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The Missoula Advocates' Martin Luther King celebration began with speakers at Caras Park, including William Yellow Robe, an Assiniboine playwright from the Fort Peck Reservation, and the Advocates' own Ralph Stone. The group then proceeded to St. Paul's Lutheran Church and listened to the keynote address by Denise Rogers, pastor of Bozeman's A.M.E. The theme of Rogers' stirring address was to carry on King's message and "finish the dream." Student winners of the essay/poetry contest read their prize-winning work. The crowd numbered about l00 at Caras Park and grew to 200 at the church.

On Feb 5, the Advocates hosted Ken Toole, the Network's program director. He addressed an audience of l00 on the subject of "The Right Gone Wrong." The response was enthusiastic, with many of those who attended staying afterwards to talk to Toole and share ideas among themselves.

The Flathead Valley Human Rights Coalition's Martin Luther King Celebration began with the recognition of its essay and art contest winners. The essays and art were thoughtful as well as thought provoking. The celebration continued with a keynote speech from Julie Cajune, a member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and the Indian Education Director for the schools in Ronan. She has maintained a focus on revising curriculum to include stories and voices from Indian communities. Cajune explained that we all have the ability and the responsibility to be educators within our communities.

The group continues to maintain a website largely dedicated to countering the message of and exposing KGEZ radio's John Stokes. The site is: http://www.aboutfacts.com.

Bitterroot Human Rights Alliance

The Alliance held its seventh annual Martin Luther King Day celebration at the First Presbyterian church in Hamilton, with original poetry and songs from Trapper Creek Job Corp students. Winners of the MLK art contest were announced. Brigitte Anderson, President of Montana ACLU and board member of the national ACLU, gave a presentation on the recently passed anti-terrorist legislation and the intention of the government to try foreign suspects in military tribunals. Over 70 people attended the event.

The Alliance continues to work on the issue of malicious harassment of conservationists. A community statement of non-violence is being circulated by the Alliance, and numerous civic and advocacy organizations have signed on. Some Republican office holders and right-wing activists have pressured organizations not to sign, because they don't like the Alliance's politics.

The Coalition [FRHRC] sponsored a day-long violence reduction workshop in conjunction with St. Ignatius, Ronan, Polson and Two Eagle River schools on February 13. The workshop featured presentations by Missoula's National Coalition Building Institute. An afternoon workshop featured dance and movement exercises by Co Carew and Julia Roberts. The purpose of the workshop was to teach youth to become community leaders in responding to violence in their communities. Students were encouraged to create skits around workshop themes for performance at their schools.

FRHRC is working with other community groups to bring the Intersectionz Dance Troupe, formerly known as the Diversity Dancers of Seattle, back to the reservation. The dance troupe will perform during the week of March 4-8, 2002. The multi-national dancers come from around the world to tour with the company for one year. Each individual dance is choreographed to address issues such as racism, domestic violence, substance abuse, etc. The energy, athletic prowess, and positive social message of these dancers make them a favorite attraction with local teens. The dancers will appear in all the schools on the reservation.

FRHRC joined the local fray over comments published by the Polson Chamber of Commerce. The furor erupted when the Chamber published a letter written by Barry Loudermilk of Georgia, which asserted that multiculturalism was diluting our national sovereignty and identity. Letters to the editor of the local paper brought out views on all sides. A statement by FRHRC president Denise Fyant and vice-president Melvin Mad Plume Jr. affirmed the importance of diversity and multiculturalism. The debate was finally closed by editor Paul Overlie who called a section of FRHRC' s letter "crap."

FRHRC is displaying the submission for its Martin Luther King art and essay contest at the Sandpiper Art Gallery. The winners of the contest received US Savings Bonds in denominations up to $100.

FRHC held its annual Cultural Fair on December 1, 2001. A highlight of the day was a Latin dance exhibition where African, Russian, and Native Americans joined together to do the Macarena. A variety of ethnic food prepared by the Foreign Students Association from the University of Montana was a big hit. Diversity was celebrated by over 250 people.

The Task Force held its annual Martin Luther King Celebration on Monday January 21, 2002. The topic this year was "What Would Martin Luther King Say Today" about issues like poverty, treatment of gays and lesbians and other current events. The panel discussing the topic consisted of Montana Tech Professor and MHRN Board Chair George Waring, Yellowstone Heritage Director Mike Clark and Frank Kromkowski of the Helena Peace Seekers. Helena Mayor Jim Smith and City Commissioner Sandy Oitzinger announced and awarded the winners of the Task Force's MLK essay and poster contest.

For Valentine's Day, the Task Force created postcards that people can mail to show support for the couples suing the University System. One postcard reads, "Know that we hold the safety of you and your family in our hearts this Valentine's Day." Another that addresses the Board of Regents says, "Have a heart. Extend the university benefits package to include same sex partners. It's the right thing to do." The postcards have been distributed around Montana State University's campus and the Bozeman community.