (Fargo), Political notebook: Every plans on running for office 9) The Forum (Fargo), Other views: We have much to learn from American Indians (Note: Forum newspaper articles numbers 5 and 6 above mention the failure of the human rights commission bill)
Events 10) Women’s Equality Day Celebration, August 24, Gooseberry Park, Moorhead
Reminders 11) The Bismarck-Mandan Women’s Leadership Award 12) August 2003 NDHRC Web Site Calendar of Events 13) 2003 Northern Plains Conference on Aging and Disability, Fargo, September 10 &11, 2003
********************************************* Announcements *********************************************
1.) NDHRC featured on national web site
NDHRC Members & Friends
The North Dakota Human Rights Coalition is featured on a national website this week, http://www.tolerance.org/. Tolerance.org is a web project of the Southern Poverty Law Center, to fight hate and promote tolerance. The story is at http://www.tolerance.org/news/article_tol.jsp?id=825.
We're pleased to be featured on the website of a national human rights organization; they've got information on their website on activity from across the United States at http://www.tolerance.org/news/article_tol.jsp?id=787.
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2.) North Dakota Human Rights Coalition Network Conference, “Fostering a Network of Support for Human Rights Advocates in North Dakota,” October 24 & 25, 2003, Fargo
Join us for our multicultural social, Friday, October 24, 2003 and first annual human rights network support conference, Saturday, October 25, 2003 at the Ramada Plaza Suites and Convention Center in Fargo, ND.
The Fostering a Network of Support for Human Rights Advocates in North Dakota conference is designed to bring together concerned individuals, community leaders, support and advocacy organizations and professionals who share a common interest in human rights for North Dakota.
View additional conference information here
********************************************* Newspaper Articles *********************************************
3.) The Forum (Fargo), Other views: Editorial invective; few facts
Other
views: Editorial invective; few facts
The Forum’s Aug. 7 editorial, as well as the accompanying Mike Miller column, critical of the votes of the 2003 Legislature on the issues of cohabitation and a statewide human rights commission, was, as with many of your past commentaries on the Legislature, full of invective, while ignoring some basic facts.
View full article here
Cheryl Bergian, NDHRC Director sent the Forum the following response to the above letter to the editor by Mark L. Johnson.
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Mark L. Johnson's letter to the Forum dated August 11, 2003 purports to provide "some basic facts" about the proposed North Dakota Commission on Human Rights in the 2003 legislative session. Unfortunately, Mr. Johnson failed to check the following "basic facts" on the human rights commission proposal in the 2003 legislative session, which was initiated by the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition (the 2001 and 2003 efforts were led by the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition, not the Progressive Coalition, as Mr. Johnson erroneously stated).
Mr. Johnson stated that the bill presented to the legislature in 2003 would have mandated that a majority of the commissioners on a North Dakota Commission on Human Rights represent "private, special interest groups". In 2003, Senate Bill 2306 provided that the commissioners represent the following: the business community, state or local governments, and those protected from discrimination under the North Dakota Human Rights Act. While it is true that the business community is a "private, special interest group", surely Mr. Johnson did not mean to criticize the proposed Commission because the business community would be represented on the Commission? In fact, Mr. Johnson stated that the Commission would have been "stacked with representatives of organizations with perceived grievances." This is not correct, unless Mr. Johnson believes that the business community or state or local governments have "perceived grievances" in the human rights arena. Other than those two groups, the proposed Commission included no other organizations with representatives on the proposed Commission. The correct information was have been available to Mr. Johnson had he reviewed the bill on the North Dakota Legislature website, or had he checked the outline of the bill on the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition's website at http://www.ndhrc.org/development_7.htm.
Mr. Johnson also criticized the proposals to create a Commission on Human Rights in 1999 and 2001 by stating that the Commission would have "posses[ed] the power to order administrative relief and issue findings which could have then been used in civil or criminal court." Mr. Johnson stated that this power was not in the 2003 proposal. Mr. Johnson failed to recognize that this power is already placed in the Division of Human Rights in the North Dakota Department of Labor, and has been in their hands since 2001, when the North Dakota Human Rights Act was amended and the Division of Human Rights was created in response to advocacy for a North Dakota Commission on Human Rights by the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition. The proposal in 2003 would merely have provided for the ability for an appeal for a hearing to the Commission on Human Rights from a decision of the Division of Human Rights if the Division of Human Rights issued a charge based on a complaint filed with the Division. In other words, the Division of Human Rights in the Department of Labor would have continued to investigate complaints of discrimination filed with it, and issue charges based on those complaints, including orders, if it determined that discrimination has occurred, just has it has had the ability to do since 2001.
