North Dakota Human Rights Coalition
Working to effect change so that all people in North Dakota enjoy full human rights
|
North Dakota Human Rights Coalition Working to effect change so that all people in North Dakota enjoy full human rights |
|
Click PayPal link for direct credit card contribution or PayPal payment options. (No PayPal account necessary!)
Interested in Receiving NDHRC Email Newsletter? |
~North Dakota Human Rights Coalition PAUR Report~ Visit our Website at www.ndhrc.org
September 11, 2003
Programs ~ Announcements ~ Updates ~ Resources
Hello members and friends of the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition!
In this week’s PAUR Report:
Announcements 1) Social Justice Scholarship for Women of Color 2) REMINDER… 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: Critic does not grasp the obvious (Note: This is a letter to the editor by the NDHRC) 4) Bismarck Tribune, Indian students struggling 5) Bismarck Tribune, Court considering child custody case 6) The Forum (Fargo), Ten Commandments: Fargo lawsuit faces scrutiny
Events 7) Sisters of the Presentation at Sacred Heart Convent Presents “Peace Studies” 2003 Series (Various Locations in ND and MN) 8) North Dakota Peace Coalition 20th Annual Peace Congress, October 17 – 18, 2003, Fargo 9) Fargo-Moorhead Area Amnesty International Monthly Meetings Beginning September 20
Reminders 10) The Bismarck-Mandan Women’s Leadership Award
********************************************* Announcements *********************************************
1.) Social Justice Scholarship for Women of Color
The THIRD WAVE Scholarship program is
for young women of color who prioritize social justice and the work done in the
spirit of justice and equality over academic performance, and who integrate
social justice into all areas of their lives. The deadline is October 1st
for Spring 2004. To qualify you must be: 1. Undergraduate and graduate
students enrolled in an accredited university 3. Demonstrate financial need -
Primary criterion The application form is available
here The number of scholarships awarded
depends on the amount of each award. Scholarships range in amount from $1,000 to
$5,000 each. For more information contact the
Third Wave Foundation at 212-388-1898 or e-mail *********************************************
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 *********************************************
Below is another response from Cheryl Bergian, Director of the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition in response to Mark L. Johnson’s August 23rd column. View previous articles from both Cheryl and Mark here.
3.) The Forum (Fargo), Other views: Critic does not grasp the obvious
Other
views: Critic does not grasp the obvious
Mark L. Johnson, in his column on Aug. 23, has clarified his position that those who represent the categories of people protected from discrimination in the North Dakota Human Rights Act are members of “special interest groups” and stand to gain from the creation of a North Dakota Commission of Human Rights.
Johnson is correct in stating that the representation on the Commission of those protected from discrimination in the North Dakota Human Rights Act would mean that they would gain from the creation of a North Dakota Commission on Human Rights. That’s the very point of the legislation: to provide the perspective of people who are affected by the North Dakota Human Rights Act on the Commission on Human Rights. This does not mean that they would represent “special interest groups” in the pejorative way Johnson intends that statement. Of course those who are affected by discrimination should be on the Commission; that’s the very reason for the Commission.
Johnson states that there should be a debate over what constitutes and defines “discrimination” (quotes in original) and that to provide access on a North Dakota Commission on Human Rights to those who are members of the groups protected against discrimination by the North Dakota Human Rights Act would give that “side” in the debate an unfair advantage. Johnson simply doesn’t understand the nature of discrimination. Speaking for myself, as a white person living in North Dakota, I cannot know what it is like to be followed in a department store or grocery store by store employees, simply because I am a person of color and therefore automatically suspect for shoplifting, as many people of color, including Native American and Latino, will speak of. As an able-bodied person, I cannot know what it is like to have a barrier to entrance to a store or public office building, as those who use wheelchairs experience on a regular basis.
<snip>
View full article here
*********************************************
4.) Bismarck Tribune, Indian students struggling
Indian students struggling By Sheena Dooley Bismarck Tribune – 8/17/2003
She
remembers a boy throwing dirt in her hair and the teacher thinking it was lice.
The school sent her home, telling her not to return without a doctor's note.
View full article here
*********************************************
5.) Bismarck Tribune, Court considering child custody case
Court considering child custody case By Dale Wetzel, Associated Press Writer Bismarck Tribune – 9/5/2003
North Dakota's Supreme Court would be rewarding prejudice by agreeing to take away a lesbian couple's custody of two young girls, which a judge revoked because of the couple's relationship, an attorney contended.
The appeal gives the justices a chance to revisit a 1981 decision that used homosexuality as the reason for giving custody of two children to their heterosexual father, instead of his former wife and her lesbian partner.
Northwest District Judge Gary Holum relied on the earlier precedent in declaring last spring that the girls' father, Shawn Damron, should take over custody of the children from their mother, Valerie Damron, and her partner, Ann Elliot.
The appeal has drawn attention from the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation. An ACLU attorney, Tamara Lange, spoke on Valerie Damron's behalf during Supreme Court arguments on Thursday.
Lange said the children, 10-year-old Harley and 4-year-old Cheyenne, are thriving in their mother's home. Shawn Damron agreed to let his former wife have custody of their daughters even though he knew of his wife's sexual orientation, Lange said.
