North Dakota Human Rights Coalition
Working to effect change so that all people in North Dakota enjoy full human rights
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North Dakota Human Rights Coalition Working to effect change so that all people in North Dakota enjoy full human rights |
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~North Dakota Human Rights Coalition~ PAUR Report
Programs ~ Announcements ~ Updates ~ Resources
Visit our Website at www.ndhrc.org
January 6, 2005
Hello members and friends of the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition!
In this week’s PAUR Report:
Announcements 1) Press Release: Fargo-Moorhead to Commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Newspaper Articles 2) Jamestown Sun, Results of vote on Measure 1 in North Dakota disappointing 3) The Forum (Fargo), Feces found inside synagogue 4) Bismarck Tribune, Lost in the shuffle 5) Bismarck Tribune, UND plans scholarships for Indian student pilots 6) Grand Forks Herald, In the mail: Intentions count, but get the permit 7) The Forum (Fargo), Lawyers, not advocates, likely to reverse denials 8) The Forum (Fargo), Few lawyers take on workers’ comp cases 9) The Forum (Fargo), Injured worker wins, loses his comp battle 10) The Forum (Fargo), Types of disability and impairment 11) The Forum (Fargo), Only most-injured win impairment payments 12) Bismarck Tribune, Former Blockbuster employee sues 13) The Forum (Fargo), Carriers refute Jensen claims 14) The Forum (Fargo), Letter of law swayed jury 15) Bismarck Tribune, Coach comes a long way to check on his students 16) The Forum (Fargo), Gay marriage foes set for a long fight 17) The Forum (Fargo), N.D. legislators to tackle child care, state worker pay
Events 18) Minnkota Health Project, 2nd Annual Celebrating Life Dinner, Gala, & Auction, February 26, 2005 19) SOHR Presents “Controversies of Reparative Therapy: Presented by Alice Christianson,” Detroit Lakes, MN, January 8, 2005 20) Mental Health Association in North Dakota Journey of Hope Class, Bismarck, ND, January 28 - 30 21) 4th Annual Indian Child Welfare Conference, Mandan, ND, February 16 – 18 22) PFLAG of Fargo-Moorhead and Fargo Theatre Sponsor Discussion of Film, “Tying the Knot,” Fargo, January 9
Reminders 23) NDHRC Thanks Our 2004 Members 24) Help Support the NDHRC with Your 2005 Membership 25) North Dakota Human Rights Coalition Service Opportunity 26) NDHRC Web Site Calendar of Events 27) Northwest Area Foundation Great Strides Award 28) Clean Water Action Lobby Day, January 24, 2005, Bismarck 29) Upper Midwest Human Rights Fellowship Grants 2005 30) Nominations for Social Justice Leaders Sought for Leadership for a Changing World Program 31) Sisters of the Presentation at Sacred Heart Convent, “2004 – 2005 Presentation Peace Studies Forum,” Fargo, ND
Please Note: The NDHRC distributes a weekly PAUR report to inform our members and friends about news, events, and other human rights related information around the state. The opinions expressed within the articles are those of the authors and are not endorsed by the NDHRC.
New NDHRC members: as a membership benefit you have received an e-mail subscription of our weekly e-mail newsletter, the NDHRC PAUR Report. If you would like to be removed from the PAUR Report mailing list, please send an email to humanrights@ndhrc.org.
********************************************* Announcements *********************************************
1.) Press Release: Fargo-Moorhead to Commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day
FARGO, N.D. (Jan. 5, 2005) – The Fargo-Moorhead area will honor civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, Jan. 17 from 7-8 p.m. at the Fargo Theatre (314 Broadway). The program is free to the public.
The one-hour recognition of Dr. King’s legacy will feature a speech from the civil rights movement, which will be shown with historic photos and pictures of people in the FM area, and a performance by the Trollwood Performing Art School’s Martin Luther King Day Choir. The event will also kick-off the Stuff-the-Bus campaign, which is a two-week collection drive to gather needed items for area homeless and emergency shelters. Fargo Human Relations Awards will be presented to:
The Fargo Human Relations Commission organizes the Dr. Martin Luther King Day event to commemorate 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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2.) Jamestown Sun, Results of vote on Measure 1 in North Dakota disappointing
Results of vote on Measure 1 in North Dakota
disappointing
Jamestown Sun – 12/17/2004
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 serves our state’s best interest.
