~North Dakota Human Rights
Coalition~
PAUR Report
Programs ~ Announcements ~ Updates ~ Resources
Visit our Website at
www.ndhrc.org
August 19, 2004
Hello
members and friends of the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition!
In this week’s
PAUR Report:
Announcements
1) Press
Release: Hoeven Appoints Leann Bertsch Labor Commissioner
Newspaper
Articles
2) The
Forum (Fargo), Judge mulls human right
lawsuit
3) The
Forum (Fargo), Forum editorial: Labor
chief faces same challenges
4) Associated
Press, State labor commissioner resigning,
Hoeven pick prosecutor as replacement
5) The
Forum (Fargo), New N.D. Labor head named
6) The
Forum (Fargo), Even critics call Labor job
tough
7) Associated
Press, New labor commissioner named
8) The
Forum (Fargo) & The Jamestown Sun articles regarding the proposed constitutional
amendment to prohibit gay marriage or civil unions in North Dakota
9) The
Forum (Fargo), Dan Cvijanovich letter:
Naming street after King is an outrage
10)
The Forum
(Fargo), Interpreters difficult to find
11)
The Forum
(Fargo), Nonprofits register voters
12)
Grand Forks Herald,
UND: Indian nursing program lands $500,000
13)
Grand Forks Herald,
CRIME: Feds arrest two owners of GF Buffet House
14)
Bismarck Tribune,
Governor, mayor sign on for homeless initiative
15)
The Jamestown Sun,
Program helps family reach dream
Events
16)
The Forum
(Fargo), Carlsen center to hold service training
Reminders
17)
New Personal Narratives of Discrimination in North Dakota Featured on NDHRC Web
Site
18)
PSA: Volunteers Needed for Get Out and Vote Project
19)
Press Release: Tribal Summit to Focus on Putting Vision Into Action
20)
Applications Invited for Soros Fellowships for New Americans
21)
Development Disabilities Council Consumer Member Vacancy
22)
The Forum and wire reports,
Center accepts program applications
23)
2004 NDHRC Conference Highlights, November 5 & 6, 2004, Bismarck
*********************************************
Announcements
*********************************************
1.)
Press Release: Hoeven Appoints Leann Bertsch Labor Commissioner
Hoeven Appoints Leann Bertsch Labor Commissioner
BISMARCK,
N.D. - Gov. John Hoeven today announced the appointment of Leann K. Bertsch as
North Dakota Labor Commissioner. Bertsch will succeed current Commissioner Mark
Bachmeier, who is leaving to pursue postgraduate studies. Bertsch will assume
office on September 1.
"Leann's
service as an assistant state's attorney, as an advocate with Legal Assistance
of North Dakota and as a member of the National Guard gives her both the legal
skills and personal sensitivity to serve the people of North Dakota in this role
with distinction," Hoeven said.
A native of
Hillsboro, North Dakota, Bertsch graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree
from North Dakota State University in 1988. She received her JD from the
University of North Dakota School of Law in 1991, and subsequently worked as a
staff attorney for Legal Assistance of North Dakota, Inc. between 1992 and 1996.
Since 1996, Bertsch has served as assistant Burleigh County state's attorney.
"I am
thankful for the appointment by Governor Hoeven to serve as labor commissioner,"
Bertsch said. "The position will allow me to continue serving the public in a
role which addresses issues important to the citizens of North Dakota."
In addition
to her work with the state's attorney's office, Bertsch has served for 18 years
in the Army National Guard, and currently is an Assistant Judge Advocate. She is
married to Rick Volk, an Assistant U.S. Attorney. The couple has two children,
Ricky and Gabrielle.
Labor
Commissioner Mark Bachmeier said, "Leaving the Department of Labor was a
tremendously difficult decision for me. I feel very strongly about the
importance of the work we do and I have been very fortunate to get to go to work
each day with some of the best people I have ever known. It has been an honor to
serve in Governor Hoeven's administration, and I am grateful for the
opportunity."
"I'm very
proud of the work Mark has done," Hoeven said. "He has worked hard to protect
people's rights and also to work in a positive, proactive way with the business
community in our state. He has been successful at doing both."
E-mail
comments to
the Governor
View online press
release
here
*********************************************
Newspaper Articles
*********************************************
2.) The Forum
(Fargo), Judge mulls human right lawsuit
Judge mulls human rights lawsuit
By Mary Jo Almquist
The Forum - 08/13/2004
Seven
individuals suing the North Dakota Labor Department for improperly acting on
their discrimination complaints will have to wait two weeks to find out if
they’re entitled to a class-action lawsuit.
After
hearing from both sides Thursday in a Cass County courtroom, East Central
District Judge Douglas Herman said he hopes to make a decision by Aug. 27.
