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 24, 2003
Programs ~ Announcements ~ Updates ~ Resources
Hello members and friends of the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition!
In this week’s PAUR Report:
Announcements 1) Action Alert: Thanks to Governor Hoeven and his staff 2) Moorhead Human Rights Commission Seeking Nominations for 2004 Human Rights Awards 3) NDHRC Conference information, including registration, now available for 'Fostering a Network of Support for Human Rights Advocates in North Dakota' at http://ndhrc.org/NDHRC Human Rights Conf Oct 2003.htm on Friday, October 24 and Saturday, October 25 at the Ramada Plaza Suites in Fargo
Newspaper Articles 4) NDHRC Response to The Forum Letter to the Editor by Barry Barringer 5) The Forum (Fargo), Fargo stopover for khat 6) The Forum (Fargo), Cline lawsuit settled 7) The Forum (Fargo), Costello still maintains innocence in Cline case 8) Bismarck Tribune, Educators seek to save Hidatsa language from fading into history 9) The Forum (Fargo), Forum editorial: Preserve the voices of the past 10) Bismarck Tribune, New marketing firm opens in downtown Bismarck 11) Bismarck Tribune, Tribes moving ahead on refinery
Events 12) The Forum (Fargo), Sign language class starts Oct. 6 in Fargo 13) The Forum, (Fargo), Fraser to hold disability workshop
Reminders 14) Mental Health Association in North Dakota Presents, Women’s Mental Health: Research, Trends and Issues, Professional Conference and Annual Meeting, October 8-9, 2003, Fargo, ND 15) Social Justice Scholarship for Women of Color 16) Sisters of the Presentation at Sacred Heart Convent Presents “Peace Studies” 2003 Series (Various Locations in ND and MN) 17) North Dakota Peace Coalition 20th Annual Peace Congress, October 17 – 18, 2003, Fargo
********************************************* Announcements *********************************************
1.) Action Alert: Thanks to Governor Hoeven and his staff
The NDHRC has been asking the Division of Human Rights in the North Dakota Department of Labor to take several actions since June, 2001. On September 9, 2003, the NDHRC Board of Directors met with four members of Governor Hoeven's staff, and we have been promised that our longstanding requests will be addressed. One request is that Governor Hoeven establish an Advisory Committee to the Division of Human Rights. View the full request at http://ndhrc.org/ndhrc%20request_advisory%20comm.htm. More information on all the requests is available at http://www.ndhrc.org/request_to_governor_hoeven_June%2023.htm.
The Advisory Committee we've proposed would assist and be a resource for the Division of Human Rights in the Department of Labor and help the Division be an effective means within state government by which acts of discrimination be minimized and eventually eliminated altogether. The Advisory Committee would include people who are protected from discrimination in the North Dakota Human Rights Act. More information on the Advisory Committee is attached.
You can help us to let Governor Hoeven know that there's support for an Advisory Committee. Please contact the following members of Governor Hoeven's staff and convey your support for an Advisory Committee to the Division of Human Rights.
William Goetz, Chief of Staff, wgoetz@state.nd.us Houdek, Duane E., Policy Advisor and Attorney for Governor Hoeven, dhoudek@state.nd.us Bachmeier, Mark D., Labor Commissioner, mbachmei@state.nd.us Kathy Kulesa, Director of the Division of Human Rights, kkulesa@state.nd.us
Sample message:
As a supporter of the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition, I am writing to thank you for your consideration of the Advisory Committee proposal by the NDHRC, and ask that you encourage Governor Hoeven to create this Advisory Committee for the Division of Human Rights.
An Advisory Committee in the Division would be a resource for information for the Divison of Human Rights, a sounding board for reviewing procedures and initiatives, a link to the communities in North Dakota, and a demonstration of the Division's willingness to work collaboratively with community leaders.
An Advisory Committee as proposed by the NDHRC would help demonstrate North Dakota's acceptance of diversity and willingness to address the challenges that increased diversity will bring.
[Name] [Address]
Update on the requests:
We left the meeting on September 9 with the following commitments:
(1) By early November, 2003: we'll be given an answer on our request for an Advisory Committee to the Division of Human Rights. If they agree to establish the Committee, they'll also have information on how it would be established and what it will do.
