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The Task Force held its annual Martin Luther King Celebration this year at St. Paul's United Methodist Church. Rev. Stephen Brehe helped hand out the awards to the winners of the Task Force's annual Martin Luther King essay and poster contest. Bob Holmes gave the keynote presentation, and music was provided by St. Paul's Chancel Choir. Robert Gregori and Charmaine Lindgren also performed Frank Sinatra's "The House I Live In," a song about religious and social tolerance.

The Task Force continues its weekly radio program. Hosted by Bob Campbell, the show can be heard every Tuesday from 5:00-6:00 p.m. on Carroll College's 88.5 FM. Upcoming shows will feature interviews with Montana legislators and lobbyists from various groups.

A fundraising event for the Task Force and the League of Women Voters will be held on March 12, 2003. The event is a performance of Bob Campbell's play "Should Women Be Allowed to Vote?" The cast features Dorothy Bradley, Bob Kelleher, Linda Stoll and Albert Niccolucci. The performance will be at Carroll College at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $5.00 and can be purchased by calling 443-1397.

The Coalition held a public showing of the entries for its annual Martin Luther King Art and Essay Test. They were displayed at Pablo's People's Center from February 24-28, 2003. A reception was held on February 27 to announce the winners. The topic for this year's essay contest was exploring King's philosophy on non-violence as a means for resolution of the US-Iraq crisis.

The Coalition also collected signatures on a 4x8 foot card opposing war with Iraq. One of the sides reads, "The Congress, not George Bush, Jr., shall have the power to declare war." The other side displays the signatures. It will be delivered to U.S. Sen. Max Baucus' office.

Working in conjunction with other concerned citizens of the Mission Valley, the Coalition is sponsoring two billboards along Highway 93. The first has a picture of children and the words "Blessed are the Peace Makers." The other has an American flag with a peace dove and the words "Peace is Also Patriotic." Those wishing to contribute to this billboard campaign can send contributions to the Coalition at Box 111, Ronan, MT, 59864.

The Advocates' annual Martin Luther King essay and art contest had 630 entries, the most submissions ever. The rally held at Caras Park, which kicked off the MLK celebration, was also the largest ever, drawing 150 people. If that wasn't impressive enough, over 250 people gathered to hear the keynote presentation by Julie Cajune. Along with her keynote, Cajune met with school administrators and discussed the problem of racism and other educational issues at a breakfast meeting.

Representatives from the Advocates also participated in a demonstration against the labor policies at the Hillside Manor Nursing Home. The event was sponsored by local unions and Montana People's Action.

Members of the Advocates have also been very involved in the various peace rallies that have been held in Missoula.

The Network has been working with two groups -- People for Peace and Kqayaquwa'Ktnam (Village in the Middle).

People for Peace joined the Network's Martin Luther King Jr. celebration. In honor of Dr. King, a candlelight vigil was held at Depot Square in downtown Kalispell. People then walked to Christ Church Episcopal for an evening of song, readings and a keynote speech by Dan Gallagher. Each subsequent Saturday, there has been a gathering at Depot Square to encourage our community to show support for a peaceful resolution with Iraq.

Kqayaquwa'Ktnam was organized to help our educators become informed about the Native American communities of Montana and the Northwest. A lecture series titled "Native American Resurgence -- An Imperative" has been well attended by educators and the general public.

The Network encourages its members to attend both of these ongoing events. The peace rally takes place every Saturday from noon to 1:00 p.m. at Depot Square. The lecture series is held at Montessori School on Willow Glen Drive. Each Network member will be receiving a schedule for these lectures.

In January, the Task Force co-sponsored "Real War Stories," an event put on in conjunction with the Coalition Against War in Iraq. More than 60 people attended the event which featured combat veterans, nurses, conscientious objectors and journalists speaking on their first-hand experiences with war.

The Task Force was also one of several groups sponsoring "In Honor of Martin Luther King," an event presented by Montana State University's Office of Diversity Awareness. Women's rights activist and cartoonist Nigar Nazar spoke on the popular misconceptions about Middle Eastern women and their role in Pakistani society.

In February, the Task Force hosted a showing of The End of Silence: Montana Gay Youth Speak, a video project of the Montana Human Rights Network. The event was at MSU and was co-sponsored by Q-MSU and the Women's Center.