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| February, 1997 | ||
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Wisdom from "Street Sounds" member
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The Task Force is honored to present two survivors of the Holocaust on March 4, 7:00PM at the Community Center. This presentation is open to the public and is free of charge. Sponsored by the Canadian Jewish Congress, the two survivors will speak to the community as well as to local high school seniors. "Due to the passage of time, our chances to hear about the Holocaust in a first person account will become more and more limited. This is an opportunity for all of us to share," said Nancy Renk, board member. Bronya Sonnenschein, one of the speakers, was born in Vienna. Her family was unsuccessful in trying to relocate to the United States and Italy. She lived in a Polish ghetto before being transported to Auschwitz-Birkenau. In the camp, she met Josef Mengele. Ms. Sonnenschein was part of the death march to the West as the Russian army approached. The other speaker, Robert Waisman, was a boy of eight when his father paid for a farmer to hide him. He ran away and worked in the ghetto painting missile shells. He was eventually sent to Buchenwald, where he remained until he was liberated by American troops. At the students' presentation, a high school teacher from Kelowna will help provide a context for the youth. The Task Force still holds packets of the "Art for Tolerance" holiday cards designed by local students. Why not pick up a few at a bargain basement price for your 1997 holiday mailing? The cards are being offered at $2.50 for a pack of 12. (Original price was $8.) If you are interested, please call the Task Force line: 263-0275. (This price does not apply to the blank greeting cards.) On February 22, the Task Force is sponsoring a workshop on "How to Raise Tolerant Kids." The workshop will take place at Farmin-Stidwell from 9:00AM until noon. The workshop will be part presentation, and part interactive, and will be lead by Eric Ridgway. Mr. Ridgway is a licensed professional counselor. He teaches a variety of classes on human relationship issues and works with individuals and families. Some of the issues covered in the workshop will include: -What is tolerance Pointing to increased violence in our society, Mr. Ridgway states that we need to become aware of the need for tolerance at many levels, from society down to individual families. The Task Force needs an effective phone tree set up. Occasionally, the membership needs to be apprised of events and news items in a timely basis. Can you help? If so, call the Task Force at 263-0275. Along the same line, please send your e-mail address to: bchrtf@dmi.net so that we can broadcast electrons to you when necessary! Please! Get a cup of hot coffee or tea, sit down and chew on some thoughts with me a while. Another year has begun in North Idaho - in the midst of a winter that should have all of Bonner County pulling together as a result of our common battle with the cold, snow and more snow. But often these days, as I pick up the morning paper, it seems we're more divided than ever before. Some days, in fact, I wonder whether this is really where I want to live. Then I realize I'm letting the media, which always spotlights the extreme, define the place I love. And I remember all the good people who have come forward to support human rights activities, through words, actions, contributions. I think, as a Task Force, that we have been successful in steadfastly pursuing our goals of education and increasing public awareness. We have been successful in not letting the radical groups who oppose us set our agenda. We have been pro-active rather than reactive. Yet we have mobilized and rallied at critical times. Yes, as we lament about how the world sees us, we have a tendency to react to that negative image ourselves. We can, as the media does, fixate on the extreme. Then, while we worry about bullets - we may be defeated by ballots! Or, we become so caught up in our defense that we ignore the racism and intolerance that do exist. It is evident that an alliance exists between individuals from White Supremacist, Christian Identity, Patriot and Militia groups. They share a vision of a world that would be intolerable to those of use who dream that "one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed...that all men are created equal." We must recognize that by supporting each other and by building on discontent with government - these radical groups have gained momentum. These folks are organized; they're focused. While many of us divide our energies between a variety of worthy causes. Perhaps it is time to realize that in the world the right-wing extremists envision none of the causes we hold dear would stand a chance. Education, the Arts, support for minorities and the disadvantaged - all seen as purveyors of evil. One of the strongest ideas I brought away from this year's Northwest Coalition Against Malicious Harassment Conference in Spokane is the idea that we must: GET LESS BUSY! and GET MORE SERIOUS! We must counter the mis-information, the pseudo-science promoted by these groups with truth. We must find and utilize available sources. We must inspire more of our friends and neighbors to join us in our work. We must prepare for the long haul. For in the words of the old Spiritual: "We who believe in freedom must not rest until it's come!" Most important of all: we must not be discouraged. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote that one of the things that kept them together during the difficult days of the civil rights movement was the belief that the universe was on the side of justice. I believe that hasn't changed. What do you think? Brenda Hammond The Task Force annual meeting has been set for April 8. All members will receive notification of the meeting. Do you know a good candidate for the Task Force Board? Is that person looking at you in the mirror? Please call the Task Force line with suggestions for the board: 263-0275. Bill Wassmuth, Executive Director of the Northwest Coalition Against Malicious Harassment, will speak to the Task Force on Tuesday, April 8 at 7:30PM at the Community Center. Mr. Wassmuth has been to Bonner County to speak several times, with the topics usually concerning developments in the Christian Patriot and White Supremacist movement. This visit, his message will be more inspirational, reminding us of the importance of our work, informing us of what we are doing right and what remains to be done. Come, join with fellow like-minded people to celebrate what is right, and risk being motivated to do more! The human rights clubs at Sandpoint Middle School and Sandpoint High have been very busy. The high school club sponsored an open-mic night for Martin Luther King, Jr. day. Over 60 people attended to share their thoughts and feelings on human rights. The middle school club members were present to sell buttons. Other activities at the high school include preparing a presentation for fifth graders at Sagle School. Also, they are planning a "play day" for disabled persons. At the middle school, the club is now meeting three times a week. As this goes to press, they are organizing a Valentine's Day march for peace and tolerance. The club has a good inventory of a variety of buttons which are available for a donation of $1.00. It is an inspiration just to hear what these people are doing and planning. Congratulations to them and to their advisors Linda Navarre and Dan Vanek! Thanks to Graphic Ink, who ran an ad for the Task Force in its Winter Companion calendar free of charge. The Companion shows monthly events and can be found free in various area locations. National and international media coverage of North Idaho continues. In October, 1996, the Swiss newspaper Weltwoche carried a multiple page article about North Idaho in general and Sandpoint in particular. The title of the article was "American Nightmare." While the authors claimed to have been in the area for two weeks, they made no effort to reach anyone from the Task Force, and the article reflects that. A November 10, 1996 article in the Denver Post about the arrest of three suspects for the Spokane bombings was entitled "Idaho's racist enclave grows." The February 5, 1997 column by Cynthia Taggart in the Spokesman-Review recounts how Flip Schulke, photographer for Martin Luther King, was afraid to come to North Idaho. After being in the area, Mr. Schulke said the "Panhandle's goodness is the nation's best-kept secret." If we could shrink the Earth's population to a village of precisely 100 people, with all existing human ratios remaining the same, it would look like this: There would be 57 Asians, 21 Europeans, 14 from the Western Hemisphere, and 8 Africans When one considers our world from such an incredible compressed perspective, the need for both tolerance and understanding becomes glaringly apparent. The Task Force is still in need of some storage space. Do you have a space, or an idea for one? If so, please call the Task Force at 263-0275!! "Who were we? ... We were Protestants and Catholics and Jews and Muslims and Buddhists ... fighting for a common and just cause ... We were black and white and yellow and brown and red, and we noticed when our blood was shed in the desert, it didn't separate by race but it flowed together." General H. Norman Schwarzkopf The group "Street Sounds" performed at the Panida in celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. day. Those of us who braved the snow storm were treated with a wonderful evening of music and message. Thank you to Pend Oreille Arts Council, who made the evening possible. Bernice Johnson Reagan, one of the singers in Street Sounds, also formed Sweet Honey in the Rock. She is a Distinguished Professor at Washington's American University and curator emeritus at the Smithsonian. Her following quote is from the March-April 1996 Utne Reader: "The discussion that surfaced after the O.J. Simpson trial and the Million Man March disturbed me. For the first time, commentators said, people are becoming aware that black and white people don't think the same way about things. What disturbed me was the idea that this state of affairs was somehow negative. What's wrong? the commentators asked. "Nothing's wrong. We come from different histories, and it's positive that we finally see and admit the differences. African Americans know that nobody can survive in a minority position with only one point of view-we have always had to understand the majority view as well. In the effort to understand the story of America, we're still not getting enough help from many people who share the story, because they come from a culture that says that their view is the only one. "Well, I say to them: Welcome to prekindergarten! You will not die if you discover that there are more lines out there than just your own. In fact, you'll discover that you will have an advantage if you know more of them."
The Rights Stuff is published "occasionally" by the Bonner County Human Rights Task Force. Helping with this issue were: Jane Clark, Brenda Hammond, Jeanette Lucas, Lela Lucht, Tammy Moikeha, Donna Parrish. The Task Force can be reached at 208-263-0275 and e-mail:
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