The North Dakota Constitution should protect and ensure equal treatment for all people. It should not be used to single out a group of people for harmful and detrimental treatment. The North Dakota Human Rights Coalition Board of Directors wishes to express its disappointment and sorrow that the voters in North Dakota chose to support this weakening of civil rights in our state.
View online article here
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3.) The Forum (Fargo), Feces found inside synagogue
Feces found
inside synagogue
Someone left feces inside Fargo’s synagogue Wednesday afternoon, police said.
It was left in the vestibule between an unlocked outside door and an inner door to the worship area at Temple Beth El, 809 11th Ave. S.
Janeen Kobrinsky, lay rabbi at the synagogue, said she had no idea what the motive was. The act was done sometime between 3 p.m., when a secretary left, and 7:15 p.m., when an adult education class began and found the waste, she said.
Bev Jacobson, president of the congregation, said she couldn’t remember this happening before in her 10 years with the temple. Last spring someone threw a rock through an office window, but police never found the person responsible, she said.
No one could tell from Wednesday’s scene whether the act was motivated by anti-Semitism or simple vandalism, Jacobson said.
“There’s no indication either way,” she said.
An officer who responded to the call believed the waste came from a person, Sgt. Kevin Volrath said. Police don’t have any suspects, he said.
Kobrinsky said synagogue officials might decide to lock the outer door now.
<snip>
View full article here
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4.) Bismarck Tribune, Lost in the shuffle
Lost in the shuffle By Tony Spilde Bismarck Tribune – 12/19/2004
BEULAH -- A vinyl Santa Claus stared through the front window of Jimmy Mote's small apartment, out on the edge of town.
Ho ho ho.
But he didn't see it.
No, man. He looked right through the rosy cheeks of old Kris Kringle, out into the past. He thought about the rain, how it almost washed away his life. He thought about the hula dancer and the former Peace Corps volunteer who helped him get it back.
He thought about handcuffs and jail and terrorism. He thought about leaving North Dakota for good. Mote mindlessly rubbed his bare foot across a crusty Kool-Aid stain in the carpet. His ankle was hairless where an electronic bracelet had been attached during a lengthy house arrest in Minneapolis.
Friday marked one year since state troopers -- acting on the authority of the U.S. Border Patrol -- handcuffed Mote in Bismarck and took him to jail. He had been living in Mandan at the time and was trying to get an ID so he could cash his unemployment check.
Mote, 34, would spend most of the next year away from his family, in custody, battling to stay in the United States. The Marshall Islands native, who moved to this country a dozen years ago, said he felt singled out because of his color. He said he was a victim of a Department of Homeland Security that didn't know its own rules.
<snip>
View full article here
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5.) Bismarck Tribune, UND plans scholarships for Indian student pilots
UND plans scholarships for Indian student pilots By the Associated Press Bismarck Tribune – 12/19/2004
GRAND FORKS -- The University of North Dakota wants to offer new scholarships to American Indian students who want to be pilots.
The school is getting help from the State Board of Higher Education, which recently approved $25,000 to help UND officials begin their fund-raising drive.
The state funding, along with a UND match, would be used to begin long-term fund raising for the program. Officials also plan to start recruiting Indian student pilots, said Bruce Smith, dean of UND's School aerospace school.
UND's goal is to provide scholarships to five new American Indian student pilots each year. Officials estimate it would cost about $775,000 annually to fund the new program.
Smith said a UND lobbyist has been working with the state's congressional delegation in an attempt to get federal help.
"We've already started that process," he said.
University figures show that between 2001 and 2003, about 120 American Indian students were graduated from UND. Only one majored in aviation.
<snip>
View full article here
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6.) Grand Forks Herald, In the mail: Intentions count, but get the permit
IN THE MAIL : Intentions count, but get the permit Grand Forks Herald – 12/22/2004
GRAND FORKS - The manager of the Lucky Inn asked if we would build him a ramp from the front door so he could use his wheelchair.
