"This is where the action is. History is in the making. Groups of citizens are coming together, standing up and speaking out on issues of importance to our area"

Grass Roots Activism is alive and well in the Red River Valley of the North. People are becoming concerned about issues that will affect their lives and the lives of others. These issues are local, county, state, national and international in scope. Issues include Peace and Anti-War (national and international), Save the Jail (Fargo, Cass County and North Dakota), cuts in funding for Education, Health and Human Services (Minnesota and North Dakota), Housing and Human Rights Issues (Moorhead, Fargo, Clay and Cass Counