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<br />. <br /> <br />Spotlight on Commissions <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />The League links human rights <br />commissions in Minnesota <br />Chaska <br />About six months ago, Leo Parvis <br />suggested to the Chaska High School to <br />organize their diversity and human rights <br />initiatives they needed to implement a <br />diversity council. The idea was welcomed <br />by the principal and other leaders in CHS <br />and Leo immediately put a proposal together <br />and formed a taskforce of 5 people. Within a <br />month 15 people including parents, <br />community leaders and high school teachers <br />were selected. The Chaska High School <br />Diversity Council was officially launched in <br />January, 2006 and has been working well <br />since. The Council has four committees <br />(Education, Celebrations, Advocacy, and <br />Fundraising) chaired by council members. <br />Leo is the Diversity Council chair. Recently <br />over 300 students participated in a YWCA <br />dialogue on race at the school. Three HR <br />Commissioners helped facilitate. Plans are <br />to facilitate a faculty and community <br />dialogue. <br />The high school also has a Diversity Club, <br />a Spanish Club and an Asian Cultures Club. <br />Leo recommends that all school districts in <br />Minnesota form a diversity council. <br />The Chaska Human Rights Commission is <br />sponsoring a Pow Wow for a celebration the <br />last full weekend in July. Donations of <br />$3000 have been received. <br />The HRC is planning involvement with a <br />county Senior Commission with the goal of <br />making the county senior friendly. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Grand Rapids <br />The Grand Rapids Human Rights <br />Commission and Legal Aid of North East <br />Minnesota will host a workshop on housing <br />issues as they relate to human rights. This <br />free program is scheduled for Thursday, <br /> <br />June 22, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at <br />MacRostie Art Center in downtown Grand <br />Rapids. The program will be held in <br />conjunction with the Portraits of Home <br />photography exhibit from the Greater <br />Minnesota Housing Fund that highlights <br />poverty housing in rural Minnesota. <br />Landlords, housing officials from the city <br />and county, Housing and Redevelopment <br />Authority Commissioners, city and county <br />elected officials, tenants, law enforcement <br />personnel, students and the public are <br />expected to attend. <br />The Grand Rapids Human Rights <br />Commission has co-sponsored two recent <br />programs with the public library, KAXE <br />radio, the Blandin Foundation and other <br />community groups. Presentations were by <br />Lois Jensen, who is the subject of the book <br />Class Action and the film North Country, <br />and by Fred Friedman, chief public defender <br />of Minnesota's sixth district, who spoke on <br />"Wealth and Unequal Ju$tice." <br />Members of the Grand Rapids Human <br />Rights Commission attended a Racial <br />Profiling workshop with Myron Orfield, <br />U of M law professor, at the Leech Lake <br />Tribal College in Cass Lake. This workshop <br />outlined the work of the Institute on Race <br />and Poverty and the racial profiling study in <br />Minnesota. <br /> <br />Plymouth <br />"The Media: The Good/The Bad" was the <br />focus of the annual workshop planned by <br />student members of the Human Rights <br />Commission. The HRC has created a <br />presentation "Human Rights for All!" <br />This year two bias crimes and a bias <br />incident were reported. Responses planned <br />by the Commission included sending letters <br />to the two victims. <br />Send Commission news to <br />marlonhelland@comcast.net <br />