WHRTF
 HOME
 Books
 Calendar
 Contact Us

 Donations
 Join
 Newsletter
 Photo Galleries

HISTORY
 WHRTF History
 Human Rights

LINKS
 Free Speech
 Resource Sites
 Solidarity
 Local Business Support

ENDORSEMENTS
 Against Neo-Nazi Mailings
 FTAA
 Austria
 Makah Whaling Rights

WORKSHOPS
 Unpacking Racism
 Martin Luther King
Conference

WHRTF 10th annual HUMAN RIGHTS AWARDS, SOCIAL AND SILENT AUCTION
June 1, Thursday, 6:30 - 9 pm
free event
LOCATION:  Faith Lutheran Church

Keynote Speaker this year:
Larry Estrada, former Task Force board member and human rights award winner.
Larry is on the board of the National Assoc. of Ethnic Studies - info here
Co-author of "IMMIGRATION IN AMERICA TODAY:an Encyclopedia'  order through Village Books info
Director of the American Cultural Studies Program at Fairhaven College, WWU

This year's Human Rights Awards recipients include:

Misa Takaki.
Misa grew up in Bellingham and graduated from Sehome High School in 1994. She attended Bryn Mawr College and graduated with a degree in East Asian Studies in 1998. Since moving back to Whatcom County in 1999, she has been involved in organizing the Bellingham Human Rights Film Festival, tutored English as a Second Language through Whatcom Literacy Council, and has served as a volunteer board member of the Whatcom Peace & Justice Center. Her current activities include involvement in community groups opposed to the Minutemen and planning for the Grassroots and Independent Media Conference.

The Ethnic Students Association (E.S.A.)
The E.S.A of Whatcom Community College was founded by Yusuf Warsame and Joel Nelson in the spring of 2004. It was designed to be a safe place for people of under represented groups within the community to have a space to build genuine relationships with one another. Through weekly socials, cultural sharing, and an array celebrations the E.S.A. strives to promote cross-cultural understanding within the group and in the community at large.

Rosalinda Guillen.
Rosalinda was recruited into community activism as a volunteer precinct organizer for the Jessie Jackson Presidential campaign in 1988. She then became a founding member of the Whatcom County Rainbow Coalition and participated in political campaigns and helped to grow the Boycott of Chateau Ste. Michelle. This boycott led Rosalinda to Sunnyside Washington to lead the organizing of the workers at the winery. She led a farm worker movement from there and directed a national boycott and farm worker organizing campaign that won the first-ever union contract for farm workers in Washington State in 1995. This historic union contract for farm workers at Stimson Lane Wines is now in its 10th year.

Rosalinda is a Member of the National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture’s Social Justice Committee and an elected member of the Acting King County Food Policy Council. She is Chair of the Whatcom Democrats Affirmative Action Committee and a past organizer and coordinator of the Farm Worker Solidarity March in Burlington and was part of the Farm Aid 2004 Press Conference representing farm workers from Washington State. Rosalinda is a member of the board of the Center for Social Justice in Seattle and is the Executive Director for Community to Community Development.

Community to Community Development (C2C)
C2C is a woman-led, place based, grassroots organization working for a just society and healthy communities. We are committed to systemic change and to creating strategic alliances that strengthen local and global movements towards social, economic and environmental justice.

C2C projects include:
Small Potatoes Gleaning Project
Small Potatoes Gleaning Project makes healthy food accessible to all by focusing on equitable food distribution and contributing to the development of a community food system in Whatcom County.

Mujeres Para Un Pueblo Sano (Women for a Healthy Community)
The Mujeres Para un Pueblo Sano project seeks to empower farm-workers in Whatcom County to advocate for themselves on civil rights issues and to claim their right to better health care.

Food Justice Alliance
The Food Justice Alliance unites family farmers and farm workers in strategic joint community action to create self sustaining food sheds with social equity.

Women's Alliance
The Women's Alliance is dedicated to achieving equity and justice for women and girls by strengthening the feminist community through education, outreach, training, advocacy and community action.

Aguila del Norte
Aguila del Norte’s mission is to work collaboratively to develop effective ways to integrate immigrants into every level of society and to end the marginalization of immigrant families. We provide an avenue for Whatcom County Latino immigrants to advocate for themselves and educate the community about immigrant human rights issues.

Please join us for this FREE event and don’t forget to bring your checkbook and bid on over seventy silent auction items that have been generously donated.
For more information, please contact the WHRTF office at (360) 733-2233 or whrtf@whrtf.org.

[top of page]

Israeli War Refuser, Dan Tashchur, and Iraq Veteran Against the War, Jody Casey.
May 23, Tuesday, 7-9pm
LOCATION: First Congregational Church
2401 Cornwall, Bellingham

Dan Tashchur will speak about the Israeli occupation of Gaza, West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Jody Casey will speak on the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq.
Both will speak about their decision to refuse military service.

Sponsored by
Voice for Middle East Peace and Whatcom Peace and Justice Center:.
Marie Marchand, Executive Director
1226 Cornwall Ave/PO Box 2444
Bellingham, WA 98227
INFORMATION:   734-0217  www.whatcompjc.org

[top of page]

3rd Annual CASCAID Peace & Justice Conference
Friday May 19th and Saturday May 20th at WWU.

The CASCAID Peace & Justice Conference is an annual opportunity for advocates, academics and activists to come together to exchange ideas.
The emphasis is on sharing experiences, perspectives and methods related to building civil discourse, grassroots action and awareness. The 2006 Conference will address the theory and practice of peace and justice on personal, community, international and planetary scales.

WHRTF is co-sponsoring this event.
LOCATION:  Western Washington University
For more information and the current schedule  www.wwucascaid.org

[top of page]

Workshop on White Privilege, Culture and Identity
April 30, Sunday, 10am - 4pm
free registration

What Does it Mean to Be White? Investigating White Privilege, Culture and Identity.
Please join the Anti-Racist White Student Union and allies for an all-day workshop that deconstructs White Culture and Privilege and addresses ways white people can create and express positive and pro-active identities that promote social justice.
We will explore the the following topics:

- The social construction of whiteness: What does it mean to be white?
- Assimilation: Who is white and when did they become white?
- Appropriation: Consuming others' culture
- Ethnic Identity: What is the difference between being a white American and a European-American?
- Change: Envisioning positive white anti-racist identities.

Please pre-register by emailing: arwsu@hotmail.com
or by contacting the folks at the Social Issues Resource Center (Viking Union 512)
or the office of Teri McMurtry-Chubb (Fairhaven 329) as soon as possible.
Light breakfast and lunch provided ($5 donation recommended)

Please let us know if you need a place to stay in Bellingham or transportation to Western Washington University.

SPONSOR: WWU's Anti-Racist White Student Union
INFORMATION: Ian Morgan at ianmrgn@yahoo.com (360)-708-6297
LOCATION: Western Washington University
Viking Union 462

[top of page]

WA State Human Rights Commission - MINUTEMEN ALERT
Thursday April 27th 7pm-9pm
*OPEN COMMUNITY HEARING*

Chris Simcox, head of the Minutemen is expected to attend this Commission.

We need your support this Thursday.
The public is invited to an official hearing of the Washington State Human Rights Commission. This hearing will focus on peoples testimonies of immigrant life in Whatcom County, the impact of the Minuteman Project on the local and national immigration debate and ways to deter harassment of immigrants.

TESTIFY - DIALOGUE - LEARN - BUILD COMMUNITY

LOCATION:
First Congregational Church
2401 Cornwall, Bellingham

SPONSORED BY:
COMMUNITY TO COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
Á GUILA DEL NORTE LEGAL OBSERVER PROJECT
THE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH OF BELLINGHAM

INFORMATION:
(360)756-2330 • notinmycounty@qwest.net
WWW.NOTINMYCOUNTY.ORG

JOIN HANDS AGAINST HATE

[top of page]

WORLD ISSUES FORUM
Wednesday, April 26, Noon-1:30
Yaneth Perez of Colombia, President of Dawn of Women Association in Arauca
LOCATION: Fairhaven College Auditorium
Sponsors: Fairhaven College and United Ministries in Higher Education

[top of page]

WORLD ISSUES FORUM
Wednesday, April 19, Noon-1:30

“ For God and Country: Faith and Patriotism Under Fire”
Chaplain James (Yusuf) Yee, former U.S. Army Muslim Chaplain at Guantanamo Bay.
While represented Muslims in the military in Guantanamo, Yee was imprisoned on false charges of spying and espionage, honorably discharged, and now speaking on his experiences.

Sale and signing of his book through AS Book Store
LOCATION: Fairhaven College Auditorium
Sponsors: Fairhaven College and AS Productions Civil Controversy

[top of page]

April 17. 2006
Environmental Racism & Injustice Forum
Doors open @ 6:30
General Membership Meeting @ 6:45
Event from 7:00 – 9:00

Environmental Racism & Injustice is the exclusion of low income and communities of color from the decision-making process and the disproportionate impact of environmental hazards, including pollution, resource depletion, and waste disposal, on the well-being of low income and people of color.

Event:
General membership meeting on the topic of "Environmental Racism & Injustice"

Guests:
A panel of representatives from local native tribes, migrant farm workers, ethnic student groups and other local organizations

Location:
Bellingham Public Library
310 Central
Bellingham
Free and open to the public!

[top of page]

Law Advocates Book Club group
Folks from Law Advocates are interested in beginning a new book group. For those who are interested, call Sofia @ 734-9761

[top of page]

The Whatcom Human Rights Task Force Scholarships
Academic Year - Spring 2006

The Award
The WHRTF scholarship is designed to make higher education more accessible to promising students who intend to pursue a career in furthering human rights. This 500.00 scholarship will be awarded to Whatcom County residents and will be awarded during the Fall of 2005. The Task Force is providing this opportunity on a one time basis. easy print 2006 [applicant info form]

Scholarship Guidelines:
Preference is given to students who demonstrate the following characteristics (but not limited to):

---- Strong involvement in school or community
----- GPA indicating satisfactory progress towards a degree/diploma
---- Must enroll or be enrolled at least half-time at an accredited post secondary institution (community or technical college, public or private university)
---- Demonstrated financial need, copy of prior annual income
---- Applicants must submit a report in writing and report to the WHRTF board members at a monthly board meeting. This report should address how the scholarship helped to contribute to their studies to protect/further their efforts in human rights work.

************** Application Requirements **************

1. A typed or written statement (two pages maximum) describing:
    - How you have been influenced by ___..and how you will use your education to contribute ___
    - Extra-curricular activities; including community service, employment, high school/college and other activities
    - Special circumstances that you feel may be important
    - How your studies will contribute to protecting/furthering human rights.

2. Two letters of recommendation from a teacher, professor, counselor, community leader, elder, or mentor which provides an assessment of your potential.

************** Application Checklist ***************

---- Applicant information form [easy print form]
---- Typed or written statement included
---- Two letters or recommendation included or mailed separately
---- A recent financial statement

Recipients will be notified for the Spring 2006 academic year.

[top of page]