Nichelle Mitchem

HOPE AND CHANGE

Van Jones’ inspiring words about the Wisconsin residents that have been occupying their state capitol building which appeared on The Huffington Post on Tuesday morning are worth quoting: “In the past 24 months, those of us who longed for positive change have gone from hope to heartbreak. But hope is returning to America—at last—thanks largely to the courageous stand of the heroes and heroines of Wisconsin.

Reinvigorated by the idealism and fighting spirit on display right now in America’s heartland, the movement for “hope and change” has a rare, second chance. It can renew itself and become again a national force with which to be reckoned.

Over the next hours and days, all who love this country need to do everything possible to spread the “spirit of Madison” to all 50 states. This does not mean we need to occupy 50 state capitol buildings; things elsewhere are not yet that dire. But this weekend, the best of America should rally on the steps of every statehouse in the union.”Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art

 

You Can Combat Hate Based Violence

 
Research indicates that thousands of people every year are victims of hate crime. For every reported case of hate violence, there are countless unreported incidents of hate based violence. The hate crime phenomenon presents complex and agonizing problems to communities nationwide. The problem has become more visible as federal and state officials increasingly track hate violence.

Some assert that, the Federal Bureau of Investigation's annual jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction breakdown of state, local, and college hate crime reporting offers the most comprehensive national picture currently available on the magnitude of the hate crime problem in America. Additionally, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SCLC) monitors hate groups and other extremists throughout the United States and expose their activities to law enforcement agencies, the media, and the public. Research indicates that there are 932 known hate groups operating across the country, including neo-Nazis, Klansmen, white nationalists, neo-Confederates, racist skinheads, and others. The Southern Poverty Law Center reports that there are 28 known hate groups in the state of Pennsylvania alone. According to the research done by the Southern Poverty Law Center, the number of hate groups is growing.

American communities have learned that failure to address bias crimes can cause an isolated incident to result in widespread tension. Hate crimes are unique because they have a special emotional and physical impact that extends beyond the original victim. Bias crimes intimidate others in the victim's community, causing them to feel isolated, vulnerable, and unprotected by the legal system. By making members of a specific group fearful, angry and suspicious, these crimes polarize cities and damage the very fabric of our society.

While hate violence makes headlines, the positive actions of people across the country are creating a different story. These people include but are not limited to a movement called Not In Our Town. Like other groups battling hate based violence, Not In Our Town highlights communities working together to stop hate. Not In Our Town videos and broadcasts highlight and celebrate people who have developed creative anti-bias programs and responses.  The stories chronicled by Not In Our Town have served to motivate many others to develop their own innovative initiatives which overpower the hateful actions and voices in their communities.

Since the original broadcast of NOT IN OUR TOWN in 1995 on PBS, civic leaders and citizens in hundreds of communities across the country have created their own Not In Our Town campaigns to fight intolerance. To read stories of communities standing together against hate and to learn how you can get involved, visit NIOT.org. Hate violence can be eradicated with an equal amount of conscience, mind, heart, and collective action.

The non-profit sector offers information, education, and activism against hate violence. This list contains a few of the organizations that offer resources or help communities respond to hate activities. Many of the national organizations have local chapters. A brief list of national organizations battling hate based include but is not limited to:

National Organizations

American Jewish Committee
Web: http://ajc.org
Published, What to Do When the Militia Comes to Town

Anti-Defamation League
Web: http://www.adl.org
Combats anti-semitism and racial supremacist ideology, published Hate Crimes Laws: A Comprehensive Guide.

Asian American Legal Defense & Education Fund
Community education, legal counseling and advocacy on behalf of victims of anti-Asian violence.

Center For Democratic Renewal
Web: http://www.thecdr.org
Published When Hate Groups Come to Town: A Handbook of Effective Community Responses.

Center for New Community
Web: http://www.newcomm.org
Publishes special reports on anti-immigrant groups.

Connect America
Points of Light Foundation
Web: http://www.pointsoflight.org/sponsors/connectamerica.cfm
Sponsors national "Join Hands Day"

NAACP
Web: http://www.naacp.org
Combats racisms and fights for civil rights.

National Council of Churches
Web: http://www.ncccusa.org
Organized nationally to rebuild burnt churches in 1996.

National Gay & Lesbian Task Force
Web: http://www.thetaskforce.org
Fights hate crime; monitors attacks on civil liberties.

Political Research Associates
Web: http://www.publiceye.org/
Think-tank monitoring the full spectrum of hate organizations.

Southern Poverty Law Center
Web: http://www.splcenter.org
Reports on hate crime and advances the legal rights of victims of injustice. Home of Klanwatch.)

