Wyoming PBS and UW hold free screenings April 20 of new film about the Civil Rights struggle

Southern Poverty Law Center's Heidi Beirich addresses "Fighting Hate in America" April 2

From Lisa Icenogle, Casper College PIO:

The Southern Poverty Law Center's Heidi Beirich will present "Fighting Hate in America" on Saturday, April 2, at 7 p.m. in Durham Recital Hall in the Aley Fine Arts Center at Casper College.

Beirich, an expert on academic racism, nativist extremism, and the white supremacist fringe of the neo-Confederate movement, is the director of research in the center's hate and extremism department.

According to information provided by the SPLC, the center monitors hate groups and other extremists throughout the United States and exposes their activities to law enforcement agencies, the media and the public. The center is credited with crippling some of the nation's most notorious hate groups by suing them for murders and other violent acts committed by their members. Currently, as of this writing, there are 1,002 known hate groups operating across the country.

"After a brief decline in the mid 1990s hate groups have exploded, more than tripling in number since the mid 90s. In particular, the number of hate and extremist websites has grown. The SPLC is a highly regarded resource for government agencies as well as academics that study and seek to counter such groups, said Erich Frankland, Casper College political science instructor. "This presentation hopefully will draw students, members of the community, and others to learn more about this pressing issue," he added.

"I was moved to help bring in someone of Beirich's qualifications to speak to the community about hate crimes following the shootings in Tucson this past January. I believe that we need to work toward ending hate in this country," said Mariko Miller, Democratic Women's Forum representative.

A reception will follow Beirich's presentation, which is sponsored by the Democratic Women's Forum, the Casper College Political Science Department, and the Casper College Campus Security Office.

Both the presentation and reception are free and open to all.

FMI: Erich Frankland: 307-268-2490 and Mariko (Mako) Miller: 234-2317.

See the SPLC's "Hate Map" of the U.S. at http://splcenter.org/get-informed/hate-map

Wyoming Humanities Council offers civility program as an antidote to these "uncivil" times

Milward Simpson, director of the Wyoming Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources, wrote a guest op-ed for the Oct. 24 Casper Star-Tribune. His essay focused on the new Wyoming Humanities Council program on a timely topic -- civility. This is a slightly longer version of the CST op-ed:

October is National Arts and Humanities Month. In honor of the occasion I’m writing to announce that the Wyoming Humanities Council (WHC) will be conducting a new series of programs and activities beginning in fall 2010 bringing Wyoming citizens together to focus on an important and timely topic: civility.

Much has been made of these “uncivil” times. As Americans, we are all familiar with the words and images that have characterized our political landscape in recent months and years: politicians resorting to ugly personal attacks and extreme public statements, the advent of the inchoate tea party movement and the inchoate, mocking response to it, all this amorphous anger, the mob chaos of political town meetings, entire TV “news” programs devoted to one-sided polemic, and here, closer to home, the uproar over Bill Ayers and extremists threatening to burn religious texts on the capitol steps. Even in Wyoming where we know that we daren’t offend our neighbor for risk of offending the entire community that sustains us, we are not immune.

The fuel we seem to keep pouring onto the fire is distilled from a variety of sources: the proliferation of electronic communication leading to an increasingly polarized media (what journalists Halperin and Harris refer to as “the freak show”), the increasing geopolitical phenomenon in which people choose to live where their political views will be reinforced (what author Bill Bishop refers to as “The Clustering of Like-Minded America;” and a frustrated electorate facing the seeming impossibility of getting anything done in the almost complete absence of compromise – we have all been burned by the volatility of these forces.

Of course, our democratic experiment has often been characterized by periods of national upheaval where incivility reigned. The publication “America’s Civil War” in its most recent issue stated “…if you think politics are polarizing now, try to imagine the angst in this country after Abraham Lincoln was elected president 150 years ago…” Cabinet members resigned, seven states voted to secede from the Union and Federal property in South Carolina was confiscated and/or destroyed leaving Ft. Sumter as the only federal property remaining. Yet, though far perhaps from the depth of the divisions which resulted in our great Civil War, the word “secession” has wormed its way back into the national dialogue. Our current cultural environment does call into question the cohesion of our nation and our collective ability to confront the enormous issues facing us - economic, environmental and social.