I asked my maintenance person to build a ramp for the manager. He did so, going 20 feet into the front yard then back to a gate, making it a gentle slope.
The city inspector's office called and politely reminded me that I needed a building permit. I went to City Hall to get one, but when asked I didn't have the dimensions. So back I went.
After measuring the 60-foot runway (248 square feet), I returned for the permit but was told I could not get one since the house, being part of the motel property, was a public building, and you have to have a licensed contractor work on public buildings.
It was hard for me to believe that the manager's house is a public building. I do believe the city inspectors are very competent and do their jobs well, and perhaps they meant "commercial" instead of "public."
In any case, I was wrong in not getting a permit first and hiring a licensed contractor to build the ramp. The ramp will be taken down by said contractor and put back up by same. The lesson learned was: Get the permit first.
E.J. Gregoire
View online article here
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7.) The Forum (Fargo), Lawyers, not advocates, likely to reverse denials
Lawyers,
not advocates, likely to reverse denials
Advocates employed by the workers' compensation bureau in North Dakota are the avenue least likely to result in the reversal of injured workers' denied benefits claims, figures indicate.
Before appealing to an administrative law judge, workers who challenge the denial of their benefits first must ask the bureau's Office of Independent Review to reconsider their request for medical or disability benefits.
Legislators created the advocacy program in 1995 as a way to handle disputed claims without the cost and delays of legal challenges.
The advocates, who aren't lawyers and who don't have legal training, review workers' requests at no cost to the worker.
But records indicate workers are more than three times as likely to win reversal for a denied claim through legal intervention than by turning to the bureau's advocates. In fact, relying on the advocates was the option least likely to result in an overturn of a denied claim.
From fiscal 2000 through 2004, reviews by the state bureau's advocates resulted in the reversal of 54 denied claims. Rejected claims reversed by legal challenges during that period totaled 173, and binding arbitration reversed 85, according to a summary of claims decisions obtained by The Forum.
<snip>
View full article here
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8.) The Forum (Fargo), Few lawyers take on workers’ comp cases
Few lawyers
take on workers' comp cases
Darrell Newbury called four or five lawyers to get help in restoring workers' compensation benefits he believes were unjustly cut off.
None wanted to take the Fargo man's case without a retainer of $1,500, an advance the manufacturing plant worker couldn't afford to pay.
"The injured worker in North Dakota doesn't have any rights," said Newbury, who has difficulty finding a job that meet his work limitations after badly breaking his leg. His disability checks stopped in June.
"I have no income now."
Before 1995, Newbury would have been able to easily hire a lawyer to represent him to challenge the North Dakota workers' compensation bureau.
North Dakota was one of the few states that paid lawyers, win or lose, to represent workers with disputed claims.
No more.
Back in 1995, when the system was plagued by skyrocketing costs and mired in disputed cases, legislators passed laws to rein in legal support for workers.
Now workers' lawyers are paid only if they win. Their share of any awards they win are capped at 20 percent of the award. A stair-stepped fee scale sets fees based on how far up the appeals process a case goes, with fees increasing as the case moves up the ladder.
<snip>
View full article here
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9.) The Forum (Fargo), Injured worker wins, loses his comp battle
Injured
worker wins, loses his comp battle
BISMARCK - Hal Seeberg and his wife went out for a celebratory meal the day he learned he'd won an administrative appeal concerning his disputed workers' compensation claim.
But the victory dinner was premature. A few days later, his lawyer told him the North Dakota workers' comp bureau would reject the administrative law judge's recommendation.
The 58-page opinion, issued five years ago, upheld all of Seeberg's major arguments, agreeing with five medical benefit requests involving severe repetitive motion injuries to his wrist and psychological trauma from three severed fingers in his other hand.
For Seeberg, a disabled machinist from Bismarck, the ruling in his favor promised an end to two years of confrontations with the bureau.
"And they still deny everything," Seeberg said of the bureau's response to the administrative judge's findings. "That was the final insult. How do you win? How do you get equality?"
