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Newsletter VIII
In the News -
Youth, Poor Peoples Campaign,
Support for Colombian Workers
June, 2018
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Calling High School Leaders!
Our Future, Our Youth
Every three years MCHR organizes a successful Freedom Tour for youth that visits civil rights sites in the south. We are unable to offer this opportunity every year due to cost and the time and resources needed so we are collaborating with the Ralph Bunche Summer Institute this year to offer a youth leadership training along with some local tours of civil rights sites.
We are looking for high school students with leadership potential and an interest in cross cultural experience to apply at www.mchr.org We are looking for a diverse group that will learn and discover together.
If you know of a young person who would benefit? Can you share this info with a youth group, school or faith community?
Would you be willing to donate time as an adult mentor or chaperone? Can you donate to sponsor a young person to attend? Go to our website or call the MCHR office at 313 579-9071 and leave a message.
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MCHR has sought out young activists to be board members for several years now. This year we have 8 members on the "young side". Christiana is one of those. We are proud to have her youthful optism and insight on the board.
Youth and Cultural Gardens
For the past two and half years I have had the privilege to work at Dickinson East Elementary (DE) in Hamtramck, MI. Hamtramck has a vivid community, and lives up to its welcome phrase on its identifying sign when you enter the town "Hamtramck, The World In Two Square Miles". At DE I have been a part of their after-school program. This year, thanks to the Center for Peace and Conflict Studies at Wayne State University, we were able to obtain a grant to create a program called "Peace Culture" for our after school students.
My coworkers and I were tasked with a beautiful challenge. How do you teach youth, ranging from Kindergarteners to sixth graders about peace? It's easier than you would think. Youth truly understand peace, and want to see it in action. The Peace Culture team created "Peace Passports" for the students involved in the program. We covered topics varying from peace with self, peace with others, and peace within the community. We talked about safe spaces, coping skills, conflict styles, conflict resolution styles, respecting diversity, and service projects.
One of my favorite lessons we created was centered around food. Food and culture are undeniably linked. We had our students think about their favorite food linked to their culture and ethnicity. We then did research, finding out what ingredients are used in what dish, and then we saw what ingredients are used across cultures. We then utilized our information and planted tomatoes, parsley, garlic, and lettuce in our garden, all ingredients used by the majority of our students when they recorded their favorite foods.
Our next steps are harvesting our produce so can have a potluck celebrating the different dishes and cultures that make up our program. Cultural gardens not only give you produce, but also an opportunity for students to get dirty and engaged while learning about others. We asked our students if they think there should be more cultural gardens in Hamtramck and Detroit, they say "absolutely". We hope to see you growing in the future.
Christiana Castillo, MCHR board member
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MCHR's Annual Meeting, June 21st, 7 pm
IMPORTANT NOTICE TO CURRENT MEMBERS!!!
(as of 5/21/18)
Board Elections take place at this annual meeting.
We need you to Vote! - at the meeting in person, or
by email @ support@mchr.org or
by phone @ 313 579-9071!
[If you received a meeting notice post card in the mail, you are eligible to vote.]
Board slate is below, vote yes or no for entire slate.
YOU NEED NOT BE A MEMBER TO ATTEND MEETING!!
MCHR Board Slate for 2018!!
New MCHR Nominees:
Rev. Denise Griebler, pastor of First United Church of Christ; Richmond, human rights and social justice activist, retreat leader and potter. Denise connects the dots between faith, creativity and justice. She is the director and resident artist at MannaWorks clay studio in St. Peter's Episcopal Church. Beginning in September, Denise will become the Ministries Coordinator at St. Peter's. She is married to Bill W Kellermann , now MCHR advisory board member and a mom and grandmom. She has been active in the sanctuary movement since the '80s and serves on the board of directors of SIPAZ, an international human rights organization in Chiapas, Mexico. She advocates for compassionate immigration policy and an end to deportations and the separation of families.
Dr Imam Achmat Salie migrated from South Africa to the USA in 1999 with his wife and four children; he has been part of the anti apartheid struggle. In the USA, he is opposed to all forms of discrimination, especially Islamophobia. He is part of the interfaith, intrafaith, peace, environmental, and spiritual movements. He has been imam at several mega mosques in Michigan and Toledo, created a few communities in Sterling Heights and Troy, and Islamic studies programs at Oakland University and UDMercy; he also co-founded the imam's cohort for the Masters in Social justice at Marygrove College. His academic preparations include degrees in education, business leadership, Islamic legal philosophy, and Arabic. He hopes to work on his post doc at the University of Chicago.
Victor Wheeler is social justice advocate for the returning citizen/formerly incarcerated population and an adjunct professor at Marygrove College. I am currently serving as the Director of Re-Entry Programs at Truth Recovery, Inc. in Inkster Michigan. My passion is to serve our returning citizens as well as those that have substance abuse histories and/or mental health concerns. Our goal is to remove all barriers that may prohibit full citizenship, civil and human rights to that segment of our population. I believe that as a board member of MCHR, I will be a valuable asset to the board and also in serving our community in this capacity.
