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

Programs ~ Announcements ~ Updates ~ Resources

Visit our Website at www.ndhrc.org

January 6, 2004

Hello members and friends of the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition!

In this week’s PAUR Report:

Announcements

1) NDHRC Thanks Our 2003 Members

2) Remember to Renew Your NDHRC Membership for 2004

Newspaper Articles

3) Grand Forks Herald, Mailbag: People with disabilities: Run for office

4) Bismarck Tribune, SPED changes won’t affect many, officials say

5) Grand Forks Herald, Columnist Lloyd Omdahl: Facts show racism to be unlikely element in search

Events

6) Fargo-Moorhead to Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, January 19, Fargo

7) Concordia College Hosts Events on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, January 19, Moorhead

8) “Just Fair”: Talking GLBT With Others Training, January 31, Moorhead

9) S.E.E.D. Seminar & Summit: Cross-Cultural Connections, January 13-14, Moorhead

Reminders

10) Message from NDHRC Director About Political Campaign and Candidate Endorsements

11) Forum seeks Martin Luther King Jr. essays

12) NDHRC Web Site Calendar of Events for January

13) The Forum (Fargo), Lou Ziegler column: The Forum will pursue more reader interaction

14) Principles of Community Organizing Training, April 24-27, 2004, Fargo

15) Camp Wellstone Spaces Reserved for Native People and People of Color

16) Sisters of the Presentation at Sacred Heart Convent Presents “Peace Studies” 2003 Series (Various Locations in ND and MN)

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Announcements

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1.) NDHRC Thanks Our 2003 Members

“…for it is the inherent nature of all human beings to yearn for freedom, equality and dignity, and they have an equal right to achieve that.” - The Dalai Lama, New York, USA, April 1994 –

Your membership and support of the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition has played a vital role in making the NDHRC a recognizable and viable statewide human rights organization, and your commitment and invaluable participation has helped us learn what it is we need to do toward effecting change so that all people in North Dakota enjoy full human rights.

Thanks to the following 2003 NDHRC organizational members:

American Association of University Women – Fargo * American Association of Retired Persons of North Dakota * Bismarck-Mandan Unitarian Universalist Church * Bremer Bank * Catholic Charities North Dakota * Cultural Diversity Resources * Dakota Center for Independent Living * Dakota Resource Council * Equality North Dakota * Family Voices of North Dakota * Fargo-Moorhead Amnesty International * Grand Forks Unitarian Universalist Fellowship * League of Women Voters of North Dakota * Mental Health Association of North Dakota * MSUM Social Work Department * Nativity Social Justice Ministry * Nokomis Child Care Center * North Dakota Association of the Deaf * North Dakota Disability Advocacy Consortium * North Dakota Fair Housing Council * North Dakota Peace Coalition * People Escaping Poverty Project * People's Diversity Forum * PFLAG - Central Dakota * Pride Collective LGBT Community Center * Red River Friends * Sisters of the Presentation - Sacred Heart Convent * Statewide Independent Living Council * Temple Beth El * The Arc of Cass County * The GOD'S CHILD Project North Central * Women's Network of the Red River Valley

Thanks to the following 2003 NDHRC individual members:

Cheryl Bergian * Amery Bodelson * Jacques Boucher * Lisa A. Brown * Janis Cheney * Eric Clock * Linda B. Coates * Gail Condon * Dean Conrad * Debra Crosby Pullen * Martha and Carlo DiCicco * Thomas Disselhorst * Alex Doolittle * Gini Duval * Peter and Joan Edwards * Gerry Even * Reid Farns * Diane and Jeff Gerst * Susan Helgeland * Mark Hill * Margine and F.D. Holland Jr. * Roxie Lynn Howard * Dean and Nicki Hulse * Ron and Melissa Hutchison * Julie Huwe * Angela Joslyn * Ruth Kihm * Blake Lahren * Thomas Lane * Barb and Jim Lennington * Lewis Lubka * Dan Mahli * Janell Malper * Charlotte McLaughlin and James Conley * Stephen and Janet Merrill * Skipp Miller * Sylvia Morgan * Barry and Susan Nelson * Kjersten Nelson and Ryan Nagle * Bonnie Olheiser * Sherri Parsons and Vickie Nixon * Marcia Paulson * Allan Peterson * Larry Peterson and Mary Struck * Gina Powers * Thomas and Audrey Richmond * Laura Rovner * Helen Rudie * Lynn Rust * Daniel Schechter * Mark and Mary Joe Schneider * Vinod and Aruna Seth * David Shove * Steve Snortland * Ruth Stensaker * Jim Strutz * David Thompson * Richard Vanden-Eykel * Andrea Warren-Deegan * Lonny Winrich