The lawsuit,
filed in March, claims that state Labor Commissioner Mark Bachmeier and the
Department of Labor have failed to enforce the state’s Human Rights Act.
Plaintiffs
claim Bachmeier didn’t offer them an administrative hearing as required by law
or else left them in limbo by not issuing a finding in their case.
The North
Dakota Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination in employment, housing, public
accommodations, public services, and credit transactions or lending.
Once a
discrimination complaint is filed and investigated, the Human Rights Division of
the Department of Labor must decide if discrimination may have occurred. When
probable cause is found, the issue should go to an administrative law judge for
a hearing.
Since 2001,
when these requirements became part of state law, the department has issued
eight probable cause findings, but no administrative hearings have been held.
Most cases
are settled before that step, Bachmeier has said.
Incidentally, Bachmeier’s resignation from his job became public this week,
effective today. Leann Bertsch, an assistant state’s attorney in Burleigh
County, will replace Bachmeier, who plans to finish a doctorate degree. Bertsch
begins Sept. 1. The lawsuit continues with whomever is labor commissioner.
<snip>
View full article
here
*********************************************
3.) The Forum
(Fargo), Forum editorial: Labor chief faces same challenges
Forum editorial: Labor chief faces same challenges
The Forum - 08/15/2004
North Dakota
Gov. John Hoeven appears to have made a good choice for his new labor
commissioner. Hoeven named Burleigh County Assistant State's Attorney Leann
Bertsch to replace Mark Bachmeier, who resigned to finish his doctoral studies.
Bertsch is
qualified. She's an experienced attorney. She's worked as a prosecutor and for
Legal Assistance of North Dakota, where she was an advocate for indigent clients
with civil legal claims. She is on the governor's sexual offenders task force.
In recent
years, the usually invisible department has been in the spotlight because of its
Human Rights Division. The division was the fall-back option for the
Legislature, which has for several sessions refused to establish an independent
full-blown human rights commission.
The
department was sued by human rights advocates, initially on behalf of two
people, who said the Human Rights Division did not handle their complaints
properly. A lawsuit charged Bachmeier had failed to enforce the state's Human
Rights Act. A Cass County judge agreed and ordered the agency to hold hearings
for the two plaintiffs. Additionally, civil rights and labor lawyers contend the
agency tends to dispose of cases without full and proper hearings, a charge
Bachmeier has denied. The plaintiffs are seeking class action status for the
case.
Critics of
the department seem relatively pleased with the Bertsch appointment. They like
the fact she's a lawyer with experience in civil rights cases. But no matter how
competent or sincere the labor commissioner is, the legislative majority's
routine reluctance to seriously address human rights issues will make the job
very difficult. Bachmeier found that out, and Bertsch will, too.
No one
should conclude Bachmeier was incompetent. Far from it. His determination to do
what was right should not be questioned. He did his best, despite the tacit
intent of the Legislature's majority that his agency do as little as possible
with regard to human rights claims.
Bertsch will
face the same lack of resources and misguided legislative will. Nevertheless,
she is Hoeven's appointment. The governor is stuck with the Legislature's
handiwork (the Human Rights Division within the department), but he can, and
should, insist his commissioner put more emphasis on proper disposition of human
rights violation cases.
<snip>
View full article
here
*********************************************
4.) Associated Press, State labor
commissioner resigning, Hoeven pick prosecutor as replacement
State labor commissioner resigning, Hoeven picks
prosecutor as replacement
Associated Press - 08/10/2004
BISMARCK,
N.D. - A Burleigh County prosecutor is North Dakota's new labor commissioner, a
job that has been embroiled in regulatory fights over housing and job
discrimination and indoor smoking.
Leann
Bertsch succeeds Mark Bachmeier, who is resigning this week to resume work on a
doctoral degree in sociology.
Bertsch, a
Hillsboro native, will begin the job Sept. 1. Gov. John Hoeven announced her
appointment at a news conference Tuesday.
Bachmeier
said his postgraduate studies have been on hold for a decade. He has been a top
Labor Department administrator during most of that time.
"The
postgraduate work is something I've wanted to get back to, and it is time to do
it," Bachmeier said.
Bertsch has
been a Burleigh County assistant state's attorney since 1996. Before that, she
worked for four years as an attorney for Legal Aid of North Dakota, which
provides legal help for the poor.
Bertsch is
also an assistant judge advocate in the North Dakota National Guard.
Bachmeier
has been a Labor Department administrator since June 1998, when former
Commissioner Craig Hagen hired Bachmeier as his deputy. Bachmeier served as the
interim commissioner until then-Gov. Ed Schafer appointed Tony Clark to the job
in September 1999.
Clark was
elected to the state Public Service Commission the following year, and Hoeven
appointed Bachmeier as labor commissioner in January 2001.