(2) By early 2004: Labor Commissioner Bachmeier will draft administrative rules for the Division of Human Rights, including the definition of "probable cause"; that will begin the process of approving the rules for use by the Division, and that process will include an opportunity for public comment (and at least one public hearing on the proposed rules).
(3) Within the next year: the Division of Human Rights' toll-free telephone number will be in one telephone book for each region of the state within the next year, as the new ones are issued. Some areas have multiple telephone books; they'll pick only one of the books because of the cost of the listings statewide.
Given this, we anticipate seeing progress in the human rights arena in North Dakota, especially if an Advisory Committee is created. Please feel free to forward to others who are interested in furthering human rights in North Dakota.
Cheryl Bergian
*********************************************
2.) Moorhead Human Rights Commission Seeking Nominations for 2004 Human Rights Awards
The Moorhead Human Rights Commission (MHRC) is seeking nominations for the eighth annual Moorhead Human Rights Award. The awards honor individuals and/or organizations for making outstanding contributions to protecting and promoting human rights in our community. The following five categories to nominate individuals or organizations in the area of human rights are as follows: Workplace, Education, Civic/Community, Non-profit, and Youth The nominee should have an established integrity, creativity and commitment to principles and exhibit courage and perseverance in the area of human rights. Please use the following criteria as a guideline in recommending the nominee(s):
Designed and initiated programs to promote education, housing, transportation and other opportunities, and protect human rights in our community.
Personal risk taken.
Promoted educational equality.
How the nominee(s) portrays human rights values and principles in their lives or professional practices.
The recognition event for award recipients will be January 20, 2004. If you know of anyone who should be considered for a human rights award, tell the Moorhead Human Rights Commission about them! This is an opportunity to bring attention to their good work.
Please forward your recommendation to the Commission by December 5, 2003, in order that the Commission may review the nominations and plan the event.
For additional information and a copy of the nomination form contact Kim Wangler, Volunteer/ Promotional Services, Moorhead Parks and Recreation at (218) 299-5296.
*********************************************
3.) NDHRC Conference information, including registration, now available for 'Fostering a Network of Support for Human Rights Advocates in North Dakota' at http://ndhrc.org/NDHRC Human Rights Conf Oct 2003.htm on Friday, October 24 and Saturday, October 25 at the Ramada Plaza Suites in 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 *********************************************
4.) NDHRC Response to The Forum Letter to the Editor by Barry Barringer
Cheryl Bergian, Director for the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition sent The Forum the following response to a letter by Barry Barringer September 17, 2003.
Barry Barringer says in his letter to the editor dated September 13, 2003 that an employee can be fired from his or her job because that employee is Christian. That is not correct.
It is important for workers in North Dakota to know that the North Dakota Human Rights Act makes it unlawful for a person to be denied employment or be treated differently in employment because of his or her religion (from "Human Rights Protections in North Dakota" by the Human Rights Division of the North Dakota Department of Labor). Mr. Barringer is incorrect when he states that Christian workers have a lesser legal status or that discrimination against Christians in the workplace is state-sponsored. The North Dakota Human Rights Act does not only protect non-Christian workers; it protects any worker from discrimination in the workplace based on his or her religion (the protection also extends to housing, businesses and customers, and government services).
If a worker believes that they have been discriminated based on their religion, any religion, they should contact the Division of Human Rights in the North Dakota Department of Labor, or private legal counsel.
Cheryl Bergian
North Dakota Human
Rights Coalition
The North Dakota Human Rights Coalition works to effect change so that all people in North Dakota enjoy full human rights.
###############
Other views: Christians need not apply
Pressing for removal of the Ten Commandments marker, Phillip M. Mouch (Forum, Sept. 3) asks me to imagine I’m from a country where I’m persecuted for being the wrong kind of person. I don’t have to imagine: I already live in such a country.
Here in what is now totalitarian America, we have certain people who belong to the “protected classes.” These people are guaranteed protection from harassment and discrimination. All others need not apply.
