HISTORICAL
SUMMARY
Ten
years ago, August 1994 at night, a cross was erected and
burned in front of the migrant labor
housing on the Pole Road. This classic symbol of hatred
and threat of violence, meant to drive unwelcome people out
in
fear, was followed
by a drive-by shotgun shooting.
Many
good folks from the different communities in our county came
together at the camp to show their support for the workers,
and to express their outrage
that such an act could happen locally. People came from the Hispanic
community, from the religious communities. Native and newcomer,
people of color and white
folks, just plain folks. People recognized that a community must
stand together and condemn abuses against anyone in their community.
The
rallies led to meetings to organize the Whatcom
Human Rights Task Force. This was greatly aided
by help from the Northwest
Coalition
Against Malicious
Harassment. A strong, coherent, encompassing and enduring mission
statement was written. Committees were formed to carry
out the mission. By-laws
were written,
a Board of Directors was elected, and 501C-3 non-profit status was
achieved.
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The Task
Force early on made commitments;
- to be allies with the many different parts of our county
and the organizations that represent them.
- to educate the community on diversity and multi-culturalism.
- To be an anti-racist organization.
Over the years the Task Force has supported and fought for
the rights of all kinds of folks.
RESOLUTIONS
Both
the Bellingham City Council
and the Whatcom
County Council
have enacted resolutions supporting human rights thanks to
the efforts of the Task Force.
NOT
IN OUR TOWN
The
Task Force organized local participation in the national Not
In Our Town campaign. This grew out of racist
incidents in Billings, Montana.
Swastikas and anti-Native graffiti were painted on buildings.
A
brick was thrown through a child’s bedroom window where
a menorah had been on display. Billings has a tiny Jewish community
but the town rallied. The Billings Gazette printed
double- page sized menorahs that went up all over town, in
the windows of businesses and homes.
JOINING
HANDS AGAINST HATE
A
group of women known as the Nine Mothers of Bellingham came
to the Task Force with the gift
of a symbol of
multi-racial hands [SEE OUR LOGO AT THE TOP
OF THE PAGE] joined
together to fight hate. The Task Force used
the inspiration of Billings to distribute the symbol throughout
the community,
uniting
all in
the fight for human rights.
This campaign was later greatly aided by the Whatcom Volunteer
Center and now you can see the symbol throughout our community.
NEO-NAZIS
In 1995 a small group of neo-Nazis attacked an Asian student
and a black student from Western Washington University as they
left a party
in the York
neighborhood. The
Task Force joined with students
from Western led by the
Ethnic Student Center to march through
the neighborhood demanding justice and a
recognition that such
problems exist here. Thanks to the courage and testimony
of the black student, the leader of the neo-Nazi group
spent
a
few months
in the
Whatcom County jail. This
is where he studied materials allowed to him to further
his racist studies and recently was the area coordinator for
the World Church
of the Creator, one of
whose followers killed a black coach and an Asian man,
among
other assaults, in the Midwest.
Our
local high school students have periodically been the victims
of hate literature sent by the National Socialist
Alliance,
a small neo-Nazi
group based in Oregon.
These mailings come completely out of the blue, not solicited
in any way. The recipients are picked at random and are
victims of
attempts to divide the community.
The Task Force has helped the students, their parents
and the schools deal with these unwanted mailings. Meetings
and rallies
have been
held
to educate and support
the students. The Task Force assembled and distributed
a teaching aid package on the issues of teaching tolerance
and responding
to hate.
The
Task Force has joined the Making Lemonade From Lemons campaigns.
When the neo-Nazis march in Idaho, pledges
are given to human
rights groups in the area
for every mile they march.
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THE
MILITIA MOVEMENT
The Task Force organized
resistance to the
attempts of militia groups, most specifically
the Militia
of Montana,
to recruit
in our area.
They have ties with white supremacists and the Christian
Identity ideology that holds that only white male
property owners are
true American citizens,
that people
of color are soul-less “mud people” and
that Jews are the “spawn
of Satan”. The militia recruitment and their
ties to white supremacists had some opportunities
here in part because of the virulent anti-environmentalist
stances of some in the local property rights movement.
Local environmentalists
were harassed and threatened. National property rights
organizers were invited and delivered speeches urging
resistance to law enforcement and the judiciary.
The Task Force joined efforts to defuse the violent, threatening
situation.
FERNDALE
DIVERSITY COALITION
At Ferndale
High School a male black student
athlete was the victim of a
racist letter
threatening
death.
A female Lummi student athlete
received a threatening letter. After the first
letter parents and school folks organized the Ferndale
Diversity Coalition,
with initial
help
form the Task Force.
They held rallies to bring the communities together
and today are a leading example in our county.
They
have
regular gatherings
where
food
is shared and friendships
are created across cultures.
HOMOPHOBIA
The Task Force joined in the efforts to respond to the homophobic “minister” who
threatened to come to Ferndale after a lesbian
student was elected to the homecoming court. Thankfully the “minister”,
whose website is “God Hates
Fags”, never showed. The community came
together though in response and Northwest
Proud worked really hard and the Task
Force helped.
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WORKSHOPS
Dedicated to being an anti-racist organization and committed
to educating on diversity
and multiculturalism,
the
Task Force
has held “Unlearning
Racism” workshops. These have led to
requests by local law enforcement and by schools
for diversity training.
INTERNSHIPS
The
Task Force provides opportunity for Western students to work
as interns. The Opportunity
Council of Bellingham has
graciously
provided
the Task Force with Vista volunteers who have greatly aided
the administration of the Task Force.
VICTIM
AND REFERRAL SUPPORT
The victim and referral support system
of the Task Force supports all victims of rights
abuses
with
direct help
and referral
service, responding
to hundreds
of inquiries and pleas. The system serves
as intake for the Whatcom Civil
Rights Project, the combined
efforts
of the
Law & Diversity program at Fairhaven
College and local lawyers to provide cost-free
legal assistance to rights abuse victims.
LAW
ENFORCEMENT LIAISON
The Task Force monitors law enforcement
response to rights abuses
and maintains
a liaison.
Law enforcement calls
on the Task Force
for assistance.
HUMAN RIGHTS CONFERENCE
The Task Force organizes and hosts a local
human rights
conference
every year. These
conferences
feature
speakers
and workshops on local
rights issues.
AWARDS BANQUET
Every
year the Task Force hosts a banquet to recognize and honor
local folks
who have
long worked
for human
rights in
the community.
STATE
HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION
The Task
Force annually represents the
people
of Whatcom
County with the
State Human Rights
Commission. The
governor appointed
members of this commission have
repeatedly stated how better organized Whatcom
county is in the
fight against
human
rights abuses because
of the efforts of
the Whatcom Human Rights Task Force.
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