The Labor
Department has been criticized for what activists say has been its slowness to
investigate complaints of job or housing discrimination. The Legislature gave
the agency broad anti-discrimination powers three years ago, as an alternative
to establishing a a separate, independent human rights commission.
<snip>
View full article
here
*********************************************
5.) The Forum (Fargo), New N.D. Labor head
named
New N.D. Labor head named
By Janell Cole
The Forum - 08/11/2004
BISMARCK --
State Labor Commissioner Mark Bachmeier, who's been at the center of human
rights enforcement controversies and the Fargo indoor smoking debate, is
stepping down Friday.
Gov. John
Hoeven on Tuesday named Bachmeier's successor, a Burleigh County prosecutor who
will take over Sept. 1.
Bachmeier
said he is resigning to finish a doctoral dissertation on racial segregation in
public schools and not because of job controversies and stress.
"That's just
not true. There was no last straw," he said.
"It's hard
work, but it's not thankless. It's rewarding."
Bachmeier
and Hoeven said the resignation wasn't forced. But it is unusual because
Bachmeier's resignation letter, dated June 10, was kept under wraps by Bachmeier
and the governor's office until Hoeven made Tuesday's appointment.
No one in
the Capitol, even Bachmeier's staff in the state Labor Department, knew he
resigned two months ago.
"I didn't
tell a soul," Bachmeier said Tuesday.
"Today has
been one shocking day," said Ron Gumeringer, a department investigator. He
declined to give details due to Bachmeier's policy that only the commissioner
talks to the press.
Bachmeier's
replacement, Leann Bertsch, 38, has been an assistant Burleigh County state's
attorney since 1996. Before that, she was a staff attorney for Legal Assistance
of North Dakota, where she advocated for indigent clients with civil legal
issues.
<snip>
View full article
here
*********************************************
6.) The Forum (Fargo), Even critics call
Labor job tough
Cheryl Bergian is quoted below. Cheryl is the
Director for the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition.
Even critics call Labor job tough
By Janell Cole
The Forum - 08/11/2004
BISMARCK --
Even Mark Bachmeier's adversaries think he had an impossible job.
Fargo lawyer
Mark Schneider, who took Bachmeier to court this year over the labor
commissioner's claimed failure to enforce state human rights laws, said he took
no pleasure in Bachmeier's departure.
The
Legislature gave human rights enforcement to the Labor Department in 2001.
"I think he
got a raw deal," Schneider said.
"He was
thrown to the wolves" without adequate staff or funding, Schneider said. "It's
impossible with the resources he's given."
Bachmeier's
resignation was made public Tuesday and is effective Friday.
"I wish him
well," Schneider said. "He should be doing something else."
Cheryl
Bergian of Fargo, director of the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition, a
plaintiff in the case against the Labor Department, said she is heartened by
Gov. John Hoeven's decision to appoint a lawyer to head the agency. She has
complained that part of the reason the department wasn't doing a better job was
that no one on its small staff was an attorney.
She said it
would have been preferable if the governor had sought input from interested
groups before making his appointment, just as the state Bar Association takes
part in winnowing candidates for judicial appointments.
<snip>
View full article
here
*********************************************
7.) Associated Press, New labor commissioner
named
New labor commissioner named
By Dale
Wetzel, Associated Press Writer
Published: Bismarck Tribune –
08/11/2004
Gov. John Hoeven appointed a Burleigh County
prosecutor as North Dakota's new labor commissioner, a job that has recently
been snared in regulatory fights about indoor smoking and housing and job
discrimination.
Leann Bertsch succeeds Mark Bachmeier, who is resigning this week to finish work
on his doctoral degree in sociology. Bachmeier has been a top Labor Department
administrator for six years and labor commissioner since January 2001.
"This was, for me, an incredibly hard decision, specifically because I feel so
strongly about what we do," Bachmeier said. "It's hard work, but it's not
thankless. It's rewarding work, in more ways than it's hard."
Bertsch has been a Burleigh County assistant state's attorney since 1996. She
worked for four years before that as a lawyer for Legal Aid of North Dakota,
which provides legal help for the poor. Bertsch is also an assistant judge
advocate in the North Dakota National Guard, with 18 years' service.
"I look forward to a change from being in an adversarial role, to a role where
you can mediate and try to resolve problems," Bertsch said.
<snip>
View full article
here
*********************************************
8.) The Forum (Fargo) & The
Jamestown Sun articles regarding the proposed constitutional amendment to
prohibit gay marriage or civil unions in North Dakota
The NDHRC
Board of Directors has established a position on the proposed anti-gay marriage
constitutional amendment. The position and proposed amendment is as follows:
The North Dakota Human Rights Coalition opposes the proposed North Dakota
constitutional amendment to prevent the recognition of marriage or civil unions
for same-sex couples.
