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Conference

Whatcom Human Rights Task Force presents
2007 ANNUAL HUMAN RIGHTS AWARDS AND DESSERT SOCIAL
Thursday, June 7th, from 6:30pm-9:00pm
-PRESS RELEASE SOON......
Keynote Speaker: Darrell Hillaire of the Lummi Nation
Come enjoy free dessert and beverages donated by local businesses, as we honor the winners of this year's Human Rights Awards recipients.
Don't miss this chance to celebrate with us as we recognize those making a difference in our community!
FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!!
For more information, please contact
Jeffrey Heyamoto  WHRTF office: 733-2233 or email
LOCATION: Faith Lutheran Church (Corner of Northwest Ave. & McLeod Rd.

WESTERN WASHINGTON STUDENTS AGAINST THE WAR
-various events in May
Wednesday May 9:
Ellen Schrecker, Professor of History at Yeshiva University
and nationally-known lecturer, and author of Many Are the Crimes: McCarthyism in
America. WORLD ISSUES FORUM. American Political Oppression in a Global
Context. Noon- 1:30pm, Fairhaven College Auditorium.

Sunday May 13:
Not In Our Name, Bellingham, hosts a demonstration at noon at the Federal Bldg, corner of Cornwall and Magnolia, downtown. Local leaders& mothers in the community will speak.

Tuesday May 15:
Mel Goodman, PhD in Russian History, 20 years with the C.I.A, speaks at Paths to Global Justice, noon-1:00pm in WWU Communications 316 on "CIA and the Fall of the Soviet Union." Also speaking

Wednesday May 16,
4-5pm, in Fraser Hall 4, on "Rise and Fall of the CIA"; and on Thursday, May 17, 4-6pm in Fraser Hall 3, on a panel forum with, Leonard Helfgott & Steven Garfinkle of the History Department, and Niall O'Murchu of Fairhaven College on "The CIA, the Presidency and Contemporary Middle East."

Wednesday May 16:
David Korten, Co-founder and board chair of the Positive Futures Network at WORLD ISSUES FORUM. "The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community." In the classic bestseller, When Corporations Rule the World, David Korten articulates the destructive and oppressive nature of the global corporate economy. In his recent
book, The Great Turning, he shows that the problem runs deeper than corporate domination. Noon-1:30pm, Fairhaven College Auditorium

Wednesday, May 16:
Rev. Dr. Nuhad Tomeh of Lebanon is associate general secretary of the Middle East Council of Churches and is in charge of Iraq relief and rehabilitation program. "Can There Be Reconciliation In Our Troubled Middle East?" In view of the ethnic, cultural and religious diversity of the Middle East, the talk will concentrate on the importance of building relations among people and nations.
He is speaking at the following events: 1) 4-5:00pm WWU Communications 105; and 2) 7:00pm First Congregational Church.
These events co-sponsored by St. James Presbyterian Church; Fairhaven College; Mission, Justice, and Social Concerns Committee, First Congregational Church; Whatcom Peace & Justice Center; and United Ministries in Higher Education.

Monday May 28, Memorial Day:
Bellingham Chapter 111 Veterans for Peace (VFP) hosts Arlington West Iraq War Memorial, Peace Arch Park, all day 9am-5pm.
20 volunteers are needed to help set-up and take down the over 3,350 crosses and monuments in recognition of the US soldiers who have died in Iraq.
This is a powerful exhibit.
Email whatcompjc@fidalgo.net to sign up with VFP in the subject line. If you forget to sign up, but can come on that day, please show up that morning or evening. Thank you.

Thursday May 31:
Parent, Student, & Citizen Community Discussion on Military Recruiting in High School led by WWU Human Services students Kat Elenbaas and Martin Hall-Lanpher and co-sponsored by WPJC.
Are you concerned about student contact information automatically given to military recruiters? Are you concerned about your children being harassed by recruiters?
Come contribute to the dialogue and help envision the next steps for our local high schools.
734-0217.

We meet in VU 460 on Mondays at 5:00. See you there!

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The Whatcom Human Rights Task Force
Connecting the Dots Series presents:
“FREE TRADE, GUEST WORKERS AND IMMIGRANT REFORM: A Panel Discussion”
April 20th - Friday, 7-9 pm

The panel will be moderated by Rosalinda Guillen of Community to Community Development (C2C),
PANELISTS:
Aline Soundy of (C2C)
David Bacon and Juan Manuel Sandoval of Global Exchange. (see below for details)

CO-SPONSORS::
Whatcom Human Rights Task Force
Community to Community Development
the Social Issues Resource Center
Civil Controversy Series

LOCATION:
WWU Science Lecture Hall 150
Free Parking in the Fairhaven College parking lot
INFORMATION:
contact: David 360-650-6804.

PUSH AND PULL: FREE TRADE AND IMMIGRATION
[information from the global exchange website]
Speaking tour with
David Bacon and Juan Manuel Sandoval

The dramatic debate over immigration that played out in America's streets and the halls of Congress last year is about to return to the national stage with the almost certain introduction of Comprehensive Immigration Reform Legislation in coming months.