Mr. Johnson stated that the "broad powers granted to the proposed Human Rights Commission are unprecedented." To the contrary, the powers that Mr. Johnson complains of are already residing in the Division of Human Rights and have been in the power of that Division since 2001 (and in their hands with regard to discrimination in housing since 1999). And, the legislation proposed in 2003 was patterned after the legislation in use in Colorado since 1981, and matches the legislation mandated for use under the Fair Housing Act of 1968.
Mr. Johnson stated that "disputes and allegations over discrimination belong in the courts, not in front of an appointed board with an ideological ax to grind." First, resolution of allegations of discrimination are less costly to resolve through the services of an administrative agency, both for the person alleging discrimination and the employer, business owner or landlord accused of discrimination. This is why the federal government has established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Housing and Urban Development administrative systems for discrimination complaints for decades, and why North Dakota has had an administrative agency, the North Dakota Department of Labor, investigate employment discrimination complaints since 1983. A less costly alternative for the resolution of disputes is in the interest of all North Dakotans. And, should it be necessary, either the person alleging discrimination or the entity alleged to have discriminated still has the option to take a case to court, under current law and the proposed law. Second, a North Dakota Commission on Human Rights would not have an "ideological ax to grind", unless Mr. Johnson disagrees with the policy of North Dakota as established by the legislature through the North Dakota Human Rights Act when it was enacted in 1983: to prohibit discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, physical disability, status with respect to marriage or status with respect to receipt of public assistance.
The North Dakota Human Rights Coalition will continue to provide information to the legislature and the public regarding the effectiveness of the Division of Human Rights in enforcing the North Dakota Human Rights Act, and continues to believe that a North Dakota Commission on Human Rights would augment and enhance the ability of the Division of Human Rights to provide information and access regarding human rights to all residents of North Dakota.
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4.) Bismarck Tribune, Disabled deserving of more
Disabled
deserving of more Bismarck Tribune - August 6, 2003
I am a
disabled person who uses a wheelchair. I do not believe the state puts enough
money into programs for the disabled. Due to recent budget cuts in the Health
and Human Services Department, many things that were once there for the
disabled, to help them live a normal life, have been done away with.
<snip>
View full article here
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5.) The Forum (Fargo), Other views: Backward N.D. Legislature makes it easy to leave state
Note: This opinion piece mentions the failure of the human rights commission bill, which would have created a volunteer and independent North Dakota Commission on Human Rights.
Other views: Backward N.D. Legislature makes it easy
to leave state
I am 23 years old, college-educated with a spouse and a young child. It seems to me from listening to all the rhetoric flying around the North Dakota Capitol during the last few years that I might be the type of person that the Legislature would want to keep in North Dakota. After all, numerous committees have been formed to figure out why so many of my generation are leaving in an apparent mass exodus to other states. The Legislature, it seems, has taken an active interest in providing people like me with opportunities and incentives that would keep me here. After the recent session, however, I’ve become convinced that our representatives in Bismarck are guilty of not being able to see the forest for the trees.
While our elected officials say they want to continue to foster a friendly, accepting environment here, they refuse to fund an independent commission for human rights. While they talk about bringing high-paying jobs to the state, on its website the state Department of Commerce uses the fact that wages here are “far below the U.S. average” and that North Dakota ranks “49th of 51” as a selling point to bring jobs here.
<snip>
View full article here
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6.) The Forum
(Fargo), Forum editorial: Population loss in N.D. accelerates Note: This opinion piece also mentions the failure of the human rights commission bill.
Forum editorial: Population loss in N.D. accelerates
Officials of Cass County should take no pleasure in Census figures that show the county’s population grew while North Dakota’s shrank between 1995 and 2000.
Cass was one of only a handful of counties that showed population growth. Grand Forks County, one of the state’s important population centers, saw the largest decline with a loss of 8,107 residents. During the five-year period Cass County gained 2,246 people. Other counties showing gains were Morton (Mandan), Burleigh (Bismarck), Stutsman (Jamestown), Slope and Traill.
The rest of the state saw a continuation of the steady out-migration that has characterized trends for at least two decades.
<snip>
View full article here
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7.) The Forum (Fargo), Forum editorial: Delaying Indian suit is shameful
Forum editorial: Delaying Indian suit is shameful
It’s a national disgrace that American Indian farmers and ranchers, some of them from Fort Berthold and Standing Rock reservations in North Dakota, still wait for their day in court almost four years after filing a discrimination lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
(See Patrick Springer’s reports in the July 20 Forum.)
This is not the usual story of crowded court dockets causing delays, although that is a factor. The lion’s share of the blame lies with bureaucrats in USDA offices and the U.S. Department of Justice. At every turn the government has used motions and challenges to tie the case into procedural knots.