The NDHRC supports full civil rights for all residents of North Dakota,
including gay/lesbian/transgender/bisexual residents of our state. Neither
enshrining discrimination in our Constitution nor stripping families of basic
protections would serve our state’s best interest. The North Dakota
Constitution protects and ensures equal treatment for all people. It should not
be used to single out a group of people for harmful and detrimental treatment.
The
information that the NDHRC Board of Directors used to adopt this position is
available on the NDHRC web site at
http://www.ndhrc.org/Goals/NDHRAct/GayMarriageAmmendmentPosition.htm.
*****************************
Fargo group to host marriage debate
By Mary Jo Almquist
The Forum - 08/05/2004
Fargo
residents wanting to speak out on either side of the same-sex marriage issue may
soon get their opportunity.
A public
debate with the theme “Same-sex marriage: A Community Dialog” will take place at
the end of the month, sponsored by the Fargo Human Relations Commission.
Time, date
and location have not been set.
The Fargo
Human Relations Commission last month took a stand against a proposed statewide
constitutional amendment that seeks to define marriage as a union between a man
and woman.
The issue
appears headed to a public vote in November. The North Dakota Family Alliance on
Tuesday submitted about 52,000 signatures from a recent petition drive to the
Secretary of State’s office. The group needed 25,633 signatures to get the issue
on the ballot. Signatures now need to be validated.
The Fargo
debate would help to educate the public on issues surrounding same-sex marriage
before the election and would give both sides a chance to explain their views,
commissioners said.
Audience
members also would be able to participate in the two-hour discussion.
<snip>
View online
article
here
*****************************
Anti-freedom mentality
at work in latest petition drive
Brad Mills,
Jamestown
The
Jamestown Sun – 08/13/2004
Based on recent letters
to the editor, and political rhetoric, it looks like the North Dakota Republican
party will be playing the “G” card to try to generate fear and hatred and
leverage people’s ignorance and bigotry in attempting to win votes. What I mean
by the “G” card is Guns, God and Gays. Since Republicans have little else to run
on this year, they are using these issues to exploit the Holy Bible and use it
as a browbeating weapon against their opponents. Also, it is a way to divert
attention from other issues they are losing on and would rather not discuss. And
there is no chance for fair-minded compromise or negotiation. It is either their
way or the highway, period.
There seems to be a
mentality among right-wing people that if there is something you hate, hear or
do not understand, the way to deal with it is to either kill it or control it
and do it in the name of the Lord to justify it. This seems to be the case with
the gay marriage issue. As far as I’m concerned, groups like the Family Alliance
who circulated the petition to aid and abet in the bigoted poisoning of the
state Constitution do not really care about marriage. If they did, they would be
addressing the real issues that threaten marriage, such as domestic violence,
child abuse, infidelity, drug and alcohol abuse and poverty. Because of these
and a number of other marriage destroying issues, half of all heterosexual
marriages end in divorce. Gay marriage will not ruin the sanctity of marriage –
“normal” people have already done that. Besides, North Dakota law already
prohibits gay marriage! What more do these people want?
<snip>
View full article
here
*********************************************
9.) The Forum (Fargo), Dan Cvijanovich
letter: Naming street after King is an outrage
Dan Cvijanovich letter: Naming street after
King is an outrage
The Forum - 08/10/2004
The proposal by the
Orwellian sounding "Fargo Human Relations Commission" to name a local street
after Martin Luther King Jr. is, simply, an outrage. King is easily the most
overblown and undeserving idol in recent history. At best, he was a shameless
plagiarist who read other peoples' speeches and never entertained an original
idea of his own. At worst, he was a willing communist puppet without a trace of
genuine, heartfelt principle, and a noted sexual degenerate as well.
It is an
insult to serious American patriots that we have a national holiday honoring
this cipher and, in the minds of many, traitor to his nation as well as to his
fellow blacks. Now we, an overwhelmingly white community with white traditions
and values, are expected to name a street after him?
Just keep
ramming your ideological agenda down our throats. Some day soon, there will be
hell to pay.
Dan
Cvijanovich
Fargo
View online article
here
*********************************************
10.) The Forum (Fargo), Interpreters
difficult to find
Interpreters difficult to find
By Brittany Lawonn
The Forum - 08/06/2004
Finding
interpreters who speak some of the unfamiliar languages that refugees bring to
the Fargo-Moorhead area has become difficult, participants said Thursday during
an immigration access forum session.
Finding
those uniquely qualified interpreters doesn’t happen very often, but it does
happen, said Kathy Hogan, director of Cass County Social Services.
The issue
was raised during a breakout session at the 2004 North Dakota immigration access
forum at the Holiday Inn.
The forum
combined federal, state and local agencies to create what organizers called an
educational endeavor to initiate discussion.