Yet a critical element was missing from last year's debate: Why are ever more Mexicans leaving home for a risky, uncertain, and difficult life abroad? What are the conditions in Mexico that are behind the steep rise in out migration?
Many Americans are asking: Wasn't NAFTA supposed to lift boats on both sides of the border making widespread immigration a thing of the past? Why can't Mexico's government and economy produce opportunities at home for Mexican workers and farmers? Is immigration reform just a temporary band-aid if we don't turn these things around somehow?
This spring we are inviting two well- known writers and experts on immigration, labor, and trade issues to tour the US on the eve of the anniversary of last year's historic immigrations rights marches to help us grapple with these complex and controversial issues.
David Bacon and Juan Manuel Sandoval will delve deeply into these issues and help us to better understand them using photos and stories from their years of organizing, and research of how these issues are shaping the futures of both the United States and Mexico.

Juan Manuel Sandoval [more info]
Born in Mexico City, Juan Manuel Sandoval is a leading social activist and academic in Mexico City who holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from UCLA. He is General Coordinator of the Permanent Seminar on Chicano and Border Studies in Mexico City, a member of the Coordinating Committee of the Mexican Action Network on Free Trade, and member of the Board of Directors of the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (USA).

David Bacon [more info]
David Bacon is a writer and photojournalist on issues of labor, immigration and international trade. On the tour, he will share analysis and photos from his recently published photo-documentary books, The Children of NAFTA and Communities Without Borders, to highlight the realities of immigrants here in the United States and of Mexicans still living in Mexico.
For twenty years, Bacon was a labor organizer for unions with a large percentage of immigrant workers in their membership. Those experiences give him a unique insight into changing conditions in the workforce, the impact of the global economy on migration, and how these factors influence workers rights. Bacon was chair of the board of the Northern California Coalition for Immigrant Rights, and helped organize the Labor Immigrant Organizers Network and the Santa Clara Center for Occupational Safety and Health.

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YANETH PEREZ "WOMEN WORKING FOR PEACE IN COLOMBIA"
Colombian Mother to Discuss Human Rights
April 25, Wednesday
2 presentations: noon and 7pm
2 LOCATIONS:
Noon:  Fairhaven College Auditorium
7PM: Whatcom Peace and Justice Center at 100 E. Maple.

Imagine trying to raise your children and protect your home in one of the most war-torn regions of South America. Yaneth Pérez, single mother of three, will share her experiences.

photo courtesy foreigninterest.com

Pérez is the president of the Dawn of Women for Arauca Association which advocates for women’s rights and social justice. She will give a presentation, “Women Working for Peace in Colombia,”

“We, as women, are suffering the consequences of the war in Colombia” said Pérez. “We watch our husbands being imprisoned or killed, or having to flee from our homes in order to save their lives. We’re then left alone to care for our children and provide them with a decent future. Women who speak out against the war and for social justice have been threatened, arrested, and killed.”

The people in Arauca (a state in northeastern Colombia) are suffering from the war and government repression. More than one hundred community leaders have been killed and many more have been imprisoned on false charges of “rebellion.” Occidental Petroleum has a huge oilfield and pipeline in Arauca that are being protected by the U.S. and Colombian military.

American taxpayers provide Colombia with $1.5 million per day in military aid. Two guerrilla groups have been fighting against the government for more than 40 years. Amnesty International USA has repeatedly documented the Colombian military’s involvement in human rights abuses and has called for a complete cut off of military aid to Colombia.

“We don’t need any more weapons in Arauca” said Pérez. “There are already more than enough guns and bombs to kill all of us. Instead of sending arms, we ask the U.S. government to provide support for schools, health clinics, housing, and small farmers so that we can take care of our families.”

Pérez is being accompanied by Scott Nicholson - a Missoula resident and board member of Community Action for Justice in the Americas. Nicholson has been in Arauca since July 2006 documenting the human rights situation in the region. The presentation will include his photos of the war in Arauca.

SPONSORS:
Community Action for Justice in the Americas,
Montana Human Rights Network,
Whatcom Peace and Justice Center,
Whatcom Human Rights Task Force, and
Fairhaven College.
INFORMATION:
Scott Nicholson: 310-831-6567, cheleescot@hotmail.com
Marie Marchand: 360-734-0217, whatcompjc@fidalgo.com
2 LOCATIONS:
Noon:  Fairhaven College Auditorium
7PM: Whatcom Peace and Justice Center at 100 E. Maple.

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CONNECTING THE DOTS SERIES:  Living Together in Bellingham:
Student Parties, Enforcement Practices, and Neighborly Relations
May 2 Wednesday, 5:30pm

What are local laws and enforcement practices?
What is on the minds of students living in the neighborhoods?
What are the perspectives of long-term community members?

Come listen, learn, and share how we might better live together in Bellingham.

INFORMATION:
please contact Wendy at (360) 650-4028 or
Wendy.Henerlau@wwu.edu
LOCATION:
Sehome High School Cafeteria,
2700 Bill McDonald Parkway

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SEEKING NOMINATIONS FOR 2007 HUMAN RIGHTS AWARDS
The Whatcom Human Rights Task Force is seeking nominations for the eleventh annual Human Rights Awards which will be presented on June 7th.

Deadline for nominations is May 1st.

Nominations  - 3 ways......
Call in to - 733-2233,
email to whrtf@whrtf.org
send to WHRTF
      attn: Nominating committee,
      P.O. Box 2191,
      Bellingham, WA, 98227.

A nomination should include

• the nominator and nominee’s name and contact information,
• a short description of why the nominee is exemplary in her, his, or their service to human rights.
• Organizations or groups can be nominated, as well as individuals.
• Special consideration will be given to nominees who are long time grassroots activists for peace, justice, and human rights, and who have worked for diverse human rights causes (issues of race, gender, class, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, or political opinion.

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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