It is not that we should disagree less. Indeed, part of our American dynamism comes from the fact that we are born and bred to argue. Our democracy draws its strength from it. The esteemed journalist Howard Fineman in his book “The Thirteen American Arguments,” argues that, if anything, we don’t argue enough “…about the fundamentals. The … arguments bitterly divide us, but they also define, inspire, and ultimately unite us by bestowing legitimacy on hard fought deals…”

The difference today seems to be civility – what National Endowment for the Humanities Chairman Jim Leach refers to as the willingness and ability to “walk in another’s shoes.” I had the honor of meeting Mr. Leach during his visit to Wyoming last month as part of his 50-state “American Civility Tour.” Leach, a 30-year Iowa Congressman known for his effectiveness in working across the aisle, launched his tour to “call attention to the need for civility in public discourse.” I have seldom met a more erudite gentleman, yet, he puts this all very simply: “Civilization requires civility. Words matter. Polarizing attitudes can jeopardize social cohesion.”

While pondering this piece, I thought of civility in light of my own family’s history of public service. Many of us are known to be “scrappers” who don’t back down from a fight and are prone, for better or worse, to speak our minds. My grandfather Milward, during his term as Governor in the late 1950’s, once wrote a quite uncivil letter responding to a constituent who seems to have taken issue with his conduct in office. Granddad dashed off his vitriolic missive and told his Chief of Staff Bob McManus to “mail the thing to that #@$&% SOB.” Bob did as he was told. Later that day, Governor Simpson came to him and asked, “…you didn’t mail that letter, did you!?” Bob said that he had. Granddad exclaimed something like “Oh God, we’ve got to go get it!” and they walked (I’m sure with less than sure legal footing) to the postmaster who agreed to retrieve the letter before it left the post office. From then on, when granddad had occasion (as he apparently continued to do) to direct his Chief of Staff to “mail the thing to that dirty rotten…!” or something of the like, Bob would wisely pocket the letter so when he was asked the inevitable “you didn’t mail that thing did you!?,” he simply retrieved it from his vest pocket – a sort of “pocket veto” of an uncivil instinct, for which the family is eternally grateful.

How do we confront this issue here in our beloved, wonderful and still wild Wyoming? The Wyoming Humanities Council’s Civility Matters! initiative was inspired by Chairman Leach’s call to action. The WCH describes these statewide programs as being “…presented in a variety of formats and will explore historically contentious events, as well as contemporary state, national, and international issues. Wide-ranging topics may include "cyber-civility" and public discourse in the digital age; sports and civility; cyber and school bullying; academic freedom; generational differences; national topics, such as second amendment rights, labor relations, and energy and water issues; regional topics, such as the Rock Springs Massacre, the Johnson County Wars, and the World War II Heart Mountain Relocation Center; and international topics, such as Islamic contributions to world cultures and the Iraq/Afghanistan wars.” The variable format for these discussions is intended to encourage interaction and will include visiting scholar presentations, online film and book discussions, summer watermelon/ice cream socials, publications, and community potluck dialogues.

The Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources is proud to provide support for these programs and feels they will benefit Wyoming as we explore the issue as a state and rededicate ourselves to our proud “live and let live” credo, to arguing and disagreeing while retaining our civility and our mutual respect. Back to Fineman, our civil discourse, our arguments, “…produced a civil war, the still-smoldering embers of racial tribalism, and pitiless economic competition; but they also produce the freest of societies, an ongoing (if imperfect) accommodation between capital and community, and a Constitution that stands as a beacon to the world even if we sometimes honor it in the breach. Arguing keeps us moving fitfully forward – toward being worthy of the gifts God gave us.”

As we celebrate National Arts and Humanities Month, I invite you to participate in these activities and be a part of this important discourse. After all, it’s the American thing to do!

United We Serve -- the arts

This announcement comes from the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, or NASAA. The Wyoming Arts Council is a NASAA member:

United We Serve is a nationwide service initiative that kicks off on June 22, 2009. Led by the White House and coordinated by the Corporation for National and Community Service, United We Serve asks organizations across America to engage new volunteers in their work and encourages individuals to volunteer and develop community service projects with friends, family, and neighbors.

After an initial 81 days – June 22 to September 11 – the president hopes that the initiative will grow into a sustained, collaborative effort to promote service as a way of life for all Americans. More information about the initiative is available at http://www.Serve.gov.

