North Dakota Human Rights Coalition

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2003 North Dakota Human Rights Network Conference

Summary & Highlights

“Fostering a Network of Support for Human Rights Advocates in North Dakota”

October 24 & 25, 2003

Special thanks to all those who helped make the conference a success!

Location: Fargo, ND

Conference Location: Ramada Plaza Suites & Convention Center

Participation & Media Coverage:

78 people attended our first annual conference, and anywhere between 40 and 50 were at the Friday evening multicultural social. Of the 78 conference attendees, 29% were from outside of the Fargo-West Fargo-Moorhead-Dilworth area.

Television news Channel 6 covered the Friday social, talking with and interviewing several of our multicultural table hosts representing the Somali, Bosnian (Roma and Albanian), Vietnamese, Indian, Latino/Migrant Farmer, Arikara/Lakota, Ojibwa, and Dakota communities. Television news Channel 4 also interviewed NDHRC board member Barry Nelson at the conference on Saturday.

Resource Table Participants:

American Civil Liberties Union

Equality North Dakota

North Dakota Progressive Coalition

North Dakota Peace Coalition

Presentation Sisters of Fargo

North Dakota Department of Labor

Civilian-Based Defense Association

Northern Plains Outreach

Dakota Resource Council

Freedom Resource Center

North Dakota Fair Housing Council

Conference Agenda:

Date & Time	Location	Description

October 24, 2003

6:00 PM – 8:00 PM	Bach	Multicultural Social & Early Conference Check-In

October 25, 2003

8:00 AM – 8:30 AM	West entrance lobby	Conference Check-In

8:30 AM – 8:40 AM	Crystal II	Welcome
		Cheryl Bergian, Director, North Dakota Human Rights Coalition

8:40 AM – 9:00AM	Crystal II	Key Note Address
		Dr. David Gipp, President, United Tribes Technical College View the full key note address here

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM	Crystal II	Panel Discussion: Human Rights Legislative Activity in 2002-2003 & Preparing for 2004-2005
		Cheryl Bergian, Director, North Dakota Human Rights Coalition
		Bob Uebel, Co-Chair, Steering Committee, Equality North Dakota
		Prairie Rose, Member, Saving North Dakota Round Table
		Judy Lee, Senator, North Dakota Legislature
		Carolyn Nelson, Senator, North Dakota Legislature
		Mark Bachmeier, North Dakota Labor Commissioner

10:00 AM – 10:15 AM		Break

Break-out Sessions
10:15 AM – 10:55 AM	Mozart I	Role of Media in Human Rights Efforts
		Skip Wood, Media Consultant

10:15 AM – 10:55 AM	Mozart II	Hate Crime/Hate Incident Prevention and Response
		Prairie Rose, Member, Fargo Human Relations Commission

11:00 AM – 12:15 PM	Crystal II	Human Rights Commissions & Statewide Human Rights Organizations
		Rose Stoller, Chair, Bismarck Human Relations Committee
		Tom Fiebiger, Chair, Fargo Human Relations Commission
		Dickinson Human Relations Commission (invited)
		Amy Schauer Nelson, Executive Director, North Dakota Fair Housing Council
		Tammie Yak, Self Sufficiency Coordinator, Human Rights Center, Cultural Diversity Resources
		Bob Uebel,Co-Chair, Steering Committee, Equality North Dakota
		Lisa Brown, Past President, North Dakota Peace Coalition

12:15 PM – 1:25 PM	Crystal II	Lunch & Overview of NDHRC
		NDHRC Executive Committee Members

Break-out Sessions
1:30 PM – 2:15 PM	Mozart I	Conditions in Prison in North Dakota
		Christopher Dodson, Executive Director, North Dakota Catholic Conference

1:30 PM – 2:15 PM	Mozart II	Restorative Justice and Peaceful Resolution
		Brenda Bushaw, Restorative Justice Program Director, Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota
		Wade Hannon, Red River Anti-War Coalition
		Philip Mouch, Red River Anti-War Coalition

2:15 PM – 2:30 PM	Crystal II	Break

2:30 PM – 3:15 PM	Crystal II	Human Rights Law in North Dakota
		Mark Schneider, Attorney, Schneider, Schneider & Phillips
		Cheryl Bergian, Director, North Dakota Human Rights Coalition
		Mark Bachmeier, North Dakota Labor Commissioner

3:15 PM – 4:00 PM	Crystal II	Closing – Where Do We Go From Here
		Chery Bergian, Director, North Dakota Human Rights Coalition

Summary of Conference Evaluations:

The following column chart indicates the value (excellent to not satisfactory) given to various conference services and activities, and the rate at which the values were selected by each conference attendee that submitted an evaluation form. 35% of the conference attendees submitted evaluations.

Comments - The NDHRC is taking the following comments into consideration in planning our next conference in the fall of 2004:

“Pat on the back”

· It was a great conference and I am taking away a lot of good info; too bad more people did not attend; you are a big part of the solution! Keep up the good work

· Thank you for the great opportunity to network with others

· Great conference, location was excellent, accommodations were superb, length perfect!

· It was exciting to see passionate people unite behind this topic

· Was a good conference all in all; I did not realize there was as much going on as there is. Lots of valuable info

· Great local presentations from Fargo and Bismarck

· Overall, I am thrilled this happened; I look forward to the next conference; Thank you so much for all your hard work

Constructive criticism

· Your organization is strictly limiting itself in many respects that you’re not cognizant of; Include the majority population in North Dakota to fill the gaps and continental divides in communities of color (purple, green, blue, black & brown)...

· More people of color as panelists and in audience

· Youth equals future - a very noticeable absence! Also, young people to hold their "adult peers" accountable! Also, students support what they help to create!

· If politicians are to continue being on the program, more time to ask them questions, and less time for them to make politically self-serving speeches, would be welcome; They need to stick around if given a forum like this

“Would have liked”

· Entertainment - energy booster (i.e. silent auction or selling of goods by local artists)

· It should be strongly recommended to panelists that they participate in the entire day's program; Their absence denies attendees the chance for informal/discussion and contact

· I do think more time for informal talking and networking would be a great thing; Perhaps a session where small groups (random assignment) could come together and discuss ideas presented would be helpful

· Hear more comments from the people who have been discriminated against; somehow schedule more speaking time to allow all visitors to have q & a with speakers

Ideas & “possible to do”

· The NDHRC should seek grant funds to install a framed copy of the UDHR (abbreviated version) in every public office building and school in ND

· The NDHRC should seek out schools, churches, employers that have provided exemplary human rights benefits (i.e. normal) and publicize their contribution to our society; "Accent the positive" (also landlords)

· Have available a list of participants, who they represent, and their addresses and email addresses (if they do not object)

Ideas for future conference topics and sessions:

· Right to Strike

· Living Wage

· Start local human rights commissions

· Disability rights

· Mental health issues

· Immigration and refugee dialogue

· Implications with laws on human rights

· Educate populations - especially GLBT

· Best practices - who can we learn from

· Young people presenting on leadership development

· The difference/similarity between human rights and civil rights

· Working with legislature

· More on prison and human rights

· Grassroots efforts

· Workshops or breakout sessions providing a hands-on and/or interpretive orientation on what citizens can do in exercising their federal/state rights.

· Peace activists should provide in-depth analysis of "what the average citizens" can do to increase awareness of subject areas (war-activism opposition) community participation and understanding