So if I’m a Christian who’s being harassed at work, I’m not guaranteed protection from that harassment. Yet being harassed will cause me mental and emotional injury, and as an injured person, I’m likely to harass others. Even though I don’t enjoy legal protection, I will suffer the legal penalties, including termination.
Imagine! A system of law that injures people and throws them out of work simply because they’re the “wrong” religion, skin color or gender. By comparison, discomfort over the Ten Commandments marker seems trivial. Yet people argue we should get rid of it because we must respect the feelings of non-Christians. The idea that some people’s feelings matter so much more will only reinforce unequal legal protection.
Let’s say I use my break at work to write notes on the Bible. You see me, and your “feelings” tell you I’m writing a death threat (since, after all, death is one topic in the Bible). You run to management to have me removed. I get hauled away by police, all because of your “feelings” and my lesser legal status.
Removing the Ten Commandments marker would only perpetuate this state-sponsored discrimination. Government officials and business managers would take it as a cue to continue denying legal protection to Christians. Non-Christians would see that if they fuss about some little thing, they can get everything they want, including Christians removed from their jobs. So please, don’t tell me removing the marker would end discrimination. Quite the opposite.
Barringer lives in Fargo. E-mail BarryB@peoplepc.com
View the online article here
*********************************************
5.) The Forum (Fargo), Fargo stopover for khat
Fargo stopover for khat
A rash of khat seizures over the past 10 days could mean Fargo is becoming a popular stopover for the illegal stimulant on its way from Africa to Minneapolis.
The drug’s growing profile showed itself in a Fargo police briefing room Monday, when narcotics officer Pat Claus displayed 10 cardboard boxes of the leafy, red-stalked plant. Over the past two weeks, area drug agents have seized 275 pounds of khat and arrested four men in connection with about a third of it.
Grown mostly in eastern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, khat is viewed by many in the Somali community as a culturally acceptable way to socialize or find relief after a long day of work.
“That doesn’t extend within the borders of the United States,” Claus said.
Claus and officer Julie Hinkel, who works as a community liaison with refugees, said they have been working with local Somali elders since last September to inform the community that the plant is illegal in the United States.
<snip>
View full article here
*********************************************
6.) The Forum (Fargo), Cline lawsuit settled
Cline lawsuit settled
More than two years after Kathy Cline claimed Larry Costello sexually assaulted her on the job, Clay County settled a federal lawsuit by the former sheriff’s deputy.
Cline will receive more than $1.5 million in return for dropping her claims against the county and the former sheriff, her attorneys said Tuesday.
“We don’t think the settlement fails to send a message,” her attorney, Jim Kaster, said. “The message is that power can be abusive sometimes and absolute power can absolutely abusive. “People should make sure there are checks and balances every step of the way involving any public officials.”
Cline, 43, declined to talk with reporters about the case, but briefly thanked her lawyers for their work and making “huge personal sacrifices.”
Kaster said the lawsuit reflects the worst type of sexual harassment.
“This was abuse of power of the worst kind,” he said. “This was not a sexual relationship.”
<snip>
View full article here
*********************************************
7.) The Forum (Fargo), Costello still maintains innocence in Cline case
Costello still maintains innocence in Cline case
Former Sheriff Larry Costello was as defiant as ever about his innocence Tuesday, even as Clay County and Kathy Cline reached a settlement on her federal harassment lawsuit. Costello wanted to take the case to court.
“I would have preferred this go to trial and to let a jury decide,” Costello said in a telephone interview from his lake home south of Lake Park, Minn. “Nobody knows my side. I have never been able to tell people. All we have ever heard is from her side.”
When asked if he was upset with the damage done to his reputation, Costello said, “I know there are people out there who believe Cline’s side of it. I can’t worry about it. I need to focus on family, friends and my life.”
He added anyone close to him will know the Cline “allegations have been frivolous.”
Other county officials, like Commissioner Jon Evert, and Sheriff Bill Bergquist, expressed relief the lawsuit was being settled.
<snip>
View full article here
*********************************************
8.) Bismarck Tribune, Educators seek to save Hidatsa language from fading into history
Educators seek to save Hidatsa language from fading into history By the Associated Press Bismarck Tribune – 9/18/2003
MANDAREE (AP) -- Alex Gwin stands behind the lectern and asks his high school students what sounds like a disarmingly simple question: "What day of the week is it?"