"The bottom line is that there is no reason in this case to subject Harley and Cheyenne to the disruption and the painful, destabilizing effect of a change of custody," Lange told the justices. The high court will issue its decision later.
Shawn and Valerie Damron were married for 10 years before they divorced in September 2001. Shawn Damron challenged the custody decision less than 18 months later.
He has conceded his former wife is a good mother to their daughters, and Slorby said the custody case was brought because of Valerie Damron's open lesbian relationship.
Shawn Damron feared that his children would be exposed to ridicule in school because of their mother's living arrangement, Slorby said.
Chief Justice Gerald VandeWalle wrote the Supreme Court's decision on the 1981 case involving a lesbian couple, which is called Jacobson v. Jacobson. Responding to a question from VandeWalle, Slorby said he does not believe society has become more tolerant of homosexuals since then.
"I don't think we've come anywhere at all," Slorby said. "It's a sad statement for me to make ... The homophobia is still as great as it always was."
Justice Mary Muehlen Maring wondered if the same "ridicule" logic would apply in other contexts. Should a custody decision go against her, Maring asked, if she wore a burka, which is a traditional Muslim shawl, and her children were teased as a result?
Lange said the justices could apply the same custody standards for homosexual couples as they have for cohabiting heterosexual couples and parents with disabilities.
"If a child is being teased because their parent is in a wheelchair, but the parent is fully able to care for the child, that can't be a justification for a change of custody," she said. "There may be many other remedies for dealing with the private prejudice."
Court filings say Valerie Damron and Elliot have purchased a three-bedroom home in Minot, and have a joint checking account. Valerie Damron is a special education teacher in the Minot schools, while Elliot, an Air Force veteran, is a private security officer.
Elliot met Damron's former husband at the Minot Air Force Base, when both were in the Air Force. Shawn Damron is still stationed there.
Elliot and Shawn Damron worked together and were friends, and Damron introduced Elliot to his wife, court documents say. Elliot eventually took an honorable discharge from the Air Force.
North Dakota law sets out specific factors for determining a child's best interest in custody decisions, including the parents' ability to love the child and provide for his or her needs, along with the "mental and physical health" and "moral fitness" of the parents.
Lange argued the factors would weigh in Valerie Damron's favor if she were heterosexual, and said it would violate the constitutional rights of Elliot, Valerie Damron and her daughters by using homosexuality as the basis for changing custody.
Valerie Damron "has a right to be open about her sexual orientation, and the children have a right to be open about the family structure," Lange said.
Slorby disputed Lange's description of the appeal.
"I don't see this case having anything to do with constitutional rights, gay rights or anything else," he said. "This is a child custody case, based on the best interest of the children."
Article no longer available online.
*********************************************
6.) The Forum (Fargo), Ten Commandments: Fargo lawsuit faces scrutiny
Ten
Commandments: Fargo lawsuit faces scrutiny
A lawsuit filed by five people to remove the Ten Commandments monument from Fargo’s City Hall plaza is being challenged by state Rep. Jim Kasper, R-Fargo.
Kasper informally requested an attorney general’s opinion Thursday to find out whether a state-funded clinic can legally sue the state to remove the monument.
“I don’t think it’s an appropriate way to use taxpayer money,” Kasper said Monday.
Fargo City Commissioner John Cosgriff first told Kasper about the issue in January, Kasper said.
A clinic at the University of North Dakota’s law school is representing the five plaintiffs. UND’s Clinical Education Program allows law students to experience representing real clients who otherwise couldn’t procure representation, said director Laura Rovner.
<snip>
View full article here
********************************************* Events *********************************************
7.) Sisters of the Presentation at Sacred Heart Convent Presents “Peace Studies” 2003 Series (Various Locations in ND and MN)
Presentation Peace Studies has an excellent series of forum speakers for the coming year. Please mark your calendars and more information will be forthcoming this fall!
Nov. 14, 2003 - "Security: An Affair of the Heart" Fr. Johns Sandell, Fargo Jan. 23, 2004 - "What Is a Peace Church?" Dr. Gerald Schlabach, St. Thomas U., St. Paul Feb. 27, 2004 - "What Does My Faith Call Me to in Violent Times?" Panel of three: B'hai, Quaker, Muslim Mar. 26, 2004 - "Jesus against Christianity" Dr. Jack Nelsonp-:Pallmeyer, St. Thomas U., St. Paul April 30 & May 1, 2003 - "Receding Violence, Reseeding the Earth - Harmony in the Web of Life" Helen Prejean and Marya Grathwohl
View additional information here
*********************************************
8.) North Dakota Peace Coalition 20th Annual Peace Congress, October 17 – 18, 2003, Fargo
The North Dakota Peace Coalition will host its 20th annual Peace Congress in Fargo on October 17 - 18. The theme is "New Leadership for Peace and Social Justice".
View additional information here
*********************************************
9.) Fargo-Moorhead Area Amnesty International Monthly Meetings Beginning September 20th
For additional information contact:
Reggie
Windham
********************************************* Reminders *********************************************
10.) 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
*********************************************
***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.
************************************************
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
Not getting the PAUR Report directly in your email? It's so easy to be added to the PAUR mailing list! Email HumanRights@NDHRC.org
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
|