Study Circles Resource Center
Web: http://www.studycircles.org
Helps communities and organizations begin small democratic, discussion groups that can make significant progress on difficult issues including race.)

100 Black Men of America
Web: http://www.100blackmen.org
Helps young African Americans to overcome financial and cultural obstacles through mentoring, anti-violence, education and economic development programs.

 For further information about hate based violence, visit the Southern Poverty Law Center's website.Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art

 

50-State Mobilization to Save the American Dream

 
In response to Wisconsin’s newly-elected Tea Party governor Scott Walker’s budget proposal, MoveOn released the emergency action alert which appears below, requesting our help to support workers not only in Wisconsin but across the nation.  It has been reported that hundreds of thousands of regular Wisconsinites—teachers, firefighters, police officers, students, and others—have taken to the streets of Madison.  These Wisconsin residents have occupied their state capitol building for the last 7 days and nights. In support of workers, MoveOn  is helping to lead an emergency call for rallies in every state capital this Saturday at noon to support workers in Wisconsin and oppose attacks on programs that hurt workers, wherever they occur.

The citizens occupying the Wisconsin state capital building communicates that working people -- with their countless allies, students, seniors, women's organizations, and more -- are inspired and ready to fight. Additionally, it sends a clear and unequivocal message to the right-wing politicians and those in the media suggesting further concessions from working people. Working people did not create the recession or the budgetary crisis facing federal, state and local governments, and there can be no more concessions.

It should be apparent to all that the right wants to scapegoat workers and their unions, and is trying to exploit the economic crisis for an all-out assault on unions, public employees, and all working people in a campaign that is funded by right-wing, corporate billionaires. It is apparent that their goal is to break unions and silence the voice of all working people to fight for better working conditions and improved standards for all workers.

As referenced in the action alert released by MoveOn, the Wisconsin Governor’s proposed state budget is NOT simply about that state. There will be a ripple effect felt around the country. In state capitals across the country, and in Washington, D.C., Republicans are using the poor state of the economy as an excuse to slash vital programs and hurt workers. Consequently, some argue that the American Dream itself is under attack.

MoveOn’s emergency action alert reads as follows “…50-State Mobilization to Save the American Dream. Calling all students, teachers, union members, workers, patriots, public servants, unemployed folks, progressives, and people of conscience:

In Wisconsin and around our country, the American Dream is under fierce attack. Instead of creating jobs, Republicans are giving tax breaks to corporations and the very rich, and then cutting funding for education, police, emergency response and vital human services. The right to organize is on the chopping block. The American Dream is slipping out of reach for more and more Americans, and we have to fight back.

We call for emergency rallies in front of every statehouse this Saturday at noon to stand in solidarity with the people of Wisconsin. Demand an end to the attacks on workers' rights and public services across the country. Demand investment, to create decent jobs for the millions of people who desperately want to work. And demand that the rich and powerful pay their fair share.

We are all Wisconsin.

We are all Americans.

Add your endorsement and this Saturday we will stand together to save the American Dream. P.S. In addition to allies like PCCC, Color of Change, CREDO Action, Democracy for America, Campaign for Community Change, National People's Action, TrueMajority, US Action, Progressive Majority, and Courage Campaign, green jobs visionary Van Jones has joined this call to action as well…”

MoveOn’s emergency action alert asks that recipients of the action alert share the content of that document with family, friends, colleagues, and others. Secondly, the alert asks for emergency rallies in front of every statehouse this Saturday at noon to stand in solidarity with the people of Wisconsin. Share the information contained in the action alert and join the movement to demand that: the rich and powerful pay their fair share of taxes; and investment to create decent jobs for the millions of people who desperately want to work.

Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art

 

 

 

 

 

“Hope and Change”

 
Van Jones’[i] inspiring words about the Wisconsin residents that have been occupying their state capitol building which appeared on The Huffington Post on Tuesday morning are worth quoting:

"In the past 24 months, those of us who longed for positive change have gone from hope to heartbreak. But hope is returning to America—at last—thanks largely to the courageous stand of the heroes and heroines of Wisconsin.

Reinvigorated by the idealism and fighting spirit on display right now in America's heartland, the movement for "hope and change" has a rare, second chance. It can renew itself and become again a national force with which to be reckoned.

Over the next hours and days, all who love this country need to do everything possible to spread the "spirit of Madison" to all 50 states. This does not mean we need to occupy 50 state capitol buildings; things elsewhere are not yet that dire. But this weekend, the best of America should rally on the steps of every statehouse in the union."

Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art

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[i] “Van Jones is a globally recognized, award-winning pioneer in human rights and the clean-energy economy. Van is a co-founder of three successful non-profit organizations: the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Color of Change and Green For All. He is the best-selling author of the definitive book on green jobs: The Green-Collar Economy. He served as the green jobs advisor in the Obama White House in 2009. Van is currently a senior fellow at the Center For American Progress. Additionally, he is a senior policy advisor at Green For All. Van also holds a joint appointment at Princeton University, as a distinguished visiting fellow in both the Center for African American Studies and in the Program in Science, Technology and Environmental Policy at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.” Source: Van Jones'website.

 

TELL CONGRESS NOT TO SHORTCHANGE VICTIM SERVICES

For many women violence and danger are their constant companions. Research indicates that one in four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime. Indigent women are more vulnerable. The pervasive problem of domestic violence takes everyone to make it stop. This evening, the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) released an action alert which reminds us that domestic violence can eradicated with an equal amount of conscience, mind, heart, and collective action.

NCADV’s Action Alert recent reads as follows, “On February 14th, President Obama presented to Congress his budget for Fiscal Year 2012. The FY12 budget proposal, which requires congressional approval, provides $3.73 trillion in spending for mandatory and discretionary programs, including an estimated $777 million for the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA), the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) and related programs (Ms. Magazine).

On Tuesday, the House of Representatives began consideration of their own spending measure, HR 1. This bill, also referred to as the Continuing Resolution (CR), primarily provides funding for the current year, Fiscal Year 2011. The major concern surrounding HR 1 is that it is $100 billion less than the president’s FY11 budget proposal submitted to Congress last year, providing the largest budgetary cut in the nation’s history, according to a statement from Appropriations Chairman Harold Rogers (R-KY).

While the prevailing majority party in the House (under Republican leadership) justifies the cuts as fiscally responsible, Democrats in both chambers of Congress and the White House view the Republican approach as haphazard. For example, Democrats argue that reducing spending for vital criminal justice, social service and educational programs is like cutting off the nose to spite the face. Outlook According to reports from Congressional Quarterly on Tuesday, HR 1 does not have any support beyond the House of Representatives, and President Obama has vowed to veto the bill. It is likely that the House will complete work on HR 1 by February 17th. However, the endgame for the Continuing Resolution–which is temporarily funding the government at FY10 levels through March 4th–is not so clear.

Congress will need to pass another extended Continuing Resolution, a consolidated spending bill or a combination of the two by March 4th in order to prevent a government shutdown. Over the next several months, Congress will draft and amend its own spending measure for FY12 using the president’s budget proposal as a blueprint. Congress is required by law to pass an annual budget by September 30th. However, passing the budget by the fall deadline is a rarity. With a divided Congress that has yet to complete work on the current fiscal year budget, the FY12 budget-appropriations process is expected to be a grueling tug-of-war match.

But, with your help, WE CAN preserve VAWA, FVPSA, VOCA and related funding! Join the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) and other similar organizations to take action to honor the countless nameless and faceless victims of intimate partner crime. Take Action Now Through March 4th MEET in district with members of your congressional delegation who sit on the House and Senate Appropriations Committees and tell them not to shortchange victim services.

Your federal elected officials will be home from February 22-25. They need to hear from you about how beneficial VAWA, FVPSA, VOCA and related programs are to the communities they represent. Conversely, they also need to understand the impact that cuts to these programs will have on their communities. Our strength is in our numbers, so bring your friends, colleagues and fellow survivors to your meetings.” For further information, please contact publicpolicy@ncadv.org. Photo credit Microsoft Clip Art

 

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[i] Tjaden, Patricia & Thoennes, Nancy, National Institute of Justice and the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, 1993, “Extent, Nature and Consequences of Intimate Partner Violence: Findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey,” (2000).

New Jersey’s “Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights”

Posted on February 13, 2011 by Administrator

Prior to the Rutgers University freshman’s suicide in the fall of 2010, relatively few people knew Tyler Clementi before the student jumped to his death off the George Washington Bridge, but the wake from that sad and desperate act is now felt around the world.

According prosecutors, no one is certain why Tyler Clementi took his life in September of last year but his suicide occurred after his roommate, Dharun Ravi, used a webcam to watch Tyler have a sexual encounter with another man in their dorm room.

It is reported that Tyler’s roommate, Dharun Ravi, set up a webcam and watched with a friend, Molly Wei, in her dormitory room. Clementi appears to have found out about the webcast and had filed a complaint with the resident assistant.

