Winter Clothing Drive

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

I wish all of you a very special Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

This has been a very special year because so many of you have given so freely of yourselves for welcoming the immigrants and making this city a more hospitable community. I believe we have all benefited from this past year in building relations in all cultures by building the Bus Shelter - "For The Children", having great food and friendships at the first "International Market", the Ice Cream Social at the Band Concerts in the Park, the many forums, workshops, talking circles, and learning about each other's cultures and stories and getting to know our new brothers and sisters as well those that have been here for many years.

I wish to thank all who gave of themselves this past year and the donations during the year from friends in Faribault, a librarian in St. Paul, Angels from New York, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Rochester, and all over Minnesota for filling a need to bridge a gap between all people no matter of race, color or creed.

I thank all the Foundations, Business's, Law Enforcement, Faribault Chamber of Commerce, South Central College, Fire, Government, Health and Educational institutions and Organizations who helped us make Faribault a welcoming community.

I especially want to thank Bob Kell for leading us this year and the past 6 years with his grace and knowledge and thanks to Dan Burns and Larry Lumblad who were a great part of our mission this past 6 years and moved on this past Summer on their new careers. Also a special thanks to Greg Caron for being the go to guy for everything and being a special friend and bridge to the Latino Community. Thanks to Dan Zelzke for organizing the Ice Cream Socials at the Park and making it possible for the International Market which Vicky Carrillo so wonderfully led. I also want to thank current Board Members, Luis Aguila, Kymn Anderson, Vicky Carrillo, Shirley Drentlaw, Edna Garcia, Gwen Jackson, Joseph L. Mbele, Sally Peters, and Pat Wieseler for there generosity, guidance, friendship and organizing our many projects. There are so many more to thank and am terribly sorry if I've missed your name or organization. Thank you all for your support and attending our monthly meetings and for exercising hospitality to our neighbors, sometimes it just takes a smile.

I thank you for the honor of letting me be the President and Communicator of the Faribault Diversity Coalition for which I cherish and take very seriously. You have all shown the Christmas Spirit throughout the year to this great organization.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Milo

Rehus-Beal-Ledeats, Feliz Navidad, Prejeme Vam Vesele Vanoce a stastny, Novy Rok, Glædelig Jul, Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar!or Zalig Kerstfeast, Mele Kalikimaka, Froehliche Weihnachten, Nollaig Shona Dhuit or Nodlaig mhaith chugnat, Buone Feste Natalizie, Ojenyunyat Sungwiyadeson honungradon nagwutut. Ojenyunyat osrasay, Nollaig Shona Dhuit or Nodlaig mhaith chugnat, God Jul or Gledelig Jul, Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia or Boze Narodzenie, Chung Mung Giang Sinh, Cestitamo Bozic, God Jul and (Och) Ett Gott Nytt År, La Maunia Le Kilisimasi Ma Le Tausaga Fou, Feliz Natal, Maligayan Pasko!, Merry Keshmish, Natale hilare et Annum Faustum!, Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah, Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto, Mo'adim Lesimkha. Chena tova, Kala Christouyenna!, Boas Festas e Feliz Ano Novo, Gesëende Kersfees. and many more around the world wishes.

Faribault Diversity Coalition Video on www.bluecrossmn.com/foundation

A new video on the Faribault Diversity Coalition is now on The Foundation of Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Minnesota Website.

This summer we were filmed by a video crew on the work of the Faribault Diversity Coalition and Welcome Center. Scenes from the International Market, Bus Shelter, and various shots around town were also added to the video as well as interviews from a number of our coalition members.

You can see the video at: http://www.bluecrossmn.com/foundation or click on the The Foundation of Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Minnesota link on the right side of this blog under links. When at the website click on Healthy Together: Creating Community with New Ameicans under Current Programs.

Thanks to the Foundation of Blue Cross/Blue Shield of MN for a job well done on the video and all the help given to us the past two years.

Have a gentle day, Milo

Diversity Coalition, What we are about.

If you have the opportunity, join us for our Quarterly coalition meetings the first Thursday of the month, 12 noon, at South Central College! These meetings are open to anyone interested in joining the effort to build a welcoming community. Anyone may come to share ideas, participate in learning opportunities, or get involved in coalition projects. The meetings are really the core of the Diversity Coalition and the forum for community involvement around diversity issues and education.

While there is a Board of Directors that guides the operation of the Diversity Coalition as a non-profit organization, and the Welcome Center that focuses some of the efforts in support of the immigrant communities, much of the history and ongoing life of the Diversity Coalition centers around the monthly meeting. As a focal point for “public work”, it is the “table” where anyone can sit. You don’t have to belong to an agency or hold a certain position. You don’t have to commit to a long-term involvement. All we seek are people who come to respectfully participate in this effort to understand, to educate ourselves, to work for welcome. People’s interests may lie in different places and their passion might be for a project or an issue. But whether you can join us for a day or a year, we are glad that you have brought your voice and your question to the table. It enriches us all.

Please do join us and find out what we are all about!