Hogan and
others spoke during a session on the need for interpreters and the difficulty in
serving Limited English Proficient persons.
Valerie
Morgan-Alston, the session leader, said she understands finding interpreters is
difficult and encouraged her audience to report such discrepancies and keep
trying.
“It is
expensive and we realize that, but the importance of access to people outweighs
that,” said Morgan-Alston, the deputy regional manager for Region VIII of the
Office for Civil Rights.
<snip>
View full
article
here
*********************************************
11.) The Forum (Fargo), Nonprofits register
voters
Nonprofits register voters
By Dave Roepke
The Forum - 08/09/2004
Knocking on
doors on 17th Street South in Moorhead, volunteers Sonia Hohnadel and Georgia
Linn are trying to figure out if a Bosnian-speaking man is eligible to vote.
After
several unsuccessful attempts at communication that at one point leads the man
to believe the women are asking him to run for president, they promise to send a
Bosnian-speaking volunteer later.
"It's kind
of hard to explain politics when there's a language barrier," said Hohnadel,
also a Moorhead School Board member. "It's hard to explain politics when there's
not a language barrier."
A joint
venture of two Moorhead nonprofits, the Centro Cultural de Fargo/Moorhead and
the People Escaping Poverty Project, will attempt to break down those barriers,
language and otherwise.
Get Out and
Vote, a nonpartisan registration drive, is meant to give a political voice to
groups that have historically lacked one, PEPP Executive Director Duke Schempp
said.
Ultimately,
the goal is to get more Latinos and other underrepresented populations
interested in local politics, Schempp said.
<snip>
View full article
here
*********************************************
12.) Grand Forks Herald, UND: Indian nursing
program lands $500,000
UND: Indian
nursing program lands $500,000
Grant aims to address health-care work force shortages on
reservations
By David Dodds
Herald Staff Writer
A UND
nursing program that caters to American Indian students has picked up a grant
totaling $567,000 to enhance recruitment and retention of students and to
address a critical health-care work force shortage in rural areas.
The
three-year federal grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
will go to the school's Recruitment and Retention of American Indians into
Nursing program, or RAIN, which has produced more than 100 American Indian
health professionals since it began 15 years ago.
Many of
those nurses have gone back to work in Indian reservations, a segment of the
population in critical need of health-care workers.
Helen
Melland, interim dean of UND's Nursing College, said the federal funding will
help continue that trend by attracting more American Indian students into the
program through new linkages with tribal colleges in the Upper Midwest.
Nursing
shortages are at a critical stage in all of North Dakota, but it's worse on the
reservations and in rural areas, Melland said.
The need is
exacerbated because of the health environment that prevails on reservations, she
said. About 43 percent of American Indians in North Dakota have diabetes, and
about 40 percent of pregnant women on reservations smoke during pregnancy. Also,
American Indians have an infant mortality rate nearly double that of white
populations.
"This
population faces significant health challenges," Melland said.
North Dakota
has about 8,500 licensed registered nurses, of which fewer than 120, or 1.4
percent, are American Indian. American Indians make up about 5 percent of the
state's population.
<snip>
View full
article
here
*********************************************
13.) Grand Forks Herald, CRIME: Feds arrest
two owners of GF Buffet House
CRIME: Feds arrest two owners of GF Buffet House
Illegal alien employees packed into apartment, worked long
hours, paid in cash
By Stephen J. Lee
Herald Staff Writer
Federal
agents arrested two owners of a Grand Forks Chinese restaurant this week,
charging them with using illegal aliens in a scheme described as involving 10
people living in one apartment, working 70-hour weeks for food and meager pay.
Hong Peng,
described by agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as one of two
owners of the Buffet House at 3555 Gateway Drive, will appear today in federal
court in Grand Forks on a charge of harboring or concealing illegal aliens. Yun
Di Lu, the other owner, is scheduled to appear in court Friday morning to face
an identical charge.
The
restaurant has been closed for a few days. Wednesday afternoon, several
employees were working, cleaning in the kitchen, carrying out garbage. Several
who appeared to be Asian and spoke little English, said the restaurant would be
open today, and that the owner would be back today or Friday. According to the
federal complaint, Peng, a woman, and Di Lu, a man, own and manage the popular
buffet-style Chinese restaurant in a building that for years housed a Village
Inn restaurant.
Di Lu lives
with about nine other people - all of them his employees - in an apartment at
3577 13th Ave. N., in Grand Forks, just across two parking lots south of the
restaurant. Peng lives nearby with a female employee.
The case
apparently broke when ICE agent Jesse Huerta interviewed Jesus Garza-Luna after
Garza-Luna
was arrested June 23 for immigration violations, according to a court document.