Seeberg isn't the only injured worker to win a favorable ruling from an administrative law judge, only to have the bureau set it aside. All state agencies can treat administrative law judge rulings as recommendations, not binding decisions.
From 1998 to 2004, the bureau rejected 18 percent of the administrative law judge recommendations that sided with the injured worker, according to figures from the state Office of Administrative Hearings. Workers won a third of the administrative appeals cases, the bureau 58 percent.
In cases decided in workers' favor, the bureau modified another 13 percent of administrative judges opinions, in addition to the 18 percent it rejected.
That means the bureau rejected or altered almost one of every three decisions against it by administrative law judges, who are the first step when injured workers appeal denied claims outside the bureau.
<snip>
View full article here
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10.) The Forum (Fargo), Types of disability and impairment
Types of
disability and impairment
North Dakota workers' compensation provides two primary forms of assistance for the seriously injured. A 2001 interim study distinguished between the two forms:
Disability refers to a change in the worker's ability to meet personal, social or occupational demands resulting from an injury or illness.
Disabilities can be temporary, with benefits paid up to five years, or permanent. Also, depending upon their severity, they are partial or total.
Disability checks, based on the worker's earnings, range from two-thirds of the worker's wages to three-quarters of the state's average weekly wages, whichever is less. Non-taxable benefits range from $315 to $577 a week. The average disability claim is more than $40,000.
Impairment refers to a change in the worker's physical or mental health resulting from an injury or illness.
Permanent physical impairment awards are one-time cash payments to seriously injured workers found to have impairments of at least 16 percent of their whole body. The average award is $15,924.
<snip>
View online article here
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11.) The Forum (Fargo), Only most-injured win impairment payments
Only
most-injured win impairment payments
Carole Gray's life changed in the instant eight years ago that a patient collapsed without warning into her arms.
The man slumped as he passed out following kidney dialysis, where Gray was the nurse in charge. When she eased his awkward bulk onto a chair, she felt a sharp twinge.
"I could feel everything in my lower back go 'Snap, crackle, pop' - just instant discomfort," she said. "I tell you, I wanted to cry."
Now, after eight years of battles with the North Dakota workers' compensation bureaucracy, she wants to shout.
The case of the 57-year-old Fargo woman illustrates the changes made in a state program to compensate injured workers who suffer permanent physical impairments on the job.
The 1995 Legislature raised the eligibility threshold for the program, so only workers with the most severe impairments receive awards. The change means more than eight of every 10 injured workers who once qualified now are ineligible, according to a 2001 legislative study.
That step has eliminated awards for thousands of workers and saved the workers' compensation fund millions of dollars in the decade since it took effect.
The awards are lump-sum settlements for permanent physical impairments that restrict workers' ability to perform work-related tasks, or to compensate workers for lost body parts.
<snip>
View full article here
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12.) Bismarck Tribune, Former Blockbuster employee sues
Former Blockbuster employee sues By Mike Albrecht Bismarck Tribune – 12/18/2004
A former Bismarck video store employee is suing the rental business and two of her co-workers, alleging that last year her manager and another employee strip searched her. She claims she was taken into a back office, told to remove all her clothes and instructed to do humiliating things.
According to a complaint recently filed by Heather Thomas, 21, in Burleigh County District Court, the incident happened in December 2003 while she was working at Blockbuster Video in Bismarck.
Thomas received a telephone call at work shortly after 6 p.m. from a man who claimed he was a Bismarck police officer investigating a theft at the video store, the lawsuit said. The caller told her that she must be searched either by police or by a store manager.
The lawsuit alleges that manager Dominic James Simnioniw and employee Lyle Edward Hilderman spent an hour and 20 minutes conducting the search in a back office. She says she began to cry as the men made her remove all her clothing, run in place, do jumping jacks and bend over.
The lawsuit alleges that a female co-worker objected to the strip search twice and tried to give Thomas a shirt. Thomas said Hilderman ordered the female employee to leave or she'd be subjected to a similar search.
According to the complaint, the incident was an "obvious hoax" and the defendants played along with the caller "solely for their own prurient gratification." The strip search was caught on camera by the company's automatic surveillance video system.
