|
|
November 16, 2001/Kislev 1, 5762, Vol. 54, No. 10
Human rights groups find common cause
BARRY COHEN
Editor
How can Valley human rights groups promote social justice? How can they build coalitions to overcome feelings of isolation and alienation?
Leaders representing 10 Valley organizations came together to answer those questions on Veterans Day, Nov. 12, at Phoenix Community College. Event sponsor was the National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ).
Participating groups included the NCCJ, the Anti-Defamation League, the Arizona Civil Liberties Union, the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix, the Arizona Human Rights Fund, Release the Fear, the Arizona Hate Crimes Initiative, Common Bond, the Sikh community and the legal support division of the Phoenix Police Department.
"What can we do to put our strengths together?" asked Rory Gilbert, NCCJ executive director.
Indicating various participants, Gilbert said, "We need to understand how the pieces connect. ... I can do a piece of the puzzle, and you can do a piece of the puzzle, and you can do a piece of the puzzle."
The pieces include law enforcement, education, lawsuits and political activism, she explained.
State, county and city officials have described what they do to protect human rights and civil liberties, "but there has not been a place for the community - not just to respond to them - but to talk to each other," said R.J. Shannon, a city of Phoenix human relations commissioner who is also vice president of Release the Fear and co-chairwoman of the Arizona Hate Crimes Advisory Board.
"We need people who are different to come together and talk about their fears, their issues and how we can positively bring some action for us," she added.
Gilbert said the Veterans Day meeting was a "logical continuation" of the Not in Our State campaign.
NCCJ, ADL and the American Jewish Committee sponsored rallies in the cities of Gilbert and Kingman on Aug. 12 - a date declared Not in Our State Day by Gov. Jane Hull in response to a May announcement by Dennis Mahon, Midwest leader of the White Aryan Resistance, that he would be moving to Kingman and recruiting in Gilbert. Mahon called the East Valley city of Gilbert "fertile ground" for racists.
Gilbert said "Not in Our State" was a reaction to char-ges that "Arizona is ripe for hate groups." The next step, she said, is to act proactively "to make sure (leaders) are addressing the issues and using their resources optimally."
Eleanor Eisenberg, executive director of the AzCLU, agreed with Gilbert's approach. She said there is no mechanism currently in place, for example, to bring human rights organizations together for a press conference or for advocating their shared positions at the state legislature.
Gilbert said the meeting was also a local effort to implement the National Voices initiative. According to a printed statement, National Voices is a "collaboration of organizations whose missions are dedicated to appreciating ... unique differences and to finding constructive ways to promote full inclusion for all in America."
National Voices partners include the ADL; the Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics; the National Congress of American Indians; the National Council of La Raza, representing Hispanic Americans; the National Italian American Foundation; and the National Urban League, a civil rights organization that helps blacks obtain social and economic equality.
Gilbert said National Voices programs have been implemented in Boston, Chicago and Detroit, among other cities.
Several participants identified a sense of isolation and complacency as a problem for many Valley residents.
"I'm used to gunshots (in my neighborhood). And I hate saying that," said Shannon. Too many people are passive, she added, claiming they are resigned to their reality and fearful of making waves.
"We've got to change that," said Bill Straus, Arizona regional director of the ADL. "We need to open up one clear channel of communication regarding issues that may not impact all of us directly, but one or more of the groups directly."
At the coalition's next meeting, set for Dec. 12, "We need to get more concrete and be realistic about our capabilities," Gilbert told Jewish News. She expressed hope that participants would identify "the needs of individual groups and the overall community."
She also wants to draw representatives of the black, Native-American, Hispanic and Muslim communities. "Representatives from human relations or social justice groups are encouraged to attend," she added.
One visible outcome of the Veterans Day meeting was the creation of an awareness-raising message sponsored by the Release the Fear project. Meeting participants, representatives of Release the Fear, and students from Phoenix College wrote messages of peace and understanding for a billboard to be set up at 19th Avenue and Interstate 17.
"People are not understanding one another," said Robert Miley of Release the Fear. "We want to communicate a message of understanding. What more basic form of communication is there than communicating through the arts?"
Gilbert said the connection between Release the Fear and the Veterans Day meeting was logical "because of the issues we are addressing right now, of not becoming xenophobic, of not being afraid of strangers."
|
