Bismarck Tribune - Bismarck News - Tuesday's town hall meeting addresses diversity

Tuesday's town hall meeting addresses diversity

Apr 02, 2004 - 08:46:21 CST

By ANGIE BUCKLEY, Bismarck Tribune

Wanted: Open minds.

Minds that are willing to hear and discuss views on diversity and discrimination. Minds that are willing to respond to important issues. Minds that are willing to help do something about it.

Nearly 300 of those minds have already signed up to attend a town hall meeting hosted by the Bismarck Human Relations Committee and North Dakota Fair Housing Council. The forum, entitled "Within our Grasp: Building a Better Bismarck Through Diversity," will focus on race, national origin and religious discrimination. Beginning at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Ramkota Hotel, speakers will address topics exploring the differences and similarities of people in the community.

Joy Wezelman and Abdullah Ali will present a panel titled "Are We That Different?" exploring the Muslim and Jewish faiths. Next, members of different minorities will discuss their experiences and perspectives in "What's Working/Not Working in Making Bismarck Diverse." During the last panel, "How Can We Overcome?" Kameran Ali, moderator and chair of the Bismarck Human Relations Committee, and other panelists will speak about how Bismarck can overcome discrimination as a community. The evening will begin and end with American Indian ceremonies.

The meeting is the result of about a half year of planning on behalf of the committee. Established in October 2002, the group recently celebrated its first anniversary. Although its first year mostly consisted of organization and determining its role in the community, members hope the town hall meeting will stimulate conversation in the community regarding diversity and discrimination.

"This is a big step in getting people to accept each other, spark the idea of at least trying to work together," Ali said.

Ali was born in Iraq but his family fled the country when he was a baby. He grew up in Mandan and has lived in Bismarck since 1995. He said there was a short period of his life he didn't feel different and has been keenly aware of discrimination since he was 9 or 10. However, with that difference, he feels a responsibility to educate people about the benefits of diversity and acceptance.

"If someone is educated, they're not going to have preconceptions and when they see a different group of people up there it gets the thought process going," he said.

Rose Stoller served as the Human Relations Committee chair during its first year. She said it's an exciting time for the group as they and the grassroots coalition that met before the committee's inception have been hoping for the forum for a long time. She said the interest from the public confirms the committee's belief that Bismarck is "hungry" for knowledge about diversity.

"The people in Bismarck want to be better citizens, better employees, better friends," she said.

But for that to happen, the committee thinks the conversation on diversity must extend beyond Tuesday night. Mayor John Warford expects the public to help direct the Human Relations Committee in what it can do to further foster community acceptance. Some ideas have been thrown around by committee members, including future town hall meetings and presenting movies dealing with cultural differences, but nothing is concrete.

Amy Schauer Nelson, secretary for the Human Relations Committee and executive director of the North Dakota Fair Housing Council, said with the great mix of opinions presented Tuesday night, the forum will be a learning experience for everyone.

"We hope (the audience) walks away feeling glad they attended," she said.

(Reach reporter Angie Buckley at 250-8255 or angiebuckley@ndonline.com.)

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Comments

TBcommember wrote on Nov 15, 2006 12:08 PM:

" I am from the Twin Buttes community and not once was I given in writing infomation on when school board elections were being held...the people are not notified early enough to go cast their votes....Over the years, corruption infiltrated into the polls for election or re-election. Now that these individuals I know have been caught and indicted, being re-elected in a school board position should not change the course of the indictment of an individual being charged. "

yeah wrote on Nov 9, 2006 5:56 PM:

" so why make melissa out to be all bad when she has been re-elected by "the people". if she was such an awful person that lauren makes her out to be then why would the people even think about re-electing her? answer that! "

Who needs to know wrote on Oct 16, 2006 2:35 PM:

" Carla you really calm down and think about buying tobacco o.k? It is not healthy for you and if you already act like you are addicted to TOBACCO then you must have had it while you were illegal age from someone who cares "

Sick and Tired...of Racists wrote on Aug 16, 2006 8:14 AM:

" What the hell? Are we reading the same article here? Where in the article does it say that these people were a result of "outside problems" or anything other than white? Diversity will ruin Bismarck? Obviously Bismarck is not as "welcoming" as Sick and Tired states if "we must discriminate because we are white." Go back to Mayberry. Diversity is welcome by a lot of people, me included. This story is about a group of delinquent young people, not about how non-whites are ruining Bismarck! "

Mark wrote on Jul 10, 2006 1:47 PM:

" I wholeheartedly agree with the above individuals sentiments on diversity. All that we are doing ,in large part, is bringing in outside problems and all the people that sponsor these people to come up here should have to pay for them too. I can think of much better uses for my tax dollars than bankrolling the next crop of government program parasites. "

Sick&Tired wrote on Jun 26, 2006 10:26 PM:

" I didn't know Bismarck had a discrimination problem. Since Bismarck is a majority white community, we must discriminate on some level. Bismarck as a community has been very welcoming to anyone. The community will respond negatively when they aren't working and committing violent crimes, like the mugging at the carwash. Bismarck is a very peaceful communitity and we don't want crime!!! If Bismarck starts becoming more diverse the Bismarck we love will be forever lost!!! "

Eugene Dumont wrote on May 24, 2006 8:19 AM:

" I believe that at 18, the year when men become men and woment become women they should be allowed to buy tobacco, but the big question is why waist money on something that may kill you? "

Heather wrote on May 11, 2006 6:09 PM:

" Actually at the age of 18, in this state, you are ALLOWED to live on your own, go to jail, die in war, vote for President, AND buy tobacco. "

carla wrote on Apr 18, 2006 10:30 PM:

" Why is it that at 18 a person is a legal adult able to live on his/ her own, go to jail, die in war, vote for president, but cannot buy tobacco? It's absurd! "

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