Hilderman and Simnioniw were charged with disorderly conduct in connection with the strip search. According to court documents, both pleaded guilty to the misdemeanors in May and were sentenced to one year of probation and fined $300.
According to the complaint, the video store originally didn't take any disciplinary action against the men and Hilderman was promoted a month after the incident. Simnioniw was dismissed in April after the criminal charges were filed, and Hilderman had already quit, according to court documents.
<snip>
View full article here
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13.) The Forum (Fargo), Carriers refute Jensen claims
Carriers
refute Jensen claims
Larry Ibach choked up and paused when asked a question that a Fargo federal court jury has been weighing for six days.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Shon Hastings asked Ibach, a 29-year U.S. Postal Service employee, if he ever harassed fellow letter carrier Bonnie Jensen.
"No, I certainly didn't," Ibach said. "I have two daughters in the workplace and I certainly wouldn't want them harassed.
"I wouldn't do that," the 55-year-old mail carrier said.
Three other letter carriers from south Fargo's Prairiewood Station Post Office -- Gregg Sachow, Karl Palloch and Thomas Greene -- also on Wednesday denied claims that they engaged in a campaign of workplace harassment that intimidated co-workers and drove Jensen from her job in November 1999.
Jensen, 56, a 20-year letter carrier, is suing the Postal Service, claiming that Sachow, Palloch, Ibach and Greene harassed her based on her sex and religious beliefs.
In the civil suit, Jensen also claims that the USPS led an ineffective investigation to stop the abuse.
A self-described born-again Christian, Jensen told the jury last week that the harassment began after she was awarded a coveted route in May 1999 and continued until she stopped reporting for work about six months later.
A few days after Jensen stopped going to work, she checked herself into Fargo MeritCare Hospital's psychiatric unit, where she began about two months of outpatient treatment.
<snip>
View full article here
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14.) The Forum (Fargo), Letter of law swayed jury
Letter of
law swayed jury
When federal jurors deliberated Friday, they readily agreed that former Fargo mail carrier Bonnie Jensen was the victim of workplace harassment.
Jurors contacted Monday said they sympathized with Jensen in her suit against the U.S. Postal Service, claiming co-workers at south Fargo's Prairiewood Post Office harassed and discriminated against her based on her sex and religion.
Jensen, 56, a born-again Christian, also claimed in her civil lawsuit that the Postal Service led an ineffective investigation to stop the abuse.
It was the letter of the law, jurors said, that divided them for most of the three hours they deliberated, and what ultimately led them to reject Jensen's claim.
"We all felt that she had been harassed, but not based on sex or religion," said Dale DeKrey, chief engineer at Fargo's Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the jury's foreman.
"We really struggled with that, but it just doesn't meet that standard," DeKrey said Monday.
To rule in Jensen's favor, the jury had to find -- among other legal criteria -- that her allegations of workplace harassment and discrimination were motivated by her gender or religion.
"I don't believe they harassed her because they hated her religion. They just disliked Bonnie," said Rhonda Kutz, another juror.
Kutz, a radiologist at MeritCare Clinic in Jamestown, said she and two other jurors held out until the last hour. They were trying to figure out how Title VII, the federal law that protects workers from religious and gender-based harassment, could apply to Jensen.
<snip>
View full article here
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15.) Bismarck Tribune, Coach comes a long way to check on his students
Coach comes a long way to check on his students By Karen Herzog Bismarck Tribune – 12/23/2004
On Christmas vacation, students might run into their teachers at the mall or in the grocery store. But to visit University of Mary students Samuel Owiredu and Lydia Obeng, "Coach" Samuel Aidoo came a lot farther, from their home country of Ghana, in Africa.
Aidoo, technical director and head coach of the National Paralympic Committee in Ghana, became acquainted with the two students, who were involved in track and field at their college in Ghana, while he was coaching athletic teams for the disabled.
The country of 20 million has only six physical therapists for a people who deal with all the health challenges of an emerging nation, said Barb Nash, of Bismarck, a physical therapist at St. Alexius Medical Center and a member of Bismarck's First United Methodist Church.