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2.) Remember to Renew Your NDHRC Membership for 2004

The North Dakota Human Rights Coalition (NDHRC) thanks you for your tremendous support and past membership contribution, and offers you the opportunity to renew your membership in 2004!

Visit our web site for a printable version of the NDHRC membership form at http://ndhrc.org/membership_form_revised.htm.

We have accomplished much this year, however there is still much more that needs to be done before all in our state are afforded equal human rights.

Here are some of the actions and events your membership helped realize this year:

· NDHRC and its members advocated in the state legislature for human rights legislation, a safe school bill, and against an adoption bill that would adversely impact gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender adoptive parents

· NDHRC garnered support from over 40 local and statewide human service organizations for the creation of a North Dakota commission on human rights

· NDHRC board members met with Governor Hoeven’s staff to request the establishment of an Advisory Committee to the Division of Human Rights

· NDHRC’s Director traveled to more than 10 cities throughout the state to discuss the current status of human rights in North Dakota and the establishment of local human rights commissions

· NDHRC requested that Governor Hoeven consider the gender of the applicants for the vacancies in the East Central Judicial District when making his decision on the appointment for the vacancies

· NDHRC nominated nine new board members from across the state and from those most likely to experience discrimination, including people of color, people of diverse ethnic origin, people with disabilities, people of varying age, people of diverse religions, those who have been or are on public assistance, and people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender

· NDHRC hosted its first annual human rights conference in Fargo

· NDHRC has emailed over 40 PAUR (Programs, Announcements, Updates, and Resources) Reports on human rights activities around the state to over 200 recipients

Thank you for your support of the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition and we look forward to having you as a member in 2004!

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Newspaper Articles

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3.) Grand Forks Herald, Mailbag: People with disabilities: Run for office

MAILBAG: People with disabilities: Run for office

Grand Forks Herald – 1/2/2004

EAST GRAND FORKS - OK, people with disabilities, it's time to step up to the plate and assume control of your own destiny. Make a New Year's resolution to do so.

2004 will be an election year at the local, state and federal levels. Do you know any elected official who happens to have a disability? I cannot think of any at either the federal or state level in North Dakota. In Minnesota, there is but one state legislator with a disability and none at the federal level.

When I think of prominent federal elected officials who had disabilities, the only ones who come to mind are former Sen. Bob Dole, and before my lifetime, President Franklin Roosevelt.

Why don't folks with disabilities file and run for elective office at the local, county, state or federal levels? Is it because they think the current crop of able-bodied politicians will pass laws in their best interests? History should tell them that this is not the case.

<snip>

View online article here

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4.) Bismarck Tribune, SPED changes won’t affect many, officials say

SPED changes won't affect many, officials say

By Dale Wetzel, Associated Press Writer

Bismarck Tribune – 12/26/2003

Payment changes in a program that benefits elderly and handicapped North Dakotans will not affect most of its clients, Department of Human Services administrators said Wednesday.

Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem, in an opinion made public late Tuesday, said the agency should have excluded $200 in monthly prescription drug expenses when calculating the share of the program's cost that clients should pay.

The program, which benefits more than 1,200 people each month, is called Service Payments for the Elderly and Disabled, or SPED. It provides aid for poor North Dakotans who are elderly or handicapped, who need help to continue to live in their own homes.

SPED pays for an assortment of services, including home improvements used by people with disabilities, such as safety rails and ramps. It pays for house cleaning, meal preparation and aides to help clients bathe and dress themselves.

It is intended to help people remain in their own homes, rather than having to move to a nursing home, where care is much more expensive.