Connecting the Gifts…A Guide to Community Development

By Bob Kell

John McKnight of Northwestern University in Chicago presented a workshop Nov. 8 in Owatonna entitled “Mobilizing Assets to Create Hospitable Communities”.

In the workshop, Professor McKnight talked about how the key to effective community development is valuing the assets and gifts of each member of the community, including those often overlooked, and finding ways to connect those resources. It is the creative engagement of citizens that drives community development.

John McKnight told several stories about how communities have put these principles to work. We would like to share these stories with you.

Logan Square is a heavily Puerto Rican community on Chicago’s north side. A group seeking to practice community development believed that the members of the community with disabilities had much to offer, but were so often not included. So they committed themselves to helping some of these community members find a way to identify and connect their gifts.

Eddie was a young man they could simply describe as being the happiest person they had ever met. Eddie’s smile and manner were contagious. If his gift was happiness, they thought they needed to find somewhere where that gift was needed. They looked to places that lacked happiness: the police station, the high school, the hospital. They decided on the hospital and took Eddie to meet the director. They presented Eddie as “the happiest person they knew” and asked the director if there was somewhere Eddie could help out. He was hesitant but told them to take Eddie around and see what he might like. Eddie spent a few days in the hospital and then informed them that he would like to work in the operating room, but that option was not workable. They had also noticed Eddie’s interest in the mail, so it was decided with the director that Eddie could help with mail delivery within the hospital. Since he couldn’t read, animal stickers helped him identify the different departments. Though there were mistakes, Eddie cheerfully walked the halls, greeting patients with a routine conversation of “Hi, how are you? …That’s good”, regardless of the patient’s reply.

When the group returned after a time to visit the director to see how Eddie was doing, the director responded: “You know, there are 400 employees here in the hospital. Everyday, someone is absent because of illness, care of a child or something. People rarely notice. But if Eddie isn’t here, everybody is asking for him. And now departments are talking to each other much more…what started with misdelivered mail became an avenue for increased communication. Eddie has brought us and the patients something special.”
A gift connected, a better community…

McKnight told a second story of another young man we will call “Jose”. Jose used to just stand. He said nothing, he did nothing…just stood. His only reaction was when a police car went by. He would clap and cheer and come alive. The group saw his gift as being a love for the police, so down to the station they went. The Irish police captain was not too sure about what he could do with this man, so wasn’t too fond of the idea. But one of the women who had a son who was a policeman challenged him. “Think about it. In this neighborhood, people hate the police. They see you as people who harass them, yell at them, arrest them. Here you have the one man who LOVES you. Certainly you can find something for him to do.” So they let Jose stay. And he just stood around, but was happy doing it. He found one officer that he grew fond of, and would simply stand or sit next to him all day. The officer came to see him as his guardian angel.

One day Jose wandered out an open door, into the streets. They were concerned that he wouldn’t find his way and would be in danger. The captain explained: “We called a Code 5. A Code 1 means we send 5 officers, a Code 2 means 10, etc. A Code 5 means that every officer in the station is activated. We hadn’t called a Code 5 since World War II! In 7 ½ minutes, we had Jose back here in the station!” Jose had found a place where he belonged, where he contributed, where people cared. His gift got connected.

Professor McKnight spoke of other persons with disabilities who also got connected as a friend in a scripture study group and godmother to a hairdresser-friend’s child, or as a woman who after 60 years in institutions was taken in as a “grandmother” to a family. They too were so valued for what they shared with others, gifts so often overlooked.

As the Faribault Diversity Coalition, we see that this perspective rings so true. So often society can see immigrants as a liability, as people with needs that have to be attended. But this perspective teaches us to look with different eyes. Instead we see people with tremendous gifts to contribute to the community—skills, experience, values, traditions, and culture—unique to each person. As those gifts are shared, we all become so much richer and our community stronger. Our challenge is to help unleash that potential, to let people know that they are wanted and needed. The rest will follow.

Hard lesson to learn.....My Story

Watching and hearing people scream at each other all of a sudden made my blood pressure spin out of control and I felt light headed and asked my colleague to shut the movie off.....

A few minutes before the start of our Diversity Coalition meeting, I was asked by some people from a neighboring community to show a movie that would be “very educational”. I thought, “Why not? That's what we try to do: to educate others and ourselves.” Thirty seconds into the homemade movie showing a Latino group protesting against the immigration policies that were being discussed by the State Government, the movie showed them waving banners, flags, and screaming at people around them and at the camera.

In my eyes, after hearing and seeing glimpses in the background of local white people egging them on by telling them to go back to their country and blocking their paths, what happened was that the protesters lost it and fought back by yelling obscenities back at them. I have witnessed this behavior before in protest rallies.

I felt that I was set-up. I felt wronged. I turned it over to my colleague to finish the meeting when I couldn't continue because of my own hatred coming out. The rest of the day I was very upset and later emailed a new member, a professor from St. Olaf, on how sorry I was for letting the meeting get away. I said we try to do things the gentle way and was disappointed how I acted. He emailed back and said it was one of the best and exciting meetings he's been at in a long time. He felt that all sides were heard and there was some great dialogue afterward. By the way, he is now a board member.