By participating in United We Serve, artists and arts organizations can demonstrate the unique and vital contributions the arts make to every aspect of community life. Volunteer efforts may be centered on cultural activities or on those relating to one of United We Serve’s areas of focus: education; health; energy and the environment; and community renewal. In addition to the inherent benefits of volunteerism, either by engaging volunteers or serving as volunteers, artists and arts organizations can strengthen their community ties and make the arts more visible in local recovery efforts.

How to Participate:

• Post a call for volunteers. Invite members of the community to get involved with your organization and its programs. Go to Serve.gov and register your organization and your project(s) in the All for Good database, a national hub of volunteer opportunity listings. Record numbers of volunteers are expected to seek service opportunities this summer, so be sure to capitalize on this momentum.
• Become a volunteer. Contribute your time to a volunteer project taking place in your community – and identify yourself as an artist when you do! Search Serve.gov and All for Good for nearby opportunities.
• Create your own project. Consult the on-line toolkit for tips on how to design local service efforts that make a difference. The best practices profiled there can maximize the impact of any community arts or cultural engagement initiative.
• Share your story. Make the arts a visible part of America’s service movement by sharing your story on-line. Describe how you have engaged volunteers for arts projects and how those projects have transformed lives, galvanized community action or assisted populations in need. Include pictures for maximum appeal. A wealth of stories is being posted on the White House Delivering Change map.
• Promote your participation. A sample press release is available to help you get started.

Additional materials about United We Serve are available on-line, including a video announcement by President Obama, answers to Frequently Asked Questions and a Media Advisory Guide. National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, 1029 Vermont Avenue NW, 2nd Floor, Washington, D.C. 20005, 202-347-6352, http://www.nasaa-arts.org/

"The Life Atomic" opens Monday in Evanston

"The Life Atomic: Growing Up in the Shadow of the A-Bomb" traveling exhibit opens on Monday, June 1, at the Uinta County Museum in Evanston. “The Life Atomic” shows the many ways the bomb influenced life in the 1950s and early 1960s. Exhibit panels focus on the development of the bomb, early atomic testing in the American Southwest, civil defense preparations, fallout shelters, the influence of the bomb on movies and television, “atomic” toys and games, and the impact of the bomb on home décor.

FMI: 307-789-8248 or http://wy-uinta2.civicplus.com/index.asp?nid=488

Summer Classics Institute at UW June 7-11

From a UW press release:

The fascinating world of Socrates and late 5th century B.C. will be featured during the 10th annual Summer Classics Institute, June 7-11 at the University of Wyoming.

The free lecture series is supported by the Wyoming Humanities Council, which serves as a catalyst for Wyoming's collective imagination by bringing ideas to life for hundreds of organizations and thousands of people, and the UW Department of Modern and Classical Languages. All lectures will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Room 142 of the UW College of Law Building.

The institute also includes mini-courses and seminars on the writings of Plato and other sophists. Pre-registration is required.

UW professor Phil Holt's presentation, "Intellectuals in Context: Athens in the late 5th Century B.C.," will open the lecture series Sunday, June 7.

The series continues Monday, June 8, with "Staging Intellectualism: Euripides and Athens," by University of New Mexico professor Lorenzo Garcia; Tuesday, June 9, with "Protagoras Refutes Himself," by UW professor Rob Colter; Wednesday, June 10, with "Wine, Women and Song: The Symposium in Ancient Art," by Tulane University professor Susann Lusnia; and concludes Thursday, June 11, with Holt's presentation of "Socrates on Trial."

For more information on the summer institute, call Sheila Bricher-Wade at (307) 721-9246, e-mail sbricher@uwyo.edu, or go to the Web site at www.uwyo.edu/humanities.

Triumph High's Z-Club sells handmade mugs for COMEA House fund-raiser

From a press release:

A student club at Triumph High School that focuses on advancing the status of women is sponsoring a fundraiser for the COMEA House homeless shelter, urging contributors to get "mugged" for women’s rights.

The "mugged" part of the event comes from the student-made ceramic mugs that will be sold for $25. Cheyenne area artists also have donated mugs for the cause. The Z-Club, the student version of Zonta Club International, will hold the event 5-7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 31, at Triumph’s new school, 1250 W. College Dr., Cheyenne.

Z-Club members also will sell its yellow rose pins and T-shirts.