There is a huge need, she said. It's safe to say there are more physical therapists at St. Alexius alone than in the entire country of Ghana, which has only one major hospital in addition to small clinics.
Aidoo and Nash had met at a Minnesota camp for the disabled in 2000; Aidoo told Nash that she must come to Ghana to visit. She did and so the connection was made.
Aidoo's acquaintance with Owiredu and Obeng and his connection with Nash resulted in the two students coming to Bismarck to earn doctorates in physical therapy; after that, they plan to return to Ghana to work there, perhaps to teach others, create more physical therapists within Ghana itself. <snip>
View full article here
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16.) The Forum (Fargo), Gay marriage foes set for a long fight
Gay
marriage foes set for a long fight
WASHINGTON -- Opponents of gay marriage concede victory will not be swift in their attempt to amend the U.S. Constitution, even after prevailing in all 11 states, including North Dakota, where the issue was on the ballot last month.
While the Nov. 2 election also increased the ranks of amendment supporters in Congress, the gains were relatively small.
“We’re going to have to see additional court cases come down” supporting gay marriage before congressional sentiment shifts dramatically, predicted Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who supports the amendment that failed in both houses of Congress this year.
Critics of gay marriage have long warned of such court rulings. Cornyn and others who support changing the Constitution say several cases have the potential to produce a sharp shift in congressional sentiment toward their viewpoint. They point to suits in Florida, California, Nebraska and elsewhere.
But Matt Coles of the ACLU’s Lesbian and Gay Rights Project said that’s unlikely -- and not entirely by accident.
Many of the cases making their way through the courts were filed by individuals not affiliated with gay rights organizations, he said, and were not framed to make a targeted challenge to a 1996 law known as the Defense of Marriage Act.
Frontline groups have held off, Coles said. “People think that neither the country nor the courts are ready for it and probably we’ll lose. Nobody likes to take cases and lose.”
The 1996 law defines marriage as the union of a man and a woman. It also says no state is required to recognize same-sex marriages sanctioned by any another state.
<snip>
View full article here
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17.) The Forum (Fargo), N.D. legislators to tackle child care, state worker pay
N.D. legislators
to tackle child care, state worker pay
North Dakota's 59th Legislative Assembly begins Tuesday in Bismarck. Following is a brief look at several hot issues facing lawmakers in the every-other-year session.
Human Rights Commission
For the sixth time in 10 years, supporters of a state Human Rights Commission will ask the Legislature to enact such a panel.
Sen. Tim Mathern, D-Fargo, has a bill to set up a commission that will advise the state Labor Department's Human Rights Division. It does not give the commission subpoena powers, a proposal that helped kill previous bills.
Separately, human rights advocates are worried bills introduced by the labor commissioner will erode human rights enforcement. One would bar compensatory and punitive damages; one clarifies that the department does not have to make a probable-cause decision for every complaint filed; another clarifies that the attorney general represents the department, not the complainant.
<snip>
View full article here
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A calendar of events for January is available on the NDHRC web site here.
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18. Minnkota Health Project, 2nd Annual Celebrating Life Dinner, Gala, & Auction, February 26, 2005
Minnkota
Health Project is holding our 2nd Annual Celebrating Life Dinner, Gala and
Auction. I'd like to invite you to once again support us in a very meaningful
way.
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19. SOHR Presents “Controversies of Reparative Therapy: Presented by Alice Christianson,” Detroit Lakes, MN, January 8, 2005
Message from
Sexual Orientation and Human Rights (SOHR):
A community
of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender people and their allies in the lakes
area. PO Box 1445
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20. Mental Health Association in North Dakota Journey of Hope Class, Bismarck, ND, January 28 - 30
Mental Health Association in North Dakota offers a class: Journey of Hope
A free, comprehensive series of eight workshops on mental illness is being offered by the Mental Health Association in North Dakota beginning Friday evening, January 28th through Sunday, January 30th, 2005 at the Comfort Inn in Bismarck, ND.
