WHAT'S HAPPENING INDEX

AUGUST 2002

August every Saturday - 1-4pm
** [more] Law Advocates volunteering again.

August 20th - Tuesday
** [more] Lummi native, Jewell James' carved Healing Pole will honor those lost in the World Trade Center. It is being sent to New York for it's placement and dedication ceremony, September 7th.

August 29 th - Thursday, 7pm
** [more] WHRTF Film Series "Streetwise", set in Seattle

SEPTEMBER 2002

September 11-17
**[more] Not in Our Town" Civic Participation Week

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FREE STREET LAW AGAIN THIS YEAR
Every Saturday in August- 1 to 4 pm
For the last few summers in downtown Bellingham, the Law Advocates and the Whatcom County Bar Association have voluteered there services. Again this year they will be set up for free legal consultation primarily (but not exclusively) for low-income and homeless folks.
Some Saturdays they will have a Spanish speaking person available.
Location: SW corner of Railroad and Magnolia
if it rains,then under The Newstand awning at 111 East Magnolia
Time: 1-4 pm every Saturday in August

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TRADITIONAL HEALING POLE CARVED BY LUMMI NATIVE, JEWELL JAMES
August 20th, 9am
A short ceremony is planned at Semiahmoo to assist the Lummi Nation in sending off the carvers and those traveling with them during the America's Healing Totem Journey on August 20th.

The Healing Pole will be installed in Arrow Forest, which is dedicated to those lost in the World Trade Center. It is located an hour's drive north of Manhattan, New York.

There is a wonderful site where the artist explains all the parts in detail at:
http://www.lummihealingpole.org/

Short excerpt from Healing Pole site:

"...the spirit vested in the pole and represented in the partnerships that have made this coming together possible. The destiny and destination of the Healing Pole also communicates an important message to the world community that is experiencing conflict between diverse cultural groups.Significantly, the Healing Pole carries a message of hope for harmony and healing in all our relations that comes from America's First Peoples.

Mr. James will spend four weeks carving the 13 foot totem which will then be transported across the United States. The Healing Pole's journey will include stops in a number of reservations where it will be blessed by the Native American community. It will then be placed in the Sterling Forest by Lummi tribal members in a ceremony that will be witnessed by representatives from the Native American community as well as by individuals, groups and organizations from across the United States.

More info - Lummi press release - July 31, 2002
Bellingham Herald has daily front page stories of the journey. The newspaper has a special section, updated daily, devoted to the Healing Pole.[read Bellinghamn Herald Healing Pole articles]

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"JOINING WORLDS" FILM SERIES in AUGUST
August 29th, 7pm, Bellingham Public Library - downtown

"Streetwise"

Portrays the lives of nine desperate teenagers. Thrown too young into a seedy grown up world, these runaways and castaways survive--but just barely. All are old beyond their years--underage survivors fighting for life and love on the streets of downtown Seattle.

Possible speaker from NorthWest Youth Services will lead a discussion afterwards.

This is an opportunity for our community share in a lively discussion concerning groundbreaking documentary and fiction films. Joining Worlds film series addresses racism and television, African-American history, the theft and appropriation of Native American culture, and other important topics relevant to this region. The theme, Joining Worlds, allows us to explore the interconnections among different forms of oppression, and recognize our places in history.
Time: 7pm - 9pm ~ Snacks will be provided
OLD Location:
Bellingham Public Library
downtown Bellingham
For more information: Please call the WHRTF Office 733-2233.

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"NOT IN OUR TOWN" CIVIC PARTICIPATION WEEK
September 11-17

* The "Not In Our Town" project is sparking anti intolerance actions across the country as part of September 11-17 Civic Participation Week
* PBS.ORG presents new Not In Our Town Web resources for fighting hate.

Not In Our Town, a national project that encourages community response to hate crimes is organizing anti-intolerance activities in towns across the country as part of a national civic participation drive the week of September 11 - September 17, 2002. A new web site on PBS.org will be launched that week as part of public television's America Remembers.

PBS Programs Highlight Models for Community Action

The Not In Our Town movement profiles citizens and communities who respond when a hate crime or harassment occurs, and who organize anti intolerance actions as a way to prevent crimes. Not In Our Town tells the story of people in Billings, Montana who fought against a series of attacks by white supremacists in the mid 1990¹s. The Working Group, an Oakland based< television company, first presented the film to PBS audiences in 1995, but seven years later, Not In Our Town has become a national movement.

Communities across the country use the film and its follow up, Not In Our Town II, to create discussions and action plans on how to fight hate crimes, racism, anti-Semitism and anti-gay violence. Hundreds of towns and schools around the country have held NIOT events. Five cities in Illinois alone call themselves Not In Our Town communities.

PBS.org/NIOT: Connecting Americans Responding to Hate and Intolerance.
Not In Our Town: The Story Continues - a web video fest will premiere as part of the updated web site pbs.org/niot. The site and fest will reflect the new post 9/11 realities and provide stories of hope and positive action. The NIOT site - www.pbs.org/niot - will serve as a place for people to talk about the shared American value of tolerance, empower ordinary citizens to resist hate, and address the rising hate crimes committed against Arab Americans while keeping sight of the public threat inherent in all hate crimes. The updated web site will reflect these new realities and provide stories of hope and positive action. A new Citizens Respond to Hate forum will serve as a place for users to share their stories, and serve as a living archive about America's response to hate. The NIOT Map will connect individuals and organizations to use each other to use as resources. Get Involved/ Do Something will provide resource guides and tool kits for communities, classrooms, and local stations.
Additional help and information to organize a Not In Our Town event will be available.

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