Garza told federal agents he had worked at the Buffet House for two weeks in
early June, living with Di Lu and "approximately eight other employees," of the
restaurant, said ICE agent Brian Whitlock in an affidavit filed this week in
federal court as part of the complaint. Garza's pay was set at $1,000 a month,
to be paid in cash, minus room and board and meals at the restaurant. No tax
forms, such as a W-4, were filled out, Garza said.
After two
weeks of 12-hour days, seven days a week, he was handed $88 in cash, Garza said.
<snip>
View full
article
here
*********************************************
14.) Bismarck Tribune, Governor, mayor sign
on for homeless initiative
Governor,
mayor sign on for homeless initiative
By Angie Buckley
Bismarck Tribune
– 8/12/04
On Aug. 3,
Lowell Bontjes got four calls from homeless people needing his help.
One man was
put up in a motel until an opening became available at Ruth Meiers Hospitality
House. A female caller spent the previous night on the streets and needed
somewhere to go. Aid Inc. got a room for another woman who needed medical
attention. And another woman, calling from the bus stop, was told to move on to
Fargo, where the YWCA could give her shelter.
That was
just one day.
Bontjes is
the mental illness-homeless case manager for West Central Human Services. He
gets these kinds of calls every day, and every day he must find a place for
homeless people to stay, get food and services.
It's these
people to whom Bismarck Mayor John Warford and Gov. John Hoeven have agreed to
pay special attention. Through the United States Interagency Council on
Homelessness, a federal government program, Warford and Hoeven will initiate
plans to eliminate the problem of chronic homelessness. The North Dakota
Coalition for Homeless People estimates that on any given day, there are at
least 500 homeless people in North Dakota, as shown by a survey last October. Of
these, about 15 percent are chronically homeless, or are continuously homeless
for more than a year or have been homeless at least four times in three years.
They're the
ones that people like Sue Martin, executive director of Ruth Meiers Hospitality
House, hears the names of over and over.
<snip>
View full
article
here
*********************************************
15.) The Jamestown Sun, Program helps family
reach dream
Program helps family
reach dream
By Toni Pirkl
The Jamestown Sun
– 08/13/2004
Katrina and Warren
Johnson of Jamestown never thought they’d be able to afford to buy a home of
their own.
That mentality changed
last April when the house they’d been renting became the home they owned.
The couple became the
first in Jamestown to purchase a home through North Dakota HomeChoice, a
home-buying and rehabilitation program of Lewis and Clark Community Works for
those with disabilities.
The Jamestown/Stutsman
Development Corp. committed $55,419 to join the DREAM Fund, another LCCW
program, which is a partnership with local lenders providing mortgage assistance
to cover financial and affordability gaps. It’s not intended to be a lower cost
alternative to traditional financing but to finance in areas traditional lending
cannot.
Supported by the JSDC,
Stutsman County State Bank, Wells Fargo, Otter Tail Power Co. and Northern
Plains Electric Cooperative, Stutsman County became the 19th county in North
Dakota to participate in the program.
With the contribution
to the DREAM Fund, these organizations made it possible to access other LCCW
services. LCCW is a nonprofit organization providing programs and services for
affordable housing and development opportunities in North Dakota.
For the Johnsons, the
JSDC decision to join the DREAM Fund made their dream possible. With one child,
James, and another on the way, Warren and Katrina are already looking at adding
on to their two-bedroom, one-bath house near Nickeus Park. The couple said LCCW
and its programs are “awesome.”
“We weren’t eligible
for a traditional loan,” Katrina said. “And we’ve always wanted to own a home.
This lets people have their dreams.”
<snip>
View full
article
here
*********************************************
Events
*********************************************
A calendar of events is
available on the NDHRC web site
here.
*********************************************
16.) The Forum (Fargo), Carsen center to hold
service training
Carlsen center to hold service training
Forum and wire reports
The Forum - 08/08/2004
The Anne
Carlsen Center for Children, Jamestown, N.D., will hold training for people
providing services to individuals with disabilities on Aug. 23 and 24.
The seminars
will promote valued relationships, recognize and avoid the characteristics of
the institutional mind set, help people set meaningful goals and design
supportive environments.
Registration
for one day is $65 and both days are $85.
For
registration information, call (800) 568-5175 or visit www.annecenter.org.
View online article
here
*********************************************
Reminders
*********************************************
17.) New Personal
Narratives of Discrimination in North Dakota Featured on NDHRC Web Site
The North Dakota
Human Rights Coalition is currently interviewing people in North Dakota who have
experienced discrimination to document those experiences.
Our focus is on
discrimination involving:
These
personal stories are being posted to our web site regularly and can be viewed
here.