After the webcam matter was discovered by the authorities, both Ravi and Wei were charged with invasion of privacy. Many assert that intolerance is growing at the same rate cyberspace has given us the ability to invade the lives of others. Tyler Clementi’s suicide highlighted the need for more stringent anti-bullying law.

Many advocates assert that New Jersey’s Governor Chris Christie signed a bill that is the toughest anti-bullying law in the country. Some argue that, New Jersey’s law is vastly different and much better than anti-bullying laws that exist elsewhere across the country.

New Jersey’s “Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights” is intended to eliminate loopholes in the state’s first anti-bullying law, enacted in 2002, that encouraged school districts to set up programs to combat bullying but did not mandate it.

The new law requires training for most public school teachers, administrators and other employees on how to spot bullying and mandate that all districts form a “school safety team” to review complaints. School districts will be graded by the state on their efforts to combat the problem.

Administrators who do not investigate reported incidents of bullying would be disciplined, while students who bully could be suspended or expelled. School employees would also be required to report all incidents they learn of, whether they took place in or outside of school. The effective implementation of this law should serve to provide children and youth with a sense of safety and freedom from being intimidated or harassed.

Photo credit: Microsoft Clip Art

9th International Capacity Building Workshops and Conference on Health and Human Rights

Date: 6 to 9 October 2011

Place: Tbilisi, Georgia

Website: http://www.ishhr.com

Contact name: Janset Berzeg

ISHHR functions as a supporting association to regional grassroots organizations and has members in almost 50 countries worldwide. The human rights issue is a very important one for health workers, and as health professionals we deal with this in many different ways. We live in a world where these rights are being violated and abused every single day, and where health workers and human rights defenders face enormous challenges in their work to address the consequences of these acts on the health of individuals and communities. ISHHR’s plays an active role in helping to address these challenges by strengthening the communication between professionals in this area, by promoting the exchange of ideas, knowledge, skills and expertise, and by emphasizing the need for an active defense of human rights. –ISHHR

Organized by: International Society of Health and Human Rights (ISHHR)

Deadline for abstracts/proposals: 1 June 2011

Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art

The First Freedoms: Mihajlov’s Quest for Democracy & Human Rights

Date: 4 to 7 August 2011

Place: Pasadena, California, United States

Website: http://www.JIS3.org/symposium2011.htm

Contact name: Oskar Gruenwald, Ph.D., JIS Editor

All friends, colleagues, students, and admirers of Mihajlo Mihajlov (1934-2010) are cordially invited to participate in a re-assessment of his life, work, and legacy whose significance reaches well beyond Tito’s Yugoslavia, the Balkans, and Eastern Europe. Mihajlov’s quest for democracy and human rights is an inspiration for all who strive for an open society, pluralism, and tolerance. An indefatigable human rights champion, Mihajlov’s example contributed to the rise of dissent, civic culture, and civil society which ushered in momentous changes culminating in the peaceful revolution in Eastern Europe and the demise of Soviet rule. Mihajlov’s first freedoms–speech, thought, press, assembly, association, philosophical, political and religious persuasion–remain a continuing challenge, East and West, North and South. Curiously, Mihajlov’s thought offers a conceptual bridge between Westernizers and Slavophiles, while his universalism helped him befriend dissidents of all ethnic groups. Indeed, Mihajlov’s was a universal message of individual freedom and social justice. His undogmatic spirituality and central conception of human dignity drew on Russian religious philosophy. The question arises: Can the quest for global democracy and basic human rights and freedoms be realized in a world of competing socio-economic, political, and ethno-national interests and ideologies? Can equality be reconciled with liberty? And, can science and technology be harnessed to serve, rather than enslave, humanity? –Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies

Organized by: Institute for Interdisciplinary Research & International Christian Studies Association

Deadline for abstracts/proposals: 1 June 2011

Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art

Emerging from the Shadows

Date: May 12-15, 2011

Venue: Abbotsford, BC

Paint a mental picture of your Church last Sunday morning. Can you see where everyone is sitting? Looking pretty familiar? Same as the week before?

Now look again. Domestic abuse and violence affects one in four of these people. It’s hard to believe isn’t it? Unfortunately, it’s true.

If one of these people came to you looking for help, would you know where to begin? Most don’t. Which is why Peace and Safety in the Christian Home (PASCH) run ground-breaking conferences aimed at raising awareness and offering practical tools with which to help.

Our upcoming conference, Emerging from the Shadows, to be held [...] at Columbia Bible College in the Vancouver area, will address these basic issues. –Peace and Safety in the Christian Home

Website: http://fromtheshadows.ca/

Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art