WHRTF
  HOME
   Books
  Calendar
  Contact Us

  Donations
  Join
  Newsletter
  Photo Galleries

HISTORY
  About Us
  Human Rights

LINKS
  Help in Whatcom Co
 Resource Sites
 Solidarity
 Free Speech
 Local Business Support

ENDORSEMENTS
 Against neoNazi Mailings
 FTAA
 Austria
 Makah Whaling Rights

WORKSHOPS
 Unpacking Racism
 Martin Luther King Conference

Newsletter ARCHIVES
News - view News page

To Our Members:
A happy holiday season in this strangely warm but very wet Fall. We are sending this newsletter to encourage your participation in the upcoming events these next few months. First though we would like to thank our many members, Fairhaven College World Issues Forum, the Community Food Co-op, the Social Justice committee of Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship and Moka Joe’s, for making our first “Connecting The Dots” series such successful events. We were excited to be able to have the excellent presenters who came to Bellingham with their thoughtful presentations interact with our vibrant community through these Task Force events. This series will continue during the year as we pursue the opportunity to bring dynamic speakers with whom the community can interact regarding issues such as Fair Trade versus Free Trade, of the increasing number of economic refugees connected to globalization policies and other human rights issues that do or will affect all of us.

Besides our Connecting the Dots series, during the next few months we will honor International Human Rights Day on December 10th, hold our 9th annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr conference and support the Whatcom Human Rights Film Festival. You will read about all of these events in this newsletter!

Also in this newsletter, we would like to introduce you to our two new interns, Heather Bugni and Maria Manza. They will be with us until June this year and have jumped in with both feet working with the board and Jeff Heyamoto our Vista/Americorp volunteer.

The other news our members should be aware of is that the board has been looking for new office space. We have been blessed with many volunteers and need a bit more space to allow the board and our volunteers to meet and work on the many activities they do to keep up our mission and vision for Whatcom County.

I was contacted by a County Council member who felt the Task Force has made comments blaming the County for the issues regarding the controversy of the Nooksack Casino. It is not blame we wish to convey but it is a discussion about what the future should look like for this county. As population pressure increases in our area, the vision of how we will maintain the beauty and important functions of agriculture, industry and business in a manner that is compatible with what the majority of community members feel is important is an essential and ongoing conversation that is a sign of our values.

So I will end with the board’s new Vision Statement for our organization:

We envision Whatcom County as a diverse and compassionate community where every person enjoys equal justice and opportunity.

May this season bring peace and joy to you and yours.

Sincerely, Barbara Rofkar, chair

[top of page]

9th Annual Human Rights Conference
by Heather Bugni
The Whatcom Human Rights Task Force presents the 9th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Human Rights Conference “Teaching as if Democracy Matters” on Saturday January 13, 2007, to be held at Whatcom Community College’s Syre Center. The keynote speakers are author/educator Gregory Michie and WWU Political Science Professor Vernon Damani Johnson.

To discuss the important connections between education and democracy, Gregory Michie will speak about his highly acclaimed books, "Holler If You Hear Me: The Education of a Teacher and His Students" and "See You When We Get There: Teaching for Change in Urban Schools", and his experience as a teacher in the Chicago school system. Gregory Michie shares an honest account of life as a European-American heritage teacher in a culturally diverse urban school.

Dr. Damani Johnson has been teaching at Western Washington University for many years, specializing in race and public policy. A long-time active participant in human rights efforts throughout the region, Dr. Johnson is one of the original founders of the Whatcom Human Rights Task Force and is widely recognized as an influential leader in the area. Dr. Johnson brings with him not only a deep theoretical understanding of human rights in general, but also a fundamental appreciation for human rights concerns right here in this community.

This year’s workshops are set up into three interconnected tracks: an Educator Track, Youth Track and Community Track. The Educator Track will include workshops and training designed specifically for a multicultural approach to education. Clock hours are available for educators. The Youth Track will feature presentations both for and BY local area students, including a county-wide Youth Summit. The Community Track will offer “general interest” workshops, discussion forums, film screenings and educational seminars. The intention is to provide a safe and neutral space wherein all interested parties can learn and share ideas about human rights, education and democracy.

Registration begins at 8:30 AM. No advanced registration necessary. The conference is FREE and open to ALL community members. Free accommodations include childcare and parking. Sign language interpreters will be provided if requested by January 9th. Please contact the office at (360) 733-2233
see [conference] page

[top of page]

THE SILENCE IS BROKEN, LET'S TALK

by Joe Wooding
If the racist graffiti found at Sehome High School was simply an anomalous event, addressing the incident and holding individuals accountable for their actions would be a sufficient response. Yet for many students what happened at Sehome is a blatant reminder that racism exists in our community. The graffiti breaks the silence and allows us all to experience the discomfort many feel everyday. The dissonance many of us feel shows how painful racism can be for us all. Our teachers and administrators strive to make school a safe space for all students, yet this act defies our good intentions. So what can we do to heal? The answer lies with our youth who are offering us an obvious and reasonable response: Let's talk!