The workshops provide information on bipolar, depression, anxieties, obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective and substance abuse. Participants will learn medical information about symptoms; how to cope with different phases of the illnesses; treatment information, tips for coping and self-care; problem management; community services and hope.
If you are a parent, spouse, sibling, adult child or friend of someone who has a mental illness, these workshops are designed for you, and you are encouraged at attend. For more information, please contact Sheri Haugen at (701) 255-3692 ext 104.
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21. 4th Annual Indian Child Welfare Conference, Mandan, ND, February 16 - 18
4th Annual Indian Child Welfare Conference
Seven Seas Inn & Conference Center February 16-18, 2005
Description: The North Dakota Indian Child Welfare conference is for child welfare workers, county social workers, tribal social workers, ICWA workers, mental health professionals, state and tribal judges, attorneys, tribal council members, foster care workers, foster parents, residential treatment center workers, child and family program administrators, and any individuals working with Native American children and families.
Site: Seven Seas Inn & Conference Center, Mandan, ND
Registration Fee: The low cost of this conference has been made possible through the generous sponsorship of the ND Court Improvement Project. Costs for the conference are as follows: Early bird (before February 4): $45.00 Pre-registration (February 5-15): $55.00 On-site registration (February 16): $85.00 One-day registration (February 16): $30.00 One-day registration (February 17): $40.00
Visit: http://www.nativeinstitute.org/sc_events.asp for more info.
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22. PFLAG of Fargo-Moorhead and Fargo Theatre Sponsor Discussion of Film, “Tying the Knot,” Fargo, January 9
Pflag of
Fargo/Moorhead, in cooperation with the Fargo Theatre, is sponsoring a
discussion of the film "Tying the Knot" this Sunday, January 9, after the 2 pm
screening. The film looks at the gay marriage issue, with two couples' plights
profiled in depth.
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23.) NDHRC Thanks Our 2004 Members
Your support of our activities has been significant as we work to effect changes so that all people in North Dakota enjoy full human rights. We appreciate your support and look forward to working with you toward the furtherance of human rights in North Dakota.
Thanks to the following 2004 NDHRC organizational members: American Association of University Women – Fargo * AARP of North Dakota * Bismarck-Mandan Unitarian Universalist Church * Bremer Bank * Cultural Diversity Resources * Dakota Center for Independent Living * Dakota Resource Council * Dorothy Day House * Fargo Human Relations Commission * Fargo-Moorhead Amnesty International * Freedom Resource Center * Grand Forks Unitarian Universalist Fellowship * Mental Health Association of North Dakota * Montana Human Rights Network * MSUM Social Work Department * Nativity Social Justice Ministry * North Dakota Association of the Deaf * North Dakota Disability Advocacy Consortium * North Dakota Fair Housing Council * North Dakota Progressive Coalition * North Dakota Statewide Independent Living Council * Pride Collective LGBT Community Center * Sisters of the Presentation - Sacred Heart Convent * Student Social Work Organization, Minot State University * The Arc of Cass County * The GOD'S CHILD Project North Central
Thanks to the following 2004 NDHRC individual members: Cheryl Bergian * Corey Blair * Jacques Boucher * Lisa A. Brown * Michael Brown Jr. * Scott Burlingame * Carlie Carow * Janis Cheney * Mike Coates and Linda Boyd Coates * Dean Conrad * Debra Crosby Pullen * Diana Deats O’Reilly * Debra J. DeWitz * Martha and Carlo DiCicco * Alex Doolittle * Gini Duval * Mary and Jim Engel * Gerry Even * Tom Fiebiger * Eric Garber and Lynn Rust * Diane and Jeff Gerst * Lindsey Guderjahn * Allan W. Hankel * Susan Rae Helgeland * Jill Herreid * Sandra Holbrook * Margine and F.D. Holland Jr. * Thomas and Roxie Lynn Howard * Ron and Melissa Hutchison * Lola Huwe * Julie Huwe * Ella Huwe * Ruth Kihm * Barb and Jim Lennington * Kristi K. Loberg * Rhonda Loberg * Lewis Lubka * Raul Luna * Dan Mahli * Janell Malper * Charlotte McLaughlin and James Conley * Stephen and Janet Merrill * John Carolyn Monzingo * Sylvia Morgan * Lionel P.A. Muthiah * Barry and Susan Nelson * Kjersten Nelson and Ryan Nagle * Marcia Paulson * Sherri and Vickie Paxon * Allan Peterson * Larry Peterson and Mary Struck * Simone D. Poitras * Carol A. Reed * Thomas and Audrey Richmond * Laura Rovner * Helen Rudie * Daniel Schechter * Mark and Mary Joe Schneider * David Shove * Ruth Stensaker * Kevin R. Tengesdal * David Thompson * Andrea Warren-Deegan * Susan and Dave Wee * Bill Willis * Regina Windham * Lonny Winrich * Nelrene Yellow Bird * Diane Zainhofsky
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24.) Support the NDHRC and Become a Member in 2005
Human rights abuses occur every day in our state. We learn about them in the media, hear about them from friends and relatives, or experience them in our own lives. Only together can we rid our state of discrimination and make North Dakota an inclusive place for all people.