With those words, I began to see things differently. I realized that we need to hear all sides of the spectrum, to hear the stories of how the different sides got to where they are today. What is their background? What happened to make us think the way we do? Was it how we were raised? Our parents? Friends? Did something negative happen along the way? Was it our teachers? Was it the press? Was it television or movies when we were growing up? Or, is it not knowing other cultures, their way of life, their languages?

Why do all people on this earth know down deep to love our neighbor, but can't get past the barriers, the color, religion, or political differences? Why so much hatred and division? Elizabeth Kubler Ross, who wrote Death, the Final Stage of Growth, says, what is important is to realize that whether we understand fully who we are, or what will happen when we die, it is our purpose to continue to grow as human beings, to look within ourselves to find and build upon that source of peace and understanding and strength, which is our inner self, and then to reach out to others with love, acceptance, patience, guidance and hope for what we may become together. We need each other to grow.

I am very thankful for that meeting last spring for turning my world upside down to grow, to learn, to try to understand, and to listen to other people's stories and hopefully help others to listen to ours.

Let us dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago: to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world.

Have a gentle day, Milo

A Story of an Undocumented Family

For a story of an undocumented family please click on the title above or go to, http://thestory.org/archive and go to ( All in the (undocumented) Family.

Put the sensational headlines aside and listen to a moving story where Dick talks to two families in Florida which extends beyond work. Listen to insights and feelings of why they are here and hope to accomplish.

I also have a link (American Public Media, The Story) under Links on the right side of the blog.

Thank you, Milo

Workshop on Leadership and Personal Development

Do you think there is a problem with access to services?
Are you satisfied with your children’s school?
Is there something in your mobile home park, apartment, or neighborhood that you would like to confront for the good of your family and your children?


• A morning with others who also want to “raise their voice” and grow in confidence
• Effective methods for presenting your ideas and working with other to improve our lives


Two Workshops
Session I: November 16, 10-1
Session II: November 30, 10-1

Food will be served. Child care available.
Cost: $1/session (adults) to help with the cost of the food.

Place: Welcome Center, 24 W. Division St.
Call 507-333-5036 for more information
Register please by November 14

Organized with support of “El Fondo de Nuestra Comunidad”

Winter Energy Fair

What a Wonderful World/A Jane Addams Experience

What a week! First, a phone call that woke a sleeping giant. Then I find myself sitting at the Jane Addams School for Democracy in St. Paul at 8 pm on a Monday night, helping a kind, older Hmong man study for his Citizenship exam.

The experience began two hours before at a BlueCross/BlueShield Foundation Healthy Together Workshop at the Jane Addams School, sitting in a Circle with about 25 Hmong, five of us who were attending the workshop, five students from the U of M who were translating and facilitating, as well as facilitators from the Humphrey Institute.

I was participating in what they call "Cultural Exchange" in the Hmong Circle, an atmosphere of warmth and friendship. We started out introducing ourselves and sharing our previous weekend. Laughter filled the air as I told how my wife and I went to Redwing to see the beautiful yellow and red leaves along the bluffs. We drove an hour to get there and they were all brown and on the ground. :( .

Most had a story, though a few women shied away because they don't feel their life is very interesting. They just work 12 hours, go home, make supper for their family, clean house, and go for 3 hours to the Jane Addams school 2 nights a week for socialization and to learn English, share, and study for their citizenship papers. Yet, they were happy and very accepting of us strangers coming into their group.

We split up into two groups and played a card game "Pictionary" where we had to guess what was being drawn on a blank card by one of our group. There was no language barrier as we all were on our feet guessing if it was a boat, 1/2 moon or a banana. "It was a boat".

After several games we split into pairs. I was paired with a Hmong gentleman. With Limited English, he started reading the questions and answers about the Constitution on the first page of the Sample INS Citizenship Questionaire. He read slow and deliberate through the second page until a Bi-Lingual student helper from the U of M joined us. He then confided in her in Hmong that he didn't understand what the words on the second page meant. Without understanding the meaning, he couldn't remember the answers.

So began the slow process of learning the words.

Question: Name the three rights of freedom guaranteed by the Bill of Rights?

Answer: "The right of freedom of speech, press, religion, peaceable assembly" was the start of the answer.

That's where we spent the next 45 minutes. I would give my spin on "Freedom of Speech", then my partner would translate to Hmong and I would repeat in English. Finally he would understand and give a big grin, go over the question and read the answer to that point again and again and say, "I understand".

This went on for each word: press, religion, and peaceable assembly. The time went so fast and we felt a closeness that is hard to describe.

He was so proud to learn that much, and the student and I felt so gratified. I also relearned parts of the Constitution and was reminded of much regarding our Democracy. There are 100 questions and I bet there are very few of us that could answer them all. A survey was taken recently of lifetime American Citizens and most people couldn't answer 1/2 of the questions. They ranged from how many stars and stripes, the colors of the flag, the first and current president, how many branches of government, what is congress, can you name the two senators from your state, and 93 more.