*********************************************
18.) PSA: Volunteers
Needed for Get Out and Vote Project
For
Immediate Release
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
Contact:
Lysa Ringquist, PEPP Community Organizer-236-5434
Lisa Gallegos, Executive Director, Centro Cultural-236-7318
When: Thursday Evenings, 5 PM to 8:30 PM
Where: Centro Cultural, 1014 19th St. S Moorhead
Date of Next Event:
A get out the vote training and neighborhood canvass will be held on Thursday,
August 12th, 5 PM to 8:30 PM at The Hispanic Center—Centro Cultural, 1014 19th
St. S. Moorhead.
People Escaping Poverty Project (PEPP), Centro Cultural De Fargo Moorhead, and
several other Community based groups are teaming up to participate in
non-partisan, community-wide Voter Education and Registration drives.
The goal of the project is to increase voter participation and encourage
Participatory Democracy throughout the community. The Groups have begun a
4-month community wide campaign by participating in community events, door
knocking, training for non-profits and Candidate Forums.
All activities are non-partisan, and our voter registration services are
available without regard to the voter's OR voters' political preference.
Information and other assistance regarding registering to vote, voting,
including transportation to and from appropriate polling locations, and other
services offered shall not be withheld or refused on the basis of support for,
or in opposition to particular candidates or a particular party.
Volunteer activities include: Door knocking, voter registration drives, tabling
at local stores and community events, developing educational tools, maps and
voter information, setting up transportation on election day, planning
activities that increase democracy, and many more
non-partisan activities. Volunteer activities will take place on weekdays,
week-ends and evenings.
Friday Morning Planning meetings are held weekly at 11 am at PEPP and
flexibility is encouraged.
If you are interested in volunteering in this project, contact Lysa Ringquist at
PEPP at 236-5434 or Lisa Gallegos at Centro Cultural at 236-7318.
*********************************************
19.) Press Release:
Tribal Summit to Focus on Putting Vision Into Action
United
Tribes Technical College News
July 29, 2004
Contact: Wes Long Feather, 701-255-3285 x 1218 or
wlongfeather@uttc.edu
BISMARCK, ND
- Tribal leaders and public officials will be talking about what it takes to go
from ideas to action when they gather for the Eighth Annual United Tribes
Intertribal Council Summit.
The
conference is scheduled for September 7-9 in Bismarck with the theme “Putting
Visions Into Action.” United Tribes Technical College sponsors the event, held
in conjunction with the United Tribes International Powwow.
“The act of
visioning is important in tribal life and in the leadership functions of the
mainstream,” said UTTC President David M. Gipp. “Perhaps the more difficult
step is to put our ideas into action. It’s important to learn on how that
occurs and hear from those who’ve been successful at it.”
In the past,
summit meetings have focused on economic issues for tribes, said Gipp.
Presenters at these sessions will touch on a wide range of interests including
tribal participation in the upcoming election, transportation, federal taxation
in Indian Country, federal program assessment rating tools, economic
development, gaming, tourism, and other intertribal issues.
Scheduled
keynote speakers include Norm DeWeaver, Indian and Native American Employment
and Training Coalition, Anchorage, AK, Sandy K. Baruah, EDA Deputy Assistant
Secretary of Programs Operation, Washington, DC, and Robert E. Olson, EDA
Regional Director, Denver, CO.
North Dakota
Governor John Hoeven, Indian Affairs Commission Director Cheryl Kulas and other
state officials, along with Bismarck Mayor John Warford, Mandan Mayor Ken LaMont
and members of the state’s Congressional Delegation are scheduled for
presentations on Tuesday afternoon, September 7.
Other
presenters include Tex Hall, Chairman of the Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara Nation and
President of the National Congress of American Indians, and other tribal leaders
including Chairman Charles Murphy, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, Chairman Valentino
White, Spirit Lake Tribe, Chairman James C. Crawford III, Sisseton-Wahpeton
Sioux Tribe, and Chairman Leon Morin, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa.
The 2004
summit begins one day earlier than last year, on Tuesday, September 7.
Registration opens at 8 a.m. The conference opening ceremony is set for 1 p.m.
The summit
concludes Thursday, September 9 with policy discussions and the formation of
resolutions by the United Tribes of North Dakota Board.
Early bird
registration is available at $250 per person until August 20. Pre-paid
registrations at $300 will be taken until September 3. Onsite registration at
the time of the conference is $350.
Summit
meetings take place at the Best Western Doublewood Inn, 1400 East Interchange
Avenue, (exit 159 & I-94). A reception with gubernatorial candidate Joe Satrom
as guest speaker is scheduled for Wednesday, September 8 at 6 p.m. at the North
Dakota Heritage Center.
To obtain a
copy of the agenda and other information, or to register, contact Wes Long
Feather, 701-255-3285 x 218 or visit the college website
www.uttc.edu.