we need your membership support to effect this change.
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has” - American anthropologist Margaret Meade
With the support of our members in 2004, we improved human rights awareness in North Dakota. Our major accomplishments in 2004 included:
*Serving as plaintiff in a class action law suit challenging the Commissioner of the North Dakota Department of Labor’s policy of failing and refusing to perform his mandatory, nondiscretionary duties under the North Dakota Human Rights Act
*Providing comments to the proposed administrative rules for the Division of Human Rights in the North Dakota Department of Labor (some of those comments will be made into law)
*Assisting the creation of the Northwest Human Rights Alliance in Williston
*Hiring an intern to interview people who have experienced discrimination in North Dakota, including those in the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender community, people of color, and people with disabilities to document those experiences
*Advocating against a proposed constitutional ban on gay marriage
*Hosting a human rights conference in Bismarck with 80 attendees, and $2,600 in sponsorships from organizations and businesses
The Coalition’s membership goal for 2005 is to reach 200 members and membership proceeds of $10,500. We need the following number of members at the various membership levels to meet our goal:
60 - $25 Individual members 100 - $50 Defender of human rights members 20 - $100 Patron members 20 - $100 Non-profit organization members
As of November 15, 2004, the NDHRC received 22 memberships for 2005 for a total of $1,375! Help us meet our goal!
Your membership renewal is very important to us. This year the NDHRC will make sure human rights are front and center at our state legislative session. The more members we have, the stronger our voice will be. We would appreciate your membership renewal before the start of the legislative session in January 2005.
Thank You For Your Support Of The North Dakota Human Rights Coalition and We Look Forward To Having You As A Member In 2005!
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25.) North Dakota Human Rights Coalition Service Opportunity
Please forward freely.
The North Dakota Human Rights Coalition is looking for people to join the NDHRC Board of Directors. The NDHRC Board sets the policy direction of the NDHRC, including the goals and initiatives of the NDHRC. The NDHRC Board is supported in its work by the Director and Assistant Director. Information about the NDHRC is available at www.ndhrc.org.
The NDHRC is committed to the development of a Board of Directors which includes representation 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. The NDHRC encourages all who are interested in the Board of Directors to apply; consideration for selection will include the commitment to diversity in membership on the Board of Directors.
The NDHRC Board of Directors encourages all who are interested to join them in continuing to chart the course for the NDHRC. Please consider joining us in the development of a human rights network and cadre in North Dakota!
Time commitment:
Two-hour board meetings every other month by conference call
One-day in-person board retreat each year (travel to this meeting may be necessary & travel costs would be covered)
Participation in board committee(s) by telephone conference call (time commitment and duration of commitment would vary by committee)
Respond to e-mail communication from Director or Assistant Director as possible
Interested?
Return the "Application for NDHRC Board" to:
Cheryl Bergian Director North Dakota Human Rights Coalition P.O. Box 1961 Fargo, ND 58107-1961 (701) 239-9323 (701) 478-4452 (fax)
Deadline for consideration of application: Friday, January 14, 2004
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26.) NDHRC Web Site Calendar of Events
Visit our 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 |
