Funding Sources
February 8, 2009 by admin
The North Dakota Human Rights Coalition is funded by individual and organizational donations from our membership and supporters, event sponsorship and grant support.
The Otto Bremer Foundation provided initial funding for the Coalition’s work. They have awarded the Coalition additioanl grants in years since. The most recent was a matching grant that was active in 2007 and 2008.
The Coalition is currently funded by the following foundations:
PFund: Support for education and advocacy work surrounding legislation to add sexual orientation as a protected class in North Dakota.
RESIST, Inc.: Support for education and advocacy work surrounding human rights issues during the 2009 North Dakota legislative session.
Legislative Tracking Grid
January 5, 2009 by admin
Fair Housing of the Dakotas provides a great tracking grid for human rights related legislation. You can find it online here.
Winter 2008 Newsletter
December 22, 2008 by admin
Download the latest Coalition newsletter, published December 2008. (PDF)
Coalition updates, announcements, photos, and more.
History
September 21, 2008 by admin
History
According to the 1999 report of the North Dakota Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, “North Dakota desperately needs a mechanism to carry out the provisions of the North Dakota Human Rights Act. In addition, the extent of discrimination in the state needs to be determined, and human rights commission established with full investigative and enforcement powers.” In response, 61 organizations from across North Dakota came together in 2000 to form the North Dakotans for a Human Rights Commission Coalition (NDHR Commission Coalition).
In the 2001 legislative session, the NDHR Commission Coalition initiated legislation to create an independent state human rights commission. The response of legislators was to amend legislation the NDHR Commission Coalition proposed. The amended legislation gave the North Dakota Department of Labor’s Division of Human Rights the authority to investigate allegations of discrimination and ensure that justice and fair compensation was provided to victims of illegal discrimination in North Dakota.
Member organizations of the NDHR Commission Coalition determined that although progress had been made toward its goal, much remained in terms of accountability and a fully functioning human rights education and enforcement agency. In 2002, as a result of a three-year grant from the Otto Bremer Foundation, the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition (NDHRC) was formed.
The North Dakota Human Rights Coalition is a broad-based coalition of individuals and organizations with an interest in the furtherance of human rights in North Dakota. The director and assistant director and a 14-member board of directors continue to advance the mission and goals of the Coalition.
Annual Reports
NDHRC Board of Directors
September 21, 2008 by admin
Board of Directors:
Thomas Fiebiger – Chair
Committee(s): Executive, Development, Programming (Chair)
Tom Fiebiger is a licensed attorney currently serving as a State Senator from District 45 where he serves on the Judiciary and Transportation Committees. Currently, Tom has his own law office and is in practice in Fargo, licensed in both North Dakota and Minnesota. He has represented workers and business owners in labor and employment matters and civil litigation for the last 15 years.
He is a former member and chair of the Fargo Human Relations Commission, past president of Trinity Lutheran Church, former member and chair of the Lost and Found Ministry Board and currently serves on the Cultural Diversity Resources Board. Tom has been a member of the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition Board of Directors since February 2005.
Kipp Harris – Vice-Chair/Secretary
Committee(s): Executive, Development, Development, Nominating (Chair)
Kipp Harris is a local real estate agent who grew up in the small town of Kenmare, North Dakota. Experiencing little diversity, he moved away after high school in 1986. After living in several different cities in the Midwest, he moved to California in 2001, where he spent five years. After being gone from North Dakota for nearly 20 years, he realized that the state he grew up in was calling him back. Having experienced different cultures and made friends around the world, he now serves on the board of directors in order to implement change in people’s minds as well as in state laws. Kipp has served on the board of directors since January 2009.
Lori Brownshield – Treasurer
Committee(s): Executive
Lori Brownshield is an advanced practice psychiatric nurse at Prairie St. John’s in Fargo, North Dakota.