I left the night feeling a new appreciation for the Hmong people and all immigrants, working to learn a new language and working to get their citizenship. The Hmong people are a warm and friendly group of people, trying so hard to fit in and start a new life.

There were other circle groups there also, Spanish speaking circle, East African circle, a children's circle that includes small political group of older teens, and a teens' circle, which is mostly newly arrived Hmong teens.

I highly recommend a site visit to the Jane Addams School to see our work in action.

The Jane Addams School for Democracy is a community based education and action project based in Saint Paul 's West Side neighborhood. The school brings together immigrant families, college students, and other community members for mutual learning about citizenship and democracy. This learning takes the form of dialogue, public work, and education with the goal that people can work together across language, culture, gender and age differences to address issues that impact their everyday lives. The Jane Addams School is loosely based on the tradition of settlement houses from a century ago, and seeks to break down traditional model of social service to those in "need." The school was created as a community effort, where people come to work together as equals, learning from each other.

I believe that all we do-- the BC/BS Foundation, the Humphrey Institute, the Faribault Diversity Coalition and all people that belong to or are a part of these organizations-- and anybody else that tries to make life a little bit better for all people, make for a happier and healthier world. Happy people are healthy people.

Until next time, have a gentle day, Milo

A phone call that woke a sleeping giant.

The other day I was identified in the newspaper as president of the Faribault Diversity Coalition and quoted as mentioning our need for volunteers to offer GED support in Spanish. The project would support Spanish-speaking residents who wish to study further or who would like to document their education in their home country by obtaining their GED. The following day I received a call from a retired school teacher.


Her first words were, " I really think it would be more important to learn English and forget the GED until they can speak English".


I was immediately taken aback and became defensive, saying that we were also going to discuss that aspect too. I then realized that this was too short of an answer and I was avoiding a needed confrontation.


I began to explain how ESL (English as a Second Language} classes are filled and have a waiting list of over a year, and that ESL program funding has been cut by the government. I continued by noting that immigrants are being paid less than the white population, thereby having to work two and three jobs to support their families and send money back to the home country to feed their starving families. If the shorter route to a GED opens up opportunities for living wage jobs sooner, it seems a worthwhile effort to support.


I asked how long it took her and my ancestors to learn English. From what I hear from most people, it took generations. But current immigrants are being expected to telescope that process into a few short years.


I explained that we, as a Diversity Coalition and Welcome Center, are a referral and educational system, a helping hand to ALL people. We don't ask and can't ask anyone of any culture if they are legal or illegal. Our concern is to help build an inclusive community where all can participate and belong, where needs are met and persons are respected. Whatever can further that mission has our support.


We have been a bridge between all cultures since we started. We have been trying to be "Minnesota Nice" and have been proud of that Minnesota characteristic. But since "9/11" we have all come up a little short. It all comes down to what's morally right. Do we turn our backs on people because of their race, color or creed? How can we turn someone away who is sick, has a toothache, needs a drivers license, needs something translated so they can understand or be understood, seeks a place to live or wants to know their rights, or wonders where to learn English? It goes on and on. Most people would be happy just to have someone smile at them. That is a bridge we all can build.


I grew up with wonderful and helpful Norwegian parents who were always helping out family and friends, yes, even those Catholics that differed from our Lutheran ways. I might add that when I turned Catholic after I left home, it did get a little rocky for awhile but they got over it. Diversity has probably meant different things to all of us through life, but the challenge will always be to live with mutual respect.


After I took a breath, the caller saw my point and had understood where I was coming from. The caller agreed we need to get "Minnesota Nice" back again and wondered how she could help. I referred her to the Welcome Center, where we are always in need of volunteers to man the office and phones and to join the dialogue, to learn from one another and especially offer a welcoming smile.


With that, I thanked God for the phone call that interrupted my day and made me see and put into words what I have been so passionately involved with the past 6 years. I guess a little adversity is good for the soul.


Have a gentle day, Milo

Faribault's Own International Market Day: A Success

To see more pictures or watch a slide show of all the pictures not shown below, click on the above title.












I am pleased to announce that International Market Day was an extreme success. Thanks to Gloria Pozuelos, Antonia Navarro, Vitaelvia, Kuresha Dolal, Milo larson, and led by Joel Raaen and Vicky & Eddie Carrillo.


Many different foods, coffee, tea, and jewelry from Mexico, South America and Sudan were offered along with great conversation and happy faces.


Joseph Mbele from Tanzania, a professor at St. Olaf College, showed his books and talked about the African Cultures differing from ours. Conflict and differences in people come about from not knowing each others cultures he explains.


Two musical groups entertained us with American and Spanish music while the scent of food permeated the air.


A special thanks to Dan Zelske who spent several Thursday nights at Central Park Music Concerts this past summer for raising money to help pay for this event.


More information can be found in the Faribault Daily News, Sunday, Oct. 1st addition, online or newspaper.


Thanks to Julie Fox for making a video to be put on FCTV and Julie Lee and company from BlueCross/BlueShield Foundation for making a video of this event and more from the Faribault Diversity Coalition to be put on their Website at a later date.


