Fighting Hate with Democratic Values – The Montana Human Rights Network fights hate crimes by promoting democratic values and public discourse.

In recent decades, white supremacist activity in Montana has been on the rise. Overtly racist groups, including the Aryan Nations, gained a stronghold in the high mountain valleys of western Montana.

Leadership for a Changing World

http://leadershipforchange.org/awardees/awardee.php3?ID=119

(MHRN http://www.mhrn.org/ is a 2003 Leadership for a Changing World Award Winner- Russ)

In small rural communities on the eastern plains, “farm advocacy” groups began recruiting farmers by employing anti-Semitic conspiracy theories to explain the economic woes many farm families faced. Ideologically, the secretive groups in the west and the “farm populist” groups in the east were the same. And by 1990, these groups had established themselves in many communities, where they began actively to agitate and recruit. As a result, extreme right-wing views became more acceptable while the tactics of some extremists grew steadily more violent.

Seeds of commitment

Christine Kaufmann’s background, raised a Mennonite with a commitment to justice and service, and Ken Toole’s roots as a multi-generation Montanan, commit them deeply to the Northwest. Something else they share is the belief that the most effective counter to violence and intimidation is public discourse. “In many individuals, democratic values and anti-democratic impulses reside side by side in direct contradiction to each other,” the two write. “Speaking to people’s values, whether one-on-one or in a public setting, and seeing that people can be reached on that basis, makes us realize that the democratic values which motivate us are widely shared.”

Accomplishments

Helped by a small staff, Toole and Kaufmann have built the Montana Human Rights Network, an organization of over 1,400 members and 10 local groups. MHRN’s mission is to promote the democratic values of pluralism, equality, and justice; to challenge bigotry and intolerance; and to organize communities to speak out. When skinheads harassed Jewish families, for example, MHRN worked with local activists to organize a “Not In Our Town” campaign, which subsequently became a national model of community response to bigotry and racial violence. The Network also issued a seminal report on the militia movement that was cited by media nationwide following the 1995 bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building.

As the militia movement spread, the American Jewish Committee, an international human rights organization, commissioned MHRN to write What to Do when the Militia Comes to Town, a community organizing manual disseminated nationwide. From confronting extremist militia organizations to advocating for gay rights and American Indian tribal sovereignty, Toole and Kaufman have been unflinching advocates for social justice. They also have established the Policy Institute, a think tank that addresses what Toole and Kaufman describe as the failings of the progressive movement, and how it can become more effective.

Their Leadership style

When MHRN becomes involved in a community experiencing hate crimes or other acts of political violence, Toole’s and Kaufmann’s strategy is to talk with community leaders, then build coalitions across constituent groups, encouraging them to form local human rights groups. These groups use a process that involves readings, presentations and discussions, and a focus on ideology and values. The objective is to show the links between white supremacy on one hand and economic injustice and homophobia on the other.

“Probably the strongest influence in our work is the belief that the right wing presents an ideology which appeals to large segments of society,” they write. Progressive groups, they continue, often fail to recognize that what they are confronting is an ideological struggle. “As a result, progressives position themselves for the strategic, short-term victory on specific issues, while failing to build a coherent base of support.”

“Progressives in Montana believe their views are not widely shared and that expressing their opinions on issues will result in hostile responses,” the activists have written. Challenging that assumption is central to their leadership style. Pushing that challenge a step further, Toole and Kaufmann ran for and won seats in Montana’s state senate and state house of representatives, respectively, in 2000. Both campaigned on overtly liberal platforms to demonstrate that traditional liberal ideas are more widely accepted than many progressives believe. To fulfill their legislative commitment, both take a leave from the MHRN for 90 days every two years, when the lawmakers are in session. While few of the bills they have sponsored have made it into law, “we have demonstrated that progressive views and values are not entirely unpopular,” they say.

The future

Toole plans to continue in politics and, through the Policy Institute, to push public debate on issues like taxation, public spending, and wage growth—all within a human rights context. Kaufmann says she hopes to motivate more progressive activists to become leaders in the community and in politics.

More about Ken Toole, Christine Kaufmann and the Montana Human Rights Network

“What Ken and Christine are trying to do is to make sure that when dealing with issues that would bring out a single group, they focus on a lot of other groups to surround that group. They strive to get other people involved in the issues, people whose self-interest is not obvious.”

— Jean Hardisty, Political Research Associates, a Massachusetts-based center for the study of antidemocratic movements, institutions, and trends

Contact Information

Ken Toole
Co-Director
Montana Human Rights Network
P.O. Box 1222
Helena, MT 59624
Phone: 406-442-5506
Email:
Web: http://www.mhrn.org

Christine Kaufmann
Co-Director
Montana Human Rights Network
P.O. Box 1222
Helena, MT 59624
Phone: 406-442-5506
Email:
Web: http://www.mhrn.org