Zonta is a global organization of executives and professionals working together to advance the status of women through service and advocacy. Zonta members volunteer talent and money to local and international service projects aimed at women’s education, leadership and youth development.

Triumph High School is the alternative high school in Laramie County School District One. Students must apply to attend, and they accept a shared responsibility agreement with faculty and staff. The curriculum features an advisor/advisee program, multi-age grouping, classes that are open to most students in grades 9-12, traditional and nontraditional pathways to graduation and an evening open-entry, open-exit program.

COMEA House provides meals and safe and secure emergency shelter to homeless adults and families 365 days a year. Funds raised through the Z-Club’s "mugged" project will help to cover the shelter’s operations and services, which provide more than 16,000 nights of shelter to some 1,600 men, women and families annually. In addition, COMEA House serves thousands of meals every month to people staying at the shelter and others in the community. Supportive services are provided through a case manager, connecting the clients to community services that identify steps to self-sufficiency.

For more information about COMEA House and how to help the homeless in our community, contact Executive Director Teresa Garrido at 632-3174.

"Jump Into Jewels" Feb. 28 in Cheyenne

Habitat for Humanity Women Build Project presents "Jump Into Jewels" on Saturday, Feb. 28, at 1126 White Water Court (The Pointe) in Cheyenne. More than 15,000 new and lightly used jewelry have been donated to to this Habitat project.

There will be VIP Champagne Brunch and Preview Party between 10 a.m.-noon. Tickets are $15 per person. You can purchase tickets online at http://www.cheyennehabitat.org, or by calling 307-214-1457.

From noon-8 p.m., "Jump Into Jewels" is free and open to the public.

Knit-in planned for UW on Feb. 16

From a UW press release:

The University of Wyoming Center for Volunteer Service will host its first knit-in, an evening dedicated to making wearable crafts for children in need, Monday, Feb. 16, from 5-9 p.m. in the Wyoming Union Family Room in Laramie.

Participants will knit, crochet and hand-stitch hats, scarves and gloves to donate to the Linford School in West Laramie. This family-friendly event is free and open to the public. Snacks, coffee and tea will be provided.

This event is BYOY (Bring Your Own Yarn). Participants are also asked to bring donations of pre-fabricated children's winter wear.

Everyone, regardless of ability, is encouraged to attend. Instruction, sample patterns, limited practice yarn, needles and hooks will be provided for beginners.

"Not everyone will finish a project at this event and that's fine," says Katie Kleinhesselink, program coordinator for the UW Center for Volunteer Service. "A knit-in is just as much about creating community as it is creating products."

FMI: Kleinhesselink at (307) 766-6871 or e-mail her at kkleinhe@uwyo.edu.

Spoken-word artist performs for UW's "Martin Luther King Jr. "Days of Dialogue"

New York City spoken-word artist and author Saul Williams is the keynote speaker for the 2008 Martin Luther King Jr./Days of Dialogue (MLK/DOD) celebration Jan. 21-25, at the University of Wyoming in Laramie.

Williams will perform at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 23, in the Wyoming Union Yellowstone Ballroom. He will read his poetry earlier that day from 11 a.m.-1 p.m., also in the Yellowstone Ballroom. Williams is the author of "The Dead Emcee Scrolls: The Lost Teachings of Hip-Hop" and had the lead role in the movie "Slam."

MLK/DOD is UW's annual celebration of the continuing impact of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s life and ideals. The theme for the seventh annual event, "The Politics of Dialogue," reflects the importance -- and difficulty -- of honest, open communication in a pluralistic society, according to the organizing committee.

The week of special activities renews UW's commitment to make its campus a more welcoming and empowering place for people from different backgrounds, heritages, orientations or abilities, says MLK/DOD committee co-chair Malinda Daniel. Several UW organizations and Laramie businesses sponsor the week's activities.

Most events are free and all are open to the public. Activities during the week are:

Monday, Jan. 21: Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, community service projects, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Laramie; Martin Luther King Jr. March and Dr. Willena Stanford Community Supper, begins at the Albany County Courthouse and ends at the Wyoming Union Yellowstone Ballroom, 4-6:30 p.m. The 2008 Willena Stanford Diversity Award will be presented at the dinner.