Talking about race, however, is more difficult than it seems. Conversations about race are often avoided because they can create uncomfortable moments. This is especially true for white teachers and students who may feel a sense of guilt or defensiveness when talking about racism. Ironically, the discomfort that accompanies such conversations indicates how important the topic is to all of us. These feelings often emerge from the way whites understand racism. For example, many whites define racism as racially motivated acts perpetrated by one individual against another individual or group. The possibility that racism does not require conscious and deliberate behavior can be counter-intuitive if we focus on racist incidents and individuals. The key is to look beyond racist incidents and individuals to examine how racism shapes each of us.

Many white people assume they do not have a race or ethnicity and have no need to talk about racism. If so, whites may regard race as relevant to people of color, but not to themselves. This places the responsibility on people of color to end racism and relieves white people from having to think about how race affects our lives. When we refuse to acknowledge race we discount the past and its continued impact on today. By ignoring how race affects students and communities of color we send the message that we do not fully accept who they are. Moreover, we deny students and members of this community opportunities to develop understanding and an identity that promotes racial justice.

Racism is not a minority problem and will persist as long as we remain silent. Fortunately, the silence has been broken. When students from BHS demonstrated during lunch they insisted we talk about our problems. When students from Sehome organized a peace march they illustrated the need for us all to share responsibility. When students from all Bellingham high schools meet they are modeling the solidarity required to create positive solutions. Our student and teachers are showing us what democracy looks like.

Students and teachers are talking and their conversations have made it clear that we all share a desire to create safe schools. Since our schools are one of the few places where people of various backgrounds can interact, it is essential that we help our schools provide opportunities for students to learn from each others differences. This is what "teaching as if democracy matters" is all about: creating a community where we can come together to envision the kind of society we want to live in and working together to educate ourselves and develop the critical skills necessary to make that vision a reality.

Talk is essential to a democratic society and helping students develop the skills to engage in dialog over controversial issues is essential. However, we must be prepared to facilitate difficult conversations effectively. Discussions about sensitive topics, especially conversations about race, can easily devolve into rapid exchanges that fail to enhance understanding or expose unexamined assumptions. "Teaching as if democracy matters" takes time, commitment and a community of support.

The support needed does exist because as a community we recognize that problems that occur in our schools are in essence community issues. Teachers and students do not have to struggle alone. Community partners such as the WHRTF, the Center for Educational Pluralism, and the Bellingham School District are helping students and teachers to transform an unfortunate act into an opportunity to heal.

[top of page]

INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS DAY

by Heather Bugni
In honor of International Human Rights Day the WHRTF is sponsoring The Legal Rights of Detainees which will focus on issues surrounding violations of Habeous Corpus. Please come honor International Human Rights Day with us on Sunday, December 10th at 1:30pm at the Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship.
The event will begin with the opportunity to write letters on behalf of those wrongly imprisoned or inhumanely treated in prison. Court of Appeals Judge Mary Kay Becker will speak and answer questions. A candlelight vigil will give the opportunity for participants to mention people who have contributed significantly to human rights. Finger food will be provided, and feel free to bring some to share!
The Legal Rights of Detainees is co-sponsored by Amnesty International, Veterans for Peace, ACLU, Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship Social Justice Committee, Bellingham High School Human Rights Advocates, and the Whatcom Peace and Justice Center.

[top of page]

MEET OUR NEW INTERNS!

My name is Heather Bugni and I keep the WHRTF office busy while working on the quarterly newsletter, member database, volunteer coordination, and publicity for WHRTF events. I am completing my final year at Fairhaven College where I will graduate with a degree I have titled Global Culture: Women, Children and the Politics of Everyday Life. After graduating I plan to teach English conversation at a Chinese university. I am enjoying my time working with the Task Force and hope that this experience can help me on my path to finding a career where human rights and social justice are at the core of its values.

My name is Maria Manza, and I have been interning with WHRTF since September. I am currently focusing on volunteer coordination and working with the service-learning class from Bellingham High School who will be helping with International Human Rights Day. I am a senior in the Human Services program at Western, and I am still unsure of where I will go after graduation. My ideas range from working for the Gates Foundation to graduate school. I am thankful to WHRTF for their role in my overarching goal to continuously seek opportunities that couple education with action.