But he asks the question in Hidatsa, not English, and they have to answer in Hidatsa.
One student needs to be reminded that the Hidatsa have a different start to the week.
"Sunday's not the first day of the week," Gwin says in English. "Monday is."
Then, the Hidatsa words "Dami mape" ripple around the room. Third day, Wednesday.
The Hidatsa language classes at the school in Mandaree operate as close as possible to immersion.
If a student wants to be excused to go to the restroom, he or she had better have a strong bladder or be able to ask permission in Hidatsa.
The approach, called Total Physical Response, has been used to teach native languages in Hawaii and among the Blackfeet in Montana. At Mandaree, the Hidatsa community on the Fort Berthold Reservation, educators hope it will revive the tribe's language, spoken by perhaps 100 or 150 residents.
<snip>
View full article here
*********************************************
9.) The Forum (Fargo), Forum editorial: Preserve the voices of the past
Forum editorial: Preserve the voices of the past
Patrick Springer’s week-long, multi-media report in The Forum, “Dying Tongues,” concludes Saturday with a story that suggests American Indian tribes can get help in preserving language and culture. In the story, “Congress asked to fund ‘survival schools’,” Springer reports there is some hope that disappearing native languages will not be completely lost.
It’s a threadbare hope.
Threadbare because a congressional promise has gone unfulfilled. Thread-bare because a 13-year-old authorization for language programs has never been adequately funded. Despite the noble rhetoric that was attached to the 1990 Native American Languages Act, little if anything has been done by the federal government to rescue endangered American Indian languages.
<snip>
View full article here
********************************************
10.) Bismarck Tribune, New marketing firm opens in downtown Bismarck
New marketing firm opens in downtown Bismarck By Mark Hanson Bismarck
Tribune – 9/20/2003 Two local
marketing and management companies have joined forces to form a new business
that will cater to Native American-owned businesses. Seven Fires Marketing and
Management opened its office earlier this week in downtown Bismarck.
<snip>
View full article here
*********************************************
11.) Bismarck Tribune, Tribes moving ahead on refinery
Tribes moving ahead on refinery By James MacPherson, Associated Press Writer Bismarck Tribune – 9/20/2003
The Three
Affiliated Tribes have scrapped plans for a wind-power generator and an ethanol
plant at a planned oil refinery complex near Makoti, saying the projects would
have been too costly.
<snip>
View full article here
********************************************* Events *********************************************
12.) The Forum (Fargo), Sign language class starts Oct. 6 in Fargo
Sign language class starts Oct. 6 in Fargo
The North Dakota Association of the Deaf will offer an American sign language class in Fargo starting Oct. 6. For more information about the class, cost and location or to register, call Bernard Rolewitz at (701) 237-5708 TTY. Use the Relay Service at 711.
*********************************************
13.) The Forum, (Fargo), Fraser to hold disability workshop
Fraser to hold
disability workshop
Fraser Ltd. will be hosting a conference titled “Family and Professional Support for People with Disabilities” on Oct. 10 and 11 in the Ramada Plaza Suites, Fargo.
The workshop is for families, professionals or anyone who personally or professionally would like to learn more about providing day-to-day support to people with disabilities.
Speakers will include Dr. Thomas E. Pomeranz, a nationally-known speaker on developmental disability issues, Donna Byzewski of Catholic Charities North Dakota and Dennis Lyons of Vocational Rehabilitation.
For more information or to register, call (701) 232-3301.
********************************************* Reminders *********************************************
14.) Mental Health Association in North Dakota Presents, Women’s Mental Health: Research, Trends and Issues, Professional Conference and Annual Meeting, October 8-9, 2003, Fargo, ND
The conference is designed for mental health professionals, educators, counselors, advocates, social service providers, health care providers and individuals who want to learn more about women’s mental health.
For more information contact the Mental Health Association of North Dakota at (701) 237-5871 or mentalhealth5@juno.com.
*********************************************
15.) 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
*********************************************
16.) 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
*********************************************
17.) 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
*********************************************
***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
|