This year, the Legislature ordered the Department of Human Services to revamp its fee schedules for SPED clients. The poorest beneficiaries pay nothing for services, but those who have more resources are billed a portion of the costs, depending on their incomes and the number of people in their families.

<snip>

View online article here

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5.) Grand Forks Herald, Columnist Lloyd Omdahl: Facts show racism to be unlikely element in search

COLUMNIST LLOYD OMDAHL: Facts show racism to be unlikely element in search

Grand Forks Herald – 12/29/2003

When hundreds of private citizens and public agencies demonstrated concern over the disappearance of 22-year-old UND student Dru Sjodin, the friends and relatives of other victims of foul play tagged the massive effort as an example of racism since Sjodin was white and some other victims were not. The accusation was poorly timed, coming when Dru's family and university friends were experiencing shock and concern.

While racism still hounds relationships in our society in varying degrees and under differing circumstances, the accusation in this case was unfounded. To defend such a charge, it would be necessary to demonstrate that the Sjodin case was similar in all respects to other incidents with the exception of race.

There were many ways in which the Sjodin abduction was different from examples suggested by critics alleging racism. In the first place, the Sjodin incident involved sudden urgency because the abduction was signaled by a cell phone call at a specific time in a specific location. It was known instantly that a crime had been committed and Dru was in immediate danger.

<snip>

View full article here

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Events

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6.) Fargo-Moorhead to Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, January 19, Fargo

Fargo, ND (December 30, 2003) – The Fargo Moorhead area plans to honor civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, January 19 from 7-8 p.m. at the Fargo Theatre (314 Broadway). This is an all ages event and is free to the public.

The one-hour recognition of Dr. King’s legacy will feature historic film excerpts from his life and the civil rights movement, a performance by Trollwood Performing Art School’s MLK Day Celebration Choir and Fargo Human Relations Award presentations. The event will also kick-off the Stuff-the-Bus campaign, a two week collection drive to gather needed items for area homeless and emergency shelters.

The Fargo Human Relations Commission organizes the Dr. Martin Luther King Day event to continue the tradition of annually celebrating the life, work, and vision of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

For more information, please contact Dan Mahli, City of Fargo Office of Planning and Development, at dmmahli@ci.fargo.nd.us or (701) 476-4144.

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7.) Concordia College Hosts Events on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, January 19, Moorhead

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: January 19^th, 2004

Remember, Celebrate, Act: A Day On . . . Not a Day Off

9:20 AM “Martin’s Dream: 1957 Concordia College to the New Millennium—A Half Century Review”

Richard Green

Centrum

Green is a Concordia Alum ('61) and the first Director of Multicultural Affairs at Concordia. He

has also served on the Board of Regents.

10:30 AM “Re-reading ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail’ from Multiple Disciplines”

Faculty Multidisciplinary Panel

Frida Nilsen Lounge

Concordia faculty will share their views on this important piece of writing from their individual Disciplines—history, literature, sociology, and communications—and make connections to its current relevance to us all today.

11:50 AM “The State of Human Rights in Fargo-Moorhead.”

Fargo Human Relations Commission & Moorhead Human Rights Commission

Frida Nilsen Lounge

Members of the Fargo and Moorhead Commission will discuss its functions and what the basic human rights are for all people. The Commissions will also discuss how it is responding to community citizen action team recommendations in the areas of housing, employment, and education. These topics are areas of concern that were addressed by the 2001 Report to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, The Status of Equal Opportunity for Minorities in Moorhead, Minnesota.

1:20 PM “World Justice through the Lens of Martin Luther King, Jr”

Concordia Student Panel

Frida Nilsen Lounge

Students from Concordia’s Amnesty International chapter and Concordia Students for Social Justice will explore how MLK’s ideas resonate in issues of international justice and how organizations can use his legacy in international justice work.

2:40 PM “Race at Concordia: The Student Perspective”

Concordia Student Panel

Frida Nilsen Lounge

An ethnically and philosophically diverse panel of Concordia students will share their thoughts and experiences at Concordia College as a means of carrying King’s message of hope forward as stewards of the present and the future.