Thanks to everyone working and attending for getting to know a little more about each other and embracing each others cultures. I believe we are a little healthier and wealthier in being in the presence of so many wonderful people.


Have a gentle day, Milo

Faribault's Own International Market Day

The Diversity Coalition is putting on it's first Annual International Market Day.

A Thought

A THOUGHT
People that walk the earth have a heart inside,
Put aside differences and join hands,
When prayers and dreams are answered,
Only then will we realize that
World Peace and harmony make us one.
--Brandy Smith

History of the Welcome Center

The Welcome Center is an information and referral center and assistance resource for immigrant and other residents of the Faribault and the surrounding area.  Sponsored by the Faribault Diversity Coalition, the Center opened May 5, 2001 to help immigrants connect to needed resources, learn how to manage their own needs, and to facilitate communication for those with limited English.  

Since its opening, the Welcome Center has provided assistance through more than 3,000 client visits, helping immigrants (primarily Spanish-speaking) with communication with social services, job applications, health care needs, assistance with correspondence or phone communication, housing, legal matters, child protection, and various other needs.  For three years, it hosted a multicultural prenatal outreach program to assist immigrant mothers in accessing prenatal care early in their pregnancy.  It also sponsored contract interpreter services for several years until the program was discontinued.  In January 2006, the Somali Community Resettlement Service became a new tenant, partnering with the Welcome Center to provide Somali-language services to community residents.  Other services provided from the Welcome Center include the Rice County Driver License Diversion Program and emergency assistance through the Catholic Charities Rural Emergency Support Fund.  

The Welcome Center has also been a focal point for diversity dialogue efforts of the Coalition.  A "Talking Lunch" series in 2005 and a later "Talking Circles" series in 2006 have brought immigrants and established residents together to learn from one another.  The Coalition's Cannon River Mobile Home Park Bus Shelter project was also directed through the Welcome Center, bringing park residents and community members together in a common effort to improve conditions for the children.

The Center began in response to a challenge by the Faribault's Future Leaders class of 1999-2000, which developed a plan for a multicultural resource center and asked the Coalition to put that plan to work.  The Center has had support from the City of Faribault, which provides the space at a very low rent and has offered grants of $2500 for the last several years to support operations.  The United Way, Rice County Family Services Collaborative, Foldcraft Foundation, Xcel Foundation, El Fondo de Nuestra Comunidad, March of Dimes, and other individual donors have helped along the way, with current support from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation of MN for our Healthy Together Project.

In the pictures above are Bob Kell the director of the Welcome Center talking with Theresa who works at the Center. The Welcome Center is located at 24 W. Division Suite B., Faribault, MN 55021.

Somalis worry about their homeland

6/8/2006 Faribault Daily News Article, by Joe Augustin.

FARIBAULT -- For some Somalis, life in Faribault is a far cry from the war and fighting going on in their homeland.
In recent weeks, the eastern African nation has been host to increased fighting as Islamic militia has asserted itself as the central authority in the capital city of Mogadishu, overtaking a coalition of warlords.

Hashi Geedi, a member of the board of directors for the Somali Community Resettlement Service in Faribault, said the fighting in Somalia is not likely to stop unless the country gets a centralized government.

"They fight from today, to tomorrow and to another day," Geedi said. "People are running for their lives."

There are about 30,000 Somali refugees in Minnesota -- thought to be the largest concentration in the United States -- with about 25,000 of them in the Twin Cities, according to the Associated Press.

The communication to people in Somalia is nonexistent, Geedi said. The information that he acquires about the conditions in his homeland is typically done through news sources such as newspapers, the British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC) and the Internet.

When Somalis want to seek refuge from the fighting, they typically flee to neighboring countries such as Kenya. It is there that the United Nations is able to step in and assist them, he said.

As for a preference on the type of government he would like to see established, Geedi said stopping the fighting is the most important issue.

"The first thing I'd like to hear is that there is no war and no fighting at all," Geedi said. "Too many have died for the sake of control."

Geedi has spent five years in Faribault. Before his journey to the United States, he spent a long time in a refugee camp in Kenya, away from the fighting that has continued to go on in Somalia for well over a decade.

Geedi said the process to come over to the United States can take from two to four years or more, but that it is a journey that saves lives.

"When people run away and the U.S. government has helped them, it is saving their lives," Geedi said.

Hashi Buralle, who has lived Faribault since November, said communication is so bad he doesn't know whether people he knows from Somalia are still there, have died, or have left the area.

"It is very restricted," Buralle said. "You don't know about where people are."

Besides the noticeable changes in climate from Somalia to Minnesota, Buralle said that adapting to a new life in the United States takes time. Sometimes, he is unsure of how some of the traditions of Somalis are interpreted by others in Faribault. However, he said, steps are being taken to help bridge communication gaps and hopefully others will ultimately see Somalis as good people.

Geedi feels as though the community has been accepting, and he enjoys the calm environment of Faribault.

"It feels like our home," Geedi said.


-- Joe Augustin can be reached at 333-3135 or jaugustin@faribault.com.