JoNell Bakke
Committee(s): Programming
JoNell Bakke is a Special Education teacher currently teaching at Schroeder Middle School in Grand Forks. She was elected to the State Senate from District 43 in 2006 where she serves on the Education and Political Subdivision Committees. JoNell also serves on the Board of Directors of the North Dakota Education Association and the North Dakota Women’s Network, currently serving as co-chair. She was appointed to the Governor’s Youth Council and the Department of Public Instruction Professional Development State Advisory Committee. As a former foster parent and the adoptive mother of two special needs sons, JoNell has made a commitment to addressing the needs of all citizens within our state particularly the children.
JoNell and her husband, Greg, have four children, two grandsons, and one son-in-law. She has served on the NDHRC Board of Directors since 2010.
Jeannie Camarillo
Committee(s): Marketing (Chair)
Scott Edward Haugen
Committee(s): Marketing
Brian J. Hayer
Committee(s): Development
Brian was raised in Fargo, ND. He graduated from Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ with a BS in Insurance. He is the father of Rudy and Eden.
Brian is the president of Warner and Company Insurance which has offices in Fargo, Bismarck, Grand Forks and Detroit Lakes. He joined the NDHRC in 2010. He also serves on Fargo’s Downtown Community Partnership board and chairs committees for the YMCA of Cass-Clay and Fargo Kiwanis. He has been president of the YMCA, MeritCare Foundation, Fargo Area Dollars for Scholars, F-M Independent Insurance Agents and has chaired the United Way Campaign of Cass-Clay. He attends Hope Lutheran and is a member of the contemporary worship team.
Cindy Klein
Committee(s): Marketing, Programming
Dave Lanpher
Committee(s): Marketing
Barry Nelson
Committee(s): Development (Chair)
Barry Nelson, Executive Director of Metro Youth Partnership, is a community activist and a believer that ALL people should be able to participate fully in their community be it in housing, employment, access to services and/or choice of relationships. He is board member with MinnKota Health Project, board chair of the Spirit Room, is on an advisory committee of Mental Health North Dakota. He was one of the charter members of the NDHRC board and just returned as a board member this past fall, 2009.
Karen Okigbo
Committee(s): Programming
Karen is currently pursuing her Masters degree in Sociology at North Dakota State University. In 2009 she received her B.A. in Political Science from Princeton University as well as two minors in African Studies and Near Eastern Studies. While her academic interests focus on the maladies of poor governance and theorize about the causes of war, her obsession with understanding and confronting unjustified suffering transcends the classroom, which is why she is eager to continue these advocacy pursuits in North Dakota and is absolutely thrilled to be a part of NDHRC.
Amy Phillips
Committee(s): Executive, Programming
Amy Phillips is a social worker with twenty years experience in work with families, groups, organizations, and communities. She has been a higher education social work instructor for eleven years and currently teaches in the Department of Social Work at the University of North Dakota.
Contact the NDHRC Board of Directors at:
NDHRC
P.O. Box 1961
Fargo, ND 58107
or email: humanrights@ndhrc.org
Our Values
September 13, 2008 by admin
NDHRC will:
- Establish a trust with its members, donors, and supporters
- Seek a common good without denying individual rights
- Be equal and inclusive in its work
- Insure mutual respect is given to all people
- Use its resources to benefit humanity
- Promote social and economic justice proactively
Our Mission
September 13, 2008 by admin
The North Dakota Human Rights Coalition works to effect change so that all people in North Dakota enjoy full human rights.
The North Dakota Human Rights Coalition (NDHRC) is a broad-based coalition of individuals and organizations with an interest in the furtherance of human rights in North Dakota. We work toward the enhancement of human rights in North Dakota through information, education and legislative action.
We can improve the quality of life in North Dakota through individuals and organizations supporting our efforts, and through membership and financial support.
Our Vision
September 13, 2008 by admin
The NDHRC seeks to empower individuals in North Dakota in their communities, state legislature (governments), and society at large to promote and protect human rights for all people.
The Coalition will accomplish its goals through organizational growth to include staff and board members from around the state; develop programs targeting legislative activity, education, employment, and other social issues; continue to build alliances with other organizations working for social justice; and sustain its infrastructure with mixed public and private support.