[top of page]

"LET'S TALK" DISCUSSION FORUM

by Korry Harvey
The national award-winning “Let’s Talk” Discussion Forum is entering its sixth year at WWU. Over 2,000 individuals have participated in the process, discussing such wide-ranging issues as local diversity, protection of civil liberties in times of war, gender-related violence, environmental injustice, and local law enforcement policy. The idea stemmed from a perceived need for opportunities to participate in public discussion, and was brought into sharp focus in the immediate aftermath of the attacks of September 11. People were scared, confused and looking for answers to their many questions. It seemed un-American to question our own role in the tragedies of that fateful day. The climate of fear was so strong that people were afraid to raise any question which might possibly be interpreted as anything other than patriotic fervor. The attacks of September 11 raised serious questions about the relationship between American policy and the growing insecurity in the world, yet, because the nation was so gripped with fear and anger, these questions were pushed aside. In an atmosphere where government officials were telling Americans, “You’re either with us or you’re with the terrorists,” anyone found expressing a thought that was even remotely critical of America or its policies was quickly shunned and ridiculed. This climate was pushing careful consideration out of the sphere of public dialogue and replacing it with a fear-based repetition of patriotic slogans and jingoistic rallying cries. Rather than asking how and why such a terrible thing could have happened, thoughtful examination of the issue was ignored in favor of calls for revenge and retaliation.

Those who were brave enough to publicly declare their concerns were viewed either as traitors or hopelessly misled; their dissent silenced or ignored. It struck me that our nation was facing grave challenges which were causing people to commit to strongly opposing views. We were steadily becoming a house divided. People needed a safe place where they could freely express their thoughts and concerns without fear of reprisal; a sense of community. It was not agreement that we were looking for, but rather an opportunity for civil dialogue and a meaningful and respectful exchange of differences of opinion. As concerned citizens and advocates for social justice, we have a responsibility to encourage the intellectual development and understanding that occurs through civil and thoughtful discussion. One of the hallmarks of a democratic society is free exchange of ideas in an environment that emphasizes civil liberties, values intellectual freedom and respects the rights of all. As a part of this obligation, the “Let’s Talk” Discussion Forum is committed to facilitating the rights of freedom of speech, petition and assembly that are fundamental to the democratic process.

For information, or to subscribe to email notices, send email to: letstalkforum@gmail.com

Please join us for our next discussion: “Is Military Intervention an Appropriate Response to Acts of Terror?" at WWU Viking Union Room 565 at 7pm.

[top of page]

THE ONE CAMPAIGN

By Maria Knight
“ Where you live should not decide whether you live or die.”

The ONE Campaign, the Campaign to Make Poverty History, is a grassroots effort by Americans to rally Americans, ONE by ONE, to lend their voices in the fight against global AIDS and extreme poverty.

ONE is not asking for you money, but rather is asking for your voice to tell our leaders that extreme poverty in not okay. ONE calls for an increase of 1% ($25 billion) of the U.S. budget toward international assistance, which will provide basic needs like food, clean water, education, and health care. Today, less than 1% of the federal budget is marked for development assistance. ONE calls for 100% debt cancellation for the world’s poorest countries, trade reform and anti-corruption measures.

More than 1 billion people around the world live on less than $1 a day and do not have access to clean water. 8500 people die a day from extreme poverty. Sub-Saharan Africa makes up 13% of the world’s population and 28% of world poverty. It is home to over 70% of the total world HIV-positive population. 18 million children have lost one or both parents to AIDS, 12 million of them are in Africa alone. 3,000 people die a day from a mosquito bite (malaria).

1% will:
· Prevent 10 million children from becoming AIDS orphans.
· Help get 104 million children into grade school.
· Provide water to almost 900 million people around the globe.
· Save almost 6.5 million children under five from preventable deaths.

1% is not just a number on a balance sheet. 1% is the little girl in Uganda who can now go to school. 1% is the mother in Nairobi who can now receive free life-saving antiretroviral AIDS treatment for herself and her HIV-positive baby. 1% is the family in Kenya who can has access to clean water. 1% is the entrepreneur in Zimbabwe who can now start a small family business.

The President of the U.S. answers to Congress, Congress answers to us. But Congress won’t answer to us if we don’t speak, and speak loudly as ONE.

My daughter, Hana, a junior at Sehome High School, has been active with the ONE Campaign since she was 15 years old. Hana created a ONE video which has been used at several ONE events and runs a ONE table at Sehome and has signed on approximately 450 Sehome students to ONE. Her goal is to work towards a proclamation for Sehome to become an official “School of ONE” and carry this over to the entire Bellingham School District. Sehome has given approval to dedicate the MLK assembly in January to the ONE Campaign.

It’s important to remember that this is not about charity. It’s about justice. Allowing 8500 Africans to die every day of preventable, treatable diseases, for lack of drugs easily accessible to us…. That’s a justice issue. Preventing the poorest of the poor from selling their products while we sing the virtues of the free market…That’s a justice issue. Holding children to ransom for the debts of their grandparents...That’s a justice issue.

The ONE Campaign is a real political muscle. We currently have 2.4 million Americans signed on. Our goal is five million by 2008. If ONE.org could become a giant global community, what a thing we would have accomplished.

Please visit www.one.org. Lend your voice for our sisters and brothers.

[top of page]