*********************************************
20.) Applications
Invited for Soros Fellowships for New Americans
Deadline:
November 1, 2004
The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans
(
http://pdsoros.org/
) is an annual fellowship program designed to provide opportunities for new
Americans to achieve leadership positions in their chosen fields.For the
purposes of this program, a "new American" is an individual who (1) is a
resident alien, i.e., holds a Green Card; or (2) has been naturalized as a U.S.
citizen; or (3) is the child of two parents who are both naturalized citizens.
The fellowships provide grants for up to two years ofgraduate study in the
United States. The fellow receivesan annual maintenance grant of $20,000 and a
tuition grantof one-half the tuition cost of the U.S. graduate program attended
by the fellow. Thirty fellowships will be awarded each year.
A fellow may pursue a graduate degree in any professional field (e.g.,
engineering, medicine, law, social work,etc.) or scholarly discipline in the
arts, humanities,social sciences, and sciences.
The applicant must either have a bachelor's degree or bein her/his final year of
undergraduate study. Those whohave a bachelor's degree may already be pursuing
graduate study and may receive fellowship support to continue that study.
Individuals who are in the third, or subsequent, year of study in the same
graduate program are not eligible for the competition.
To be eligible, an applicant must not be older than thirty years of age as of
November 1, 2004.
Candidates must demonstrate the relevance of graduate education to their
long-term career goals and potential in enhancing their contributions to
society. Fellowships are not solely awarded on the basis of academic record. A
successful candidate will give evidence of at least two of the
following three criteria for selection: (1) creativity, originality, and
initiative demonstrated in any area of her/his life; (2) a commitment to and
capacity for accomplishment demonstrated through activity that has required
drive and sustained effort; and (3) a commitment to the values expressed in the
U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
See the Soros Fellowships Web site at
http://pdsoros.org/
for complete program information and an application form.
*********************************************
21.) Development
Disabilities Council Consumer Member Vacancy
The
Governor's Office is working on filling a consumer member vacancy on the
Developmental Disabilities Council and would like to have more candidates to
consider, especially names of consumers residing outside of the Bismarck area.
If you are
aware of persons with a developmental disability who do not live in Bismarck and
who are interested in D.D. Council membership, please encourage them to submit
an application to the Governor's Office for consideration.
For application forms or if you have any questions or need any
assistance contact Thomas D. Wallner at
sowalt@state.nd.us
or call (701) 328-8953.
*********************************************
22.) The Forum and
wire reports, Center accepts program applications
Center accepts program applications
The Forum and wire reports - 07/25/2004
The Dakota
Center for Independent Living, Bismarck, is accepting applications for the North
Dakota Partners in Policymaking program which begins in September.
The program
will train people with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities in
effective strategies for successful advocacy.
The free
program includes motel room, meals, travel and child care.
For more
information, call Joyce Smith at (800) 489-5013 or email at joyces@dakotacil.org.
*********************************************
23.) 2004 NDHRC
Conference Highlights, November 5 & 6, 2004, Bismarck
The second annual North
Dakota Human Rights Coalition Conference, “Human Rights: Economic Impact of
Discrimination,” will be held at 1:30 p.m., Friday, November 5 and close at 4:30
p.m., Saturday, November 6, 2004. The conference will be held at the Best
Western, Ramkota Hotel,
800 South
Third Street,
Bismarck, ND.
This year’s keynote
speaker is the honorable Chairman Tex Hall of the Three Affiliated Tribes and
President of the National Congress of American Indians. Chairman Hall will give
his address on Friday evening.
The goal of the conference
is to bring together people from throughout North Dakota including
representatives from grassroots organizations, private-sector businesses, state
agencies and the legislature to explore and discuss progress and challenges,
with an emphasis on practical applications of human rights relative to
discrimination and its impact on economic structures.
The NDHRC encourages
community and Tribal leaders, support and advocacy organizations, state
legislators, elected officials in city government, state agency and reservation
civil rights and human resource officers, union officers, professional
development or technical assistance employees, human service employees, human
rights advocates, and all individuals with an interest in human rights to
attend.
The Conference program will have two major
elements. Plenary sessions present information and diverse perspectives on the
economic impact of discrimination and breakout sessions discuss important and
emerging economic and human rights issues, and current challenges, access and
use of human rights standards.
Other conference opportunities will
include: a networking and membership meeting to enable individuals to learn more
about the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition, and how to work together on
common issues beyond the conference; resource tables to provide an opportunity
for people to learn more about local human rights related organizations and
resources; and a social event to provide a relaxed setting for establishing
professional contacts, greeting friends, and making new friends.
We will be
posting registration and additional conference information on our website at
www.ndhrc.org
in the near future.
*********************************************
***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
yet a member of NDHRC, what are you waiting for? Sign up now! The
membership form is available on line at
http://ndhrc.org/membership_form_revised.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.