4:30 PM Concordia Campus reception for Dr. Richard Green

Frida Nilsen Lounge

For more information on ways to celebrate MLK Day, contact Kate at kmolson@cord.edu or check out: http://www4.cord.edu/student/multiculture/Events.htm.

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8.) “Just Fair”: Talking GLBT With Others Training, January 31, Moorhead

From civil marriage and gay and lesbian adoption, to human rights, equal employment and school-based youth concerns, discussions about the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) communities are happening. They occur with some regularity in most organizations, communities, and families. Unfortunately, the discussions can easily turn sour and rancorous, leaving people on all sides of the issue feeling hurt, angry, frustrated and scared.

This training, sponsored by the Pride Collective & Community Center and Equality North Dakota, will offer tools, advice, and practice for people who want to engage in discussions in support of GLBT individuals and their families. Calling upon his ten years of experience, Scott Fearing, Director of Learning for OutFront Minnesota, will facilitate this training for citizens who want to help create a society that fully includes and honors all people, a society that will not single people out for unequal treatment, simply because of their gender identity or sexual orientation. From religion to politics and beyond, we will examine a variety of issues in order to help you be better prepared to fully participate in discussions, because ultimately working towards the full participation and inclusion of all family members, neighbors and citizens is “Just Fair.”

*Please note: This session begins with the premise that all participants embrace the belief that people who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender should be supported in that identity. This training will not allow for any debate on the validity of these identities.

Class size is limited, pre-registration is required. Send payment to Pride Collective & Community Center, 116 12^th St. S., Moorhead, MN 56560. Make checks payable to the Pride Collective & Community Center. A number of partial/full scholarships are available for individuals who would otherwise not be able to attend the training.

Contact: Robert Uebel, Pride Collective & Community Center by phone at (218) 287-8034 or by e-mail at webmaster@pridecollective.com

Cost: $15.00, includes lunch and snacks

Date: Saturday, January 31, 2004

Time: 9am-5pm

Location: Pride Collective & Community Center, located in the PEPP building, 116 12^th St. S., Moorhead, MN

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9.) S.E.E.D. Seminar & Summit: Cross-Cultural Connections, January 13-14, Moorhead

Lillian Roybal Rose, an educator and consultant in the area of cross-cultural communication, will be conducting a two-day seminar, “Cross-Cultural Connections” January 13 and 14.

Roybal Rose is also the keynote speaker for the annual S.E.E.D. (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity) Summit from 7-9 p.m. January 14 in the MSUM Ballroom 200E and F. The S.E.E.D. Summit is free and open to the public.

For seminar registration and additional information view the PDF file here.

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Reminders

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10.) Message from NDHRC Director About Political Campaign and Candidate Endorsements

The NDHRC has been contacted by one of the Democratic presidential campaigns and asked to relay information to you regarding that candidate's position on GLBT issues. Because of our 501(c)(3) status, we cannot endorse a political candidate, nor can we mobilize supporters to elect or defeat candidates.

However, we can do this: we encourage you to research each candidate's position on issues that are important to you, as we enter into this campaign season. The major presidential candidates have websites, and some of the Democratic presidential candidates are establishing campaign offices in Fargo. One NDHRC goal could be achieved by federal action; while the NDHRC supports the creation of discrimination protection in the North Dakota Human Rights Act for members of the GLBT community at the state level, http://www.ndhrc.org/NDHRC_Goals.htm; protection against discrimination in civil rights law at the federal level would begin to achieve that goal, also. Some of the candidates have positions relating to this goal.

It is in our interests as human rights advocates to make questions about human rights part of every campaign, local, state and national. We encourage you to take the opportunity in candidate forums, and as you meet candidates during the election season, to ask them about their positions on the issues that are important to all of us. As we become aware of legislative forums where candidates are available to answer questions, we'll relay that information to you. The goals of the NDHRC are at http://www.ndhrc.org/NDHRC_Goals.htm, if you would like more information on the issues we're working on at the state level.

Cheryl Bergian

Director

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11.) Forum seeks Martin Luther King Jr. essays

Please consider writing an essay and include in your submission that you're a member or supporter of the NDHRC - here's a way for us to get more public awareness. The deadline for submission is noon, January 9, 2004.