How Peace Begins

HOW PEACE BEGINS
Peace begins with saying sorry.
Peace begins with not hurting others.
Peace begins with honesty and trust.
Peace begins with showing cooperation and respect.
World Peace Begins With ME!

Halley Hall
D.W. Babcock Elementary School
Sacramento, California

"Good Bye and Good Luck Larry"

Larry Lundblad, a dear friend with a big heart, a wonderful leader as well as a team player will be sorely missed as he leaves to be President of Central Lakes College in Branerd MN.

Larry has served as vice president and chief academic officer at South Central College in North Mankato and Faribault since 1993.

A Diversity Coalition Board Member for the last 6 years, Larry has done it all from moderator at several forums, planning forums, bringing in several speakers. Leading us with his expertise, coming out in Dec. & Jan, in 15 below temperatures to help build the Cannon River Mobile Home Park Bus shelter and so much more.

Larry has led us with his smiles and calm demeanor. What really showed up most in the six years of his leadership and friendship is his caring for all people, he will be a wonderful president at Central Lakes College.

Thank you Larry from all of us in the Diversity Coalition, and everyone in Faribault that you have touched.

Milo

For everything there is a season,
And a time for every matter under heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
A time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to seek, and a time to lose;
A time to keep, and a time to throw away;
A time to tear, and a time to sew;
A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate,
A time for war, and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Immigration Forum II, April 20th, 2006

Sponsored by “Healthy Together” Initiative, of The Foundation of Blue Cross Blue of Minnesota.

Following are some highlights of the Forum, you can see the Forum on Local Cable Channel 10, thanks to the Video provided by Julie Fox, also the full story in the April 21 edition of the Faribault Daily News.

Speakers were, Aja Bonsu, from the MN. House of Representatives, Regina Garza, the Senate, Ann Scheuetz & Sarah Herder, MN Advocates For Human Rights, Representative Patty Fritz, and Paul Beaumaster, Rice County City Attorney.

Focus of forum: Immigration laws
By Thomas E. Hammell
Daily News Staff Writer

FARIBAULT -- The second Community Immigration Forum held in recent months at South Central College focused on immigration laws -- one of the holes some attendees saw in the first forum.
"One concern that was brought to us is we didn't talk about immigration," said Dan Burns, who works in SCC's student services department. "We're going to keep the politics out of it, we're going to keep the emotion out of it, we're going to start from the grass roots of what is being proposed."

Burns said the community of Faribault has not been afraid to take on the sometimes tough questions that immigration raises.

"We look for the answers, we're not afraid to take on the big issues," he said. The goal of the evening, he said, would be to look at the legislation that is being proposed right now.

Aja Bonsu, research consultant for the Minnesota House of Representatives, said that Governor Tim Pawlenty's initiatives were taken up as a bill in the House.

"What's come out of the house has changed due to compromises and things like that," she said.

"Initially the governor proposed the creation of a Minnesota illegal immigration enforcement team."

The team would involve essentially 10 Bureau of Criminal Apprehension agents that would focus on felony-level crimes involving undocumented immigrants or committed against immigrant communities.

The second component of this would deal with false identification, making it a more serious offense. One of the governor's proposals was to improve enforcement on a rule that is already on the books in Minnesota, Bonsu said. Because those with non-immigrant visas have status check written on their driver's licenses, regulation would be simple.

Several other proposals were included in the governor's initiative, Bonsu said, but whether any will be approved this year is up in the air.

Rep. Patti Fritz, DFL-Faribault, said, "this has been a very busy year in committee and you heard this is what goes on."

Regina Garza, who works for the Minnesota Senate, mentioned the DREAM Act, which would allow people that graduated from a Minnesota high school they had attended for at least two years to be eligible for in-state tuition rates.

"It's all going into one big omnibus finance bill," she said.

She said a bill is in committee that would allow businesses a tax credit to provide worker education programs.

Another part is a tax credit for immigrants.

"Minnesota has always had a tradition of rewarding citizenship," she said.

Rice County Attorney Paul Beaumaster said that immigration has become an issue for Rice County.

"We want people to come here and we want to know who is coming into this country," he said. "The issue is here and it is our issue."

He said that people that break the law can get away with staying in the country illegally once they get a false sense of security.

"It's hard to hold them accountable if we don't know who they are," he said.

Ann Theisen and Sarah Herder from Minnesota Advocates for Human Right spoke about some of the national politics.

"We're just watching the politics as much as you are," Theisen said.

Theisen said there are two basic philosophies in regard to how the immigration system should be improved: One that wants to improve border security and enforcement, and another calling for comprehensive immigration reform.

"I think whatever camp you fall into, nobody is a proponent of illegal immigration," Herder said.


-- Thomas E. Hammell can be reached at 333-3128 or thammell@faribault.com.

March for Immigration

A DAY WITHOUT IMMIGRANTS

Faribault Diversity Coalition

Subject: Dia Nacional de Acción
Date: Tue, 4 Apr 2006 14:44:39 +0000

A DAY WITHOUT IMMIGRANTS
MONDAY APRIL 10 2006

MORE THAN 12 MILLION UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS IN THE U.S.A. DESERVE DIGNITY,
RESPECT, AND SHOULD BE RECOGNIZED FOR THEIR HARD WORK, EFFORT AND THEIR
PARTICIPATION IN THE U.S. ECONOMIC GROWTH.

