NDHRC Summit 2011   Photo By Duke Gomez-Schempp

North Dakota Natives

Our Opinon/NDHRC sets high priorities to end discrimination in the state

By Cindy Gomez-Schempp
Editor

The North Dakota Human Rights Coalition (NDHRC) hosted its very first Human Rights Summit this weekend at the new Mezzaluna, formerly the Silver Moon, on Oct. 29th. HPR and the PPP were there both as entities interested in the human rights of the state and to record the keynote speaker this year, John Nichols. Nichols turned down speaking engagements in Washington D.C., and with Amnesty International to come deliver a message to North Dakotans about our progressive human rights roots. To hear John Nichols’ full speech to the NDHRC visit http://thepeoplespressproject.org. And, for more information on the work of North Dakota’s HRC visit http://www.ndhrc.org

John Nichols has a remarkable background as an author, journalist and media activist. He has worn many hats as a writer, correspondent, political pundit, nationally renown speaker, frequent cameo commentator in documentary films, regular TV and radio guest and co-founder of Free Press. Nichols honored the work of North Dakota’s Human Rights Coalition, and it’s independent media including the Prairie Independent, the High Plains Reader and the People’s Press Project. Speaking about the fundamental need for independent media, Nichols said mainstream media is “dysfunctional” and will choose “not to cover a school board meeting in order to carry a story about Jennifer Lopez’s derriere”. Nichols commended HPR and PPP for “trying to fill the void” and we could not have been more pleased to receive the recognition. To find out how you can contribute to independent media needs in North Dakota and Minnesota, visit: http://tiny.cc/PPPmedia Nichols’ advice on media justice issues is invaluable and we thank him for his observations to help our community become more transparent and equitable for all its residents.

John Nichols’ views on human rights are sought widely. Nichols’ insight is helpful in finding the roots of our human rights values which he explained in a recent interview with the Prairie Independent saying “[t]he United States really set the contemporary view of human rights in the 1770s when Americans held out the ideal that you were born with human rights; that these rights ought to be honored by all governments; and that all men are created equal, and this was extended to all men and women. America put this on the world stage.” The full interview is available online at: http://tiny.cc/PINichols

North Dakota’s Human Rights Coalition is an organization that has dedicated itself to furthering human rights for all people in the state and this, their first summit, was a step taken to enhance their human rights work and get more people involved. An inspirational figure honored at the summit was attorney Tom Fiebiger. Fiebiger is a former senator of District 45, and a human rights advocate who has fearlessly focused on employment discrimination and human rights issues in his legal work and personal life. The NDHRC hopes to build the future work of the organization by attracting more individuals with Fiebiger’s talents and drive.

North Dakota has a lot of history to be proud of and Nichols congratulated our state on its nation-wide legacy of leadership on state owned facilities, political non-partisan organizing, and open elections with same day registration. But Nichols also inspired the coalition of human rights in North Dakota to dig deeper into the human rights issues of today. Speaking about the legislative record of North Dakota’s last session, delivered by Sen. JoNell Bakke, Nichols joked that “it was damned depressing” and that counseling would be available following the summit.

What Nichols and Sen. Bakke were referring to, is the depressing record of “no” votes on serious issues affecting our most vulnerable populations including Native Americans, LGBT people, children, women, the mentally ill and the elderly. Some particularly egregious denials by the legislature were those made relating to worker’s compensation coverage for mental injuries arising from work accidents, enhancing penalties for conviction of discrimination and hate crimes, and providing (Headstart) early education programs appropriations. Many of these initiatives were recited by groups of summit attendees about future legislative priorities for the NDHRC.

Primary among those priorities were Native American issues. Responding to a Native educator about the state government’s denying reservations federal assistance for college students, thereby forcing Natives to attend existing state universities where racism deterrs more and more students from ever graduating, John responded that it is a misplacement of values and a human rights abuse for a state to easily produce funding for incarceration of Natives, but not for their education. From Sen. Bakke, human rights summit attendees also learned that while votes and support to keep the Fighting Sioux mascot name were abundant- - a bill which opponents, the NCAA, and most of planet earth have found offensive and racist - - , support was conspicuously absent for the massive needs to preserve Native education programs including funding for a director of Indian Education in the Dept. of Public Instruction, the collection and preservation of nearly extinct Native languages, and a law requiring at least one polling place for Natives somewhere on their reservations. Also discussed at this NDHRC meeting were the distressing number of Native students who lack equal access to education, the alarming number of violent attacks on Native women, and the continued discrimination of Natives on and off reservations.

The NDHRC is dedicating special attention in the upcoming session to these pressing issues that threaten to derail North Dakota’s progress. The HPR will continue to bring readers updates and information on how they can help steer the progress of the state to be one that, as John Nichols put it, “embraces the opportunity to be as innovative in the years to come as it has up to this point.”

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