Tuesday, Jan. 22: Ellbogen Center for Teaching and Learning book discussion of "Teaching Defiance: Stories and Strategies for Activist Educators, a book written in wartime by Michael Newman", noon-1:30, Coe Library Room 307; performance by Day Acoli, Denver hip-hop poet, 6 p.m., Wyoming Union Yellowstone Ballroom; "One Arab, One Jew, One Stage" comedy show, featuring stand-up comic duo Bob Alper and Azhar Usman, 8 p.m., UW College of Arts and Sciences auditorium.

Wednesday, Jan. 23: "Food of Diversity" smorgasbord, featuring foods from around the world, 4-7 p.m., $10 per person or free to students with UW meal plan, Washakie Dining Center; exhibition of African mud paintings from Kenya and Ghana, reception and gallery viewing with curator Godwill Mock, 5-7 p.m., Wyoming Union Senate Chambers, with the exhibition on display in the ASUW Gallery in the lower level of the Wyoming Union.

Thursday, Jan. 24: Keepers of the Fire Talking Circle, "Going Home Again After College," panel discussion and lunch, including guests Trivia Afraid of Lightning, student from Oglala Lakota College on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, and Patterson Yazzie, communications specialist at American Indian College Fund, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Wyoming Union Senate Chambers; "Don't Let Others Define You," presentation by Trivia Afraid of Lightning, 3-4 p.m., Wyoming Union Yellowstone Ballroom; performance by Boston-based Soulfege, global urban fusion band, 8 p.m., Yellowstone Ballroom.

Friday, Jan. 25: Talk by Guy Padgett, youngest-ever mayor of Casper and first openly gay mayor in Wyoming, 4 p.m. in the Wyoming Union Family Room; Poetry Slam, 9 p.m., Washakie Center King Street Market.

Among other events are a book display at Coe Library, presentations sponsored by the College of Law and the President's Advisory Council on Minorities' and Women's Affairs (PACMWA), and a Martin Luther King Jr. Day Art Show, featuring art by Laramie K-12 students.

For a detailed listing of all events, visit the UW Web site at http://www.uwyo.edu/mlk.

Dick Kean: Civic education key to democracy

This comes from a University of Wyoming press release:

The Wyoming Partnership for Civic Education (WYPCE) provides a clearinghouse for civic education programs, says Dick Kean, the program's manager. The WYPCE provides learning opportunities through programs such as the "Wyoming/ Bolivia Partnership" sponsored by Civitas Latin America, "We the People," "Project Citizen," "Mock Election," and "Mock Trial."

Kean, a retired social studies teacher from Cheyenne, writes for Representative Democracy in America, a publication produced by the Center for Civic Education.

Two years ago, WYPCE received a Civitas Latin America grant to sponsor a partnership between educators in Wyoming and Bolivia. WYPCE is partnered with
Educadores para la Democracia (Educators for Democracy), a non-governmental
organization in Bolivia.

"These Bolivian teachers and government officials are working hard to provide civic education curriculum and training to the schools in their country," Kean says. "This is especially important for an emerging democracy."

In return, the Bolivian partners are giving Wyoming students and teachers an international perspective, the opportunity to exchange ideas with people in Latin America, and a platform for political understanding based on a common curriculum. "In the last two years, the program's success has been demonstrated by increased use of its curriculum in both Bolivia and Wyoming," Kean says.

The WYPCE also sponsors or supports a variety of other activities and programs in Wyoming. Participants used AHC materials to explore a research topic during a recent summer workshop at UW.

Kean says each WYPCE program offers diverse subjects for students and educators.
"We the People" curriculum is being taught at the upper Wyoming elementary, and middle and high school levels and across the nation. The program has reached more than 28 million students and 90,000 teachers nationwide during its 20-year history, Kean says.

Students from Casper Kelly Walsh High School recently traveled to Washington, D.C., representing Wyoming in the finals of a civics competition. More than 1,200 high school students from all 50 states and the District of Columbia participated in the academic competition that tested students' knowledge of the U.S. Constitution. The competition encouraged participants to understand the basis of America's democracy, Kean says.

"In 'Project Citizen' students learn to create public policies to solve a specific problem they identified and researched. "Mock Election" gives students an opportunity to vote for political candidates running for statewide offices. "Mock Trial," sponsored by the American Bar Association, allows students to learn about the judicial process through a competition in which they role play as witnesses and attorneys in a simulated case.

For more information about WYPCE programs, contact Kean, at 307-766-4986 or rkean@uwyo.edu.