SEVERAL CIVIC GROUPS IN FAVOR OF A COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM ARE
CALLING YOU TO JOIN AND SUPPORT:

A GENERAL STOPPAGE AND ECONOMIC BOYCOTT IN PROTEST OF THOSE ANTI-IMMIGRANT
BILLS THAT, IN CASE OF BEING APPROVED, WILL AFFECT MORE THAN 12 MILLION
UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS AND THEIR FAMILIES.


MONDAY APRIL 10 2006

YOU CAN PARTICIPATE BY:
-DRESS IN WHITE.
-USE A WHITE RIBBON IN YOUR CHEST.
-NOT GOING TO SCHOOL THAT DAY.
-COPY, PRINT AND SHARE THIS FLYER WITH FRIENDS, FAMILY, REALTIVES, NEIGHBORS
-JOIN AN ORGANIZATION IN A
WALK-OUT IN YOUR CITY
-NOT GOING TO WORK THAT DAY. (SPEND THAT DAY WITH YOUR FAMILY)
-NOT USING PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION (BUSES, TAXIS, SUBWAYS, TRAINS, ETC.)
-NOT GOING TO PUBLIC PLACES (MOVIE THEATERS, RESTAURANTS, BARS, ETC.)
-NOT BUYING GASOLINE.
-NOT GOING TO SUPERMARKETS (WAL-MART, CITY MARKETS, PRICE, COSTCO, ETC.)
-NOT SHOPPING AT ALL.
-CONTACTING YOUR SENATORS AND/OR CONGRESSMEN, ASKING THEM TO SUPPORT A
COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM.


PLEASE SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH YOUR FAMILY, RELATIVES, FRIENDS,
NEIGHBORS, AND CO-WORKERS
PRINT AND DISTRIBUTE THIS FLYER

UNION HISPANA DE TELLURIDE

Talking Circle Series

In many cultures, the respectful listening to the wisdom and experience of one another is a sacred moment. By listening to one another’s stories, we learn to see ourselves differently, to see the connections, to become a community…

The Welcome Center is sponsoring a 6-week series of conversations between members of the Faribault Spanish-speaking community and long-term residents to encourage exchange and understanding.

A bilingual facilitator will guide the group. We seek 14-16 interested persons who would be willing to commit to attending the majority of the sessions. We believe that consistency is important to reach a level of trust and of sharing.

Our goal is to create a space for conversation, where people have a chance to speak what is on their mind, to share perspectives, to respectfully seek to understand what is common and what is unique about our experiences. Much of the conversation will arise from the interests and questions of the group members as the series progresses. We will begin with our immigration stories, our family stories, and discover what new questions emerge.

If you would like to participate, please contact Teresa or Bob at the Welcome Center, 333-5036.


Spanish-English Talking Circle
Wednesdays, 11:30-1 p.m.
March 29-May 3, 2006
Buckham Memorial Library


The Circle Series is part of the Healthy Together Initiative of the Faribault Diversity Coalition.
"Sponsored by the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation"

The Immigrant Family

The Immigrant Family was carved by Bob Kell and these are his thoughts.

When we reflect upon the immigrant family, what do we see?

Strength, determination, walking into the unknown but walking together, carrying the future in one's arms and all that one owns on their backs. Within that bag (and in their hearts) they carry dreams, hopes, memories, culture, riches, uniqueness, history, talents, and desire. To work, to survive, to prosper, to see a better life for these children.

They are us.

Bob Kell

The Somali Community Resettlement Services/Welcome Center Community Meeting

"Members of the Faribault Somali community invited community organizations to join them at the Buckham Library on Saturday to get to know one another better. It was an opportunity to speak about the new partnership between the Welcome Center and Somali Community Resettlement Service.

Residents expressed the need for increased funding for their office and shared their perspectives on needs that still remain to be addressed. They spoke of medical interpreters, more accessible transportation, and the need to learn English. Mention was also made of the great progress the children are making in school.

The orientation and interpretation support that the SCRS and Welcome Center offer are quite similar. The hope is that the collaboration will make both more effective.

Representatives from the Fire Dept. were on hand to answer questions and express their availability. Smoke detectors were provided to those who needed them. Mary Ho from Public Health, Nalani McCutcheon from River Bend Nature Center, and Kelly Frankenfield (ESL teacher) from Jefferson school were also present to participate. It was a good chance to knit closer bonds."