<snip>
View full article here
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8.) The Forum (Fargo), Political notebook: Every plans on running for office
Political notebook: Every plans on running for an
office
<snip>
Women numbers stall A trend that saw increases in the number of female legislators in Midwestern states has stalled, the Council of State Governments’ Midwestern office says.
In North Dakota, the percentage is about 15 percent -- 21 of 141. That is down a hair from 10 years ago but still up markedly from 1983.
North Dakota and South Dakota share the status of having the lowest percentage of female legislators. All of the other 11 Midwest states have more, with Minnesota and Kansas tied at about almost 30 percent.
Deborah Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, tells the CSG’s Midwest Stateline newsletter that both political parties simply are not making enough of a concerted effort to recruit potential female candidates.
<snip>
View full article here
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9.) The Forum (Fargo), Other views: We have much to learn from American Indians
Other views: We have much to learn from American
Indians
After reading recent exchanges in The Forum regarding American Indians and whether they ought to dwell on their status of victim in the context of today’s world, I am prompted to add another perspective.
I, a non-Indian of European ancestry, had the privilege of growing up among the Lakota people of northeastern Montana after my parents accepted teaching jobs there in the late 1960s. After 17 years on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, I felt somewhat disillusioned over the lifestyle of many of my Indian friends as I headed off to college to make my way in the world. Eventually, though, I felt a yearning to learn more about why many of these friends who’d been “left behind” held such hopeless visions of their futures.
Through research and a willingness to open my heart to the truth of the past, I came to new conclusions. I have the following suggestions:
To those who condemn American Indian people for not becoming more efficient, I ask that you step back and consider several things. First, it is not so easy. If someone from foreign soil came to North Dakota today and forced you onto a small area of land, land other than that which you’d previously lived upon, and demanded you change your lifestyle, would you so easily do so? If then, you realized you had no choice and complied the best you could, would you not harbor resentments? If the wrongs that caused the resentments went unacknowledged, wouldn’t it be difficult to forget? Might you feel a need to keep memories of those resentments alive through the years until they had been properly addressed?
<snip>
View full article here
********************************************* Events *********************************************
10.) Women’s Equality Day Celebration, August 24, Gooseberry Park, Moorhead
The Women's Network of the Red River Valley will be hosting their annual Women's Equality Day Celebration on Sunday, August 24th from 1:00-5:00 in Gooseberry Park, Moorhead. Women's Equality Day events are organized nationally to commemorate the Ratification of the 19th Amendment, granting women the right to vote. The event will include performances by women musicians, art for sale from local women artists, information tables for local organizations, great food by Deb Jenkins, and lots of fun!
********************************************* Reminders *********************************************
11.) The Bismark-Mandan Women’s Leadership Award
Help Select One Outstanding Woman
Your Missouri Slope Areawide United Way is sponsoring the new Bismarck-Mandan Women’s Leadership Award, and they need your help. Each year, they recognize a woman who, through service work and volunteerism, has made a difference in our community.
To nominate an individual you know, mail, e-mail or fax the United Way, telling them, in 150 words or less, based on the nomination criteria, why you think the person is deserving of the Women’s Leadership Award. Your description should also say how the person satisfies the nomination criteria available at United Way. Include your name, address and phone number.
Nominations must be received by 5:00 p.m., Monday, September 15, 2003. Entries will be judged by a committee of community leaders, assembled by United Way. Nominees need not be affiliated or associated with United Way in order to be eligible. For nomination criteria and more information contact the United Way at:
P.O. Box 2111 Bismarck, ND 58502 Fax: (701) 255-6243 unitedway@msaunitedway.com
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12.) August 2003 Web Site Calendar of Events
The August calendar of events is currently available on our web site. Your input and information regarding upcoming events is much appreciated.
Email your events to Andrea at andreadeegan@ndhrc.org
View the NDHRC web site here
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13.) 2003 Northern Plains Conference on Aging and Disability, Fargo, September 10 &11, 2003
The Northern Plains Conference on Aging and Disability is a preeminent event designed to bring together elders and professionals who share a common interest in the graying of the northern plains. Dialogue and collaboration between professionals and consumers is taking on expanded importance as consumers increasingly find their voice. Public and private agencies and organizations of every category are seeing the wisdom of working together. The 2003 conference offers the opportunity for older and disabled adults, senior adult advocacy groups, health care professionals, government representatives, long-term care professionals, home and community based service providers, human services workers and city and county planners to focus on the future.
Concurrent Sessions will be offered on a variety of topics including: Memory Loss, the National Family Caregiver Support Program, Developmental Disabilities, Diabetes Care, Identify Theft, Vision, Disability Legislation and the Therapeutic Effect of Essential Oils.
For registration information, a conference brochure or answers to questions, please contact Sandy Arends at (701) 298-4411 or 1-888-342-4900.
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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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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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