Returning for Two Year Term Re-election:
Dorothy Aldridge Abayomi Azikiwe Sarah Brooks Tom Zerafa
Brenda Bryant Mark Cowan Frank Hammer Cary McGehee
Barbara Hollie Eric Hood Julie Hurwitz Hasan Newash
Barbara Ingalls Bob Ingalls Frank Joyce Kim Redigan
Saeed Kahn Jerry King Key Locke
Returning for Second Year of Two Year Term:
Christiana Castillo Stuart Daly Adonis Flores Andrew Sarpolis
Khurram Imam Barbara Jones Asha Noor
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Photo Gallery
Poor People's Campaign
Weeks 1-4
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Imam Steve El Turk, new MCHR advisory board member |
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| Rev. Denise Griebler, new MCHR board member |
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Rev Ed Rowe, MCHR advisory board member |
Proud of all who participated including: MCHR Advisory board members - Lila Cabbil, Imam Steve Elturk, Rabbi Jeff Falick, Rev. Ed Rowe. Board members - Abayomi Azikiwe, Stu Daly, Adonis Flores, Rev. Denise Griebler, Jerry King, Kim Redigan and Rev Bill Wylie Kellermann
Please join in at the last two Monday rallies!!:
Monday, June 11th, 12-4,
Education, Living Wage Jobs, Income, Housing, Transportation
Monday, June 18th,12-4,
A New and Unsettling Force: Confronting the Distorted Moral Narrative
For more information, to register for the campaign and participate in any of those events, go to:
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MCHR Demonstrates for Justice
for Colombian Workers
June 11th and 12th!
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MCHR Statement on Yemen
United States Continues Supporting Saudi-led War in Yemen
By Abayomi Azikiwe
Editor, Pan-African News Wire
MCHR Board Member at Large
March 26 represented the third anniversary of a massive bombing and ground campaign in the Middle Eastern state of Yemen, the most underdeveloped country in the region.
Official counts indicate that well over 10,000 people have died from aerial strikes carried out by the Saudi Arabian and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) alliance. Fighter jets utilized in the war are manufactured and supplied by the United States and Britain.
In a general sense the power struggle centers around the control of Yemen which has pitted the Shiite-oriented Ansurallah, commonly known as Houthis, against the Sunni-led forces headed by former military Field Marshal and exiled-President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, who is supported by both Saudi Arabia and Washington as the "legitimate government" of the country.
The Ansurallah are politically backed by the Islamic Republic of Iran which views the role of Saudi Arabia and the GCC as a potential threat to Tehran. In late March the Houthi forces launched missiles which struck areas near the airport in the neighboring Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh.
Another major political figure, former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, was assassinated in early December 2017 after he abandoned a tactical coalition with Malik al-Houthi, the leader of the Ansurallah movement, which controls the capital f Sanaa and other areas of the North and Central provinces of Yemen.
The Saudi-GCC bombings have targeted neighborhoods, national infrastructure, hospitals, schools and internally displaced persons (IDP) camps. These systematic high-altitude airstrikes and strafing that utilize heavy ordnance is directly linked to the largest outbreak of cholera in the world.
Assessments from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) suggests that another round of cholera cases are imminent. More than one million children were infected by the water-born disease during 2017 stemming from contamination by waste due to the deliberate destruction of sanitation systems by U.S. warplanes which rely on Pentagon coordination and refueling technology.
Efforts by Vermont Senator and former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders to pass a resolution ending the Trump administration's assistance to the Saudi-GCC Coalition failed to garner the necessary votes during late March. President Donald Trump says that the supplying of fighter jets, intelligence assistance and other support does not constitute direct involvement in the war. The administration therefore takes the position that their support for the Saudi-led war does not violate the War Powers Act of 1973.
There has been limited information made available to the general public in the U.S. about the war. Peace and antiwar activists must focus more attention on this genocidal campaign by pressuring the Senate and Congress to end the Pentagon's arming of Saudi Arabia and to work vigorously towards reaching a political settlement.
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Proposed Water Bills for MI Legislation
MCHR has long been working with People's Water Board for clean affordable water. With community and legal partners across the state of Michigan, they are working with several State Representatives to enact 11 water bills in a total package that would offer water affordability, water cleanliness and safety, billing protections and related issues. Please download and share this information with other residents to help ensure our water rights and protection.
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BALLOT ISSUES PENDING FOR NOV. ELECTION
Be an Informed Citizen
VOTERS NOT POLITICIANS: Create an independent citizens redistricting commission.
MI Time to Care: Provide workers with the right to earn sick time for personal or family health needs.: https://mitimetocare.org/
Regulate Marijuana: To allow under state law the personal possession and use of marijuana by persons 21 years of age or older.
OTHERS:
Part time legislature:???
Shut down line 5 in Mackinaw Straights: ???
Ending prevailing wage laws:??? most likely to be vote on this week by legislature.
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Not a Current Member????
Consider joining us!
Student, Senior, Low Income Membership: $25
Basic Membership: $50
Sustainer Membership:$100
Organizational Membership: $250
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MCHR | 9200 Gratiot Det. MI 48213
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