Immigration Forum—Feb. 23, 2006

Immigration Forum

Sponsored by “Healthy Together” Initiative, Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation

This Week’s Forum

Jack Geller, from the Center for Rural Policy and Development, St. Peter, presented demographic information that provided a broader context for a discussion on immigration. Southern MN has experienced a significant increase in the number of people of color and Latinos in recent years. Especially in towns with food processing industries, that influx has been notable. Immigrants tend to be younger and of child-bearing age, in contrast to an aging mainstream in many rural communities. Immigration has brought a stronger workforce, new demands on school districts to meet the challenge of educating children with limited English proficiency, increased economic value ($484 million in the Reg. 9 study of Latino residents), a lesser strain on added public services ($48 million in the Reg. 9 study), and also contributed $121 million in taxes ($45 million state and local—Reg 9 study). Mr. Geller made the point that regardless of how one feels about immigration, we all have a vested interest in the education and success of the children (immigrant and non). In a not too distant future, it is they who will be the workforce that defines our communities, our communities’ ability to draw business investment, and the security of social systems that support us, such as social security. If we withhold support and allow struggling children to emerge as an unskilled, uneducated workforce, the face of our communities will reflect that choice.

Patti Fritz, representative for the Faribault area, added remarks about the importance of seeking positive and humane solutions to the challenges facing us. She invited people’s input and ongoing dialogue. Gwen Jackson, school superintendent, and Deb Wall, ESL programs, shared about efforts in the Faribault schools to embrace diversity and work with the families and children to promote integration and success.

Participants were then invited to talk in small groups about the issues and concerns that they wish to see addressed as the dialogue continues in the future.

(See summary)

The background information did not directly lead to a discussion of undocumented immigrants. They form a smaller part of a larger demographic change that in itself has called southern MN communities like Faribault to adapt. We felt that it was important to present that picture as well and perhaps distinguish it from the more limited discussion of how we are to address the tensions the issue of undocumented presence raises.
QUESTIONS/CONCERNS/ISSUES

• Undocumented persons in community and current proposal % of undocumented in Rice County


• Assimilation/Balkanization


• Bring full participation into community


• Cost of failure to educate


• Barriers – How to remove them


• Concern over economy – globalization – why is it happening


• Cost of undocumented health, education, social, legal, (social services might be being accessed


• Find solutions talk to each other – need to get to know each other to find solutions. (Cultural diversity base)

A Perspective on the Issue of Undocumented Presence

(This statement of the issue is presented by Bob Kell, Catholic Charities, coordinator of theDiversity Coalition’s Healthy Together Initiative. It is not intended as an official position of the Diversity Coalition or its Board.)

The Faribault Diversity Coalition and Faribault Chamber of Commerce co-sponsored a public forum Thursday evening to begin to promote dialogue around issues of immigration affecting southern MN and the Faribault community. The forum was planned in light of recent legislative proposals on both the federal and state levels that have clearly marked the issue of undocumented presence as a key issue in the coming year.

At issue is the fact that as many as 11 million persons are living in the U.S. without documented status. These are persons who either entered the U.S. without papers or who overstayed a visa that permitted their entry. The other 70% of immigrants in the country have permission to be here, either as naturalized citizens, lawful permanent residents, refugees, or workers and students with visas. Because current immigration limits, quotas, and laws do not provide for a road to legalization for many of those who are undocumented, these men, women, and sometimes children live in the shadows, unable to settle and often with nowhere to return to. Even those who are here as documented persons and who have a possibility to petition for their spouse, children or parents, face waiting times of years before their families can be united. And while it is often thought that economic reasons are the main motive for immigration, nearly 70% of all immigrants between 1995 and 2001 came for the reason of family reunification. A documented permanent resident from Mexico, for example, who wishes today to bring a spouse or child will have to wait: immigration is now processing only such petitions filed before April 15, 1999.

The situation is made more complex as new persons, faced with the obstacles to legal means of immigration, choose to cross the border without documents. Attempts to enforce border patrol have driven people further into remote desert and mountain areas, tripling the death rate at the border in recent years. Yet the migration doesn’t stop. People still choose to risk the crossing in the hope of finding a life they do not see possible where they are. And as with any risky behavior, there are always those who take advantage of people’s fear and vulnerability.

The situation raises questions. How can some order be brought to bear? Do we resort to stricter enforcement or do we look to some comprehensive reform of the immigration system? Looking the other way for economic reasons has been the practice. Immigrants have been the workforce in many less desirable, low-paying jobs, and the lack of a work permit has often kept undocumented workers there. Without the permission to live and work openly, lives have remained vulnerable and a stable future elusive. Will the discussion focus on laws that are broken or on these human persons who regardless of their immigration status retain membership in the “common, world-wide fellowship of women and men.” (John XXIII, 1963)?

New legislative proposals have taken both roads. The Sensenbrenner house bill (H.R. 4437 proposed strong border enforcement and would make undocumented presence a felony. The proposed McCain-Kennedy Secure American and Orderly Immigration Act of 2005 (S. 1033 and HR. 2330) calls for comprehensive immigration reform which would design a path to lawful permanent residence for the undocumented, provide additional visas for family reunification, and legal avenues for migrant workers to enter the U.S.

Somehow we will all be part of this political debate. Many lives depend on how this discussion is resolved. As a Diversity Coalition with a mission to promote respect and understanding of all residents of Faribault, we feel this is a critical issue for all of us to grabble with and contribute to.

Undocumented Presence—