On Aug. 28, 1963, more than 200,000 Americans gathered at the Lincoln Memorial heard Martin Luther King Jr. recite the historic "I Have a Dream" speech that has since defined the civil rights movement.

"I say to you today my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream," he said. "It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream."

King went on to describe his vision of social justice and freedom for all races and religions.

Forty years later, we ask, what is your dream for America in the 21st century?

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, The Forum will print reader essays inspired by King's thoughts.

Essays must be no longer than 200 words. All writers must live within The Forum's coverage area and be willing to have his or her photograph appear with the submission.

Send your essay to I Have a Dream, Features Department, The Forum, 101 5th St. N., Box 6022, Fargo ND, 58107. Essays may also be e-mailed to valleyrr@forumcomm.com. Please include your name, age, address and daytime phone number.

Entries are due by noon January 9, 2004. Not all essays will be printed and we reserve the right to edit selected essays.

For more information, contact Sherri Richards at (701) 241-5525.

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12.) NDHRC Web Site Calendar of Events for January

Visit our January web site calendar for information on monthly statewide human rights related activities and events. We welcome your input and comments.

Please send us your news and events for the calendar to humanrights@ndhrc.org.

View the NDHRC web site calendar of events here

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13.) The Forum (Fargo), Lou Ziegler column: The Forum will pursue more reader interaction

Here's an opportunity to affect the Forum's coverage of issues that are important to you, & to the NDHRC. The more NDHRC members who sign up, the more likely we'll be able to communicate to the Forum on our issues. The link to sign up for the Real People Bank is at http://RealPeopleBank.forumcomm.com.

And, note the openings on the Forum's Readers' Board.

Lou Ziegler column: The Forum will pursue more reader interaction
lziegler@forumcomm.com
The Forum - 12/21/2003

If newspapers survive long into the future, I believe reader loyalty, more than anything else, will sustain us.

For some newsrooms, that could mean changes in thinking and attitudes.

Today, The Forum is in the midst of four reader involvement projects.

<snip>

The newsroom is taking a dramatic new strategy for listening to readers and making sure they understand their opinions matter to us.

On Friday, we distributed e-mails to 80,000 -- yes, 80,000 -- registered users of In-Forum who said they’d accept messages from us.

They’re being asked if they are interested in joining our “Real People Bank.” If you didn’t get an e-mail from us, please visit http://RealPeopleBank.forumcomm.com to sign up.

<snip>

View full article here

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14.) Principles of Community Organizing Training, April 24-27, 2004, Fargo

The Dakota Resource Council invites you or anyone you know would be interested to attend the Principles of Community Organizing (POCO) training, which will be held in Fargo on April 24 - 27, 2004. Please register online at http://www.worc.org/development/pocotraining.html.

Also more information on the POCO training can be viewed at the above link or by contacting the Fargo Dakota Resource Council (DRC) office at 701-298-8685.

The Western Organization of Resource Councils (WORC) will be presenting the POCO training. The Dakota Resource Council is a member of WORC.

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15.) Camp Wellstone Spaces Reserved for Native People and People of Color

Super Camp Wellstone is already full! However, they are reserving spots for Native people and people of color. If you want to go, please contact the University of Minnesota Human Rights Center right away. There are also full scholarships available.

These special spots are for Indigenous and People of Color ONLY!!!!!

Camp Description

The upcoming "Super" Camp Wellstone will take place in the Twin Cities:

Friday, January 16, 2004 - Sunday, January 18, 2004

The 2.5-day training program introduces participants to winning grassroots political and electoral action. The Camps draw heavily from Paul Wellstone's distinctive approach to electoral and grassroots organizing, integrating elements of electoral politics, issue advocacy, and community organizing.

Camp Wellstone is designed for individuals interested in working on a political or advocacy campaign, becoming effective citizen activists, volunteers, leaders, or running for elected office.

Camp will run on the following schedule:

Friday 2:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Saturday 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Sunday 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Details regarding locations and final weekend schedule will be sent via email to all registered participants the week before the camp is to take place.

For more information contact the University of Minnesota Human Rights Center at humanrts@umn.edu, or at (612) 626-0041 or (888) HREDUC8.

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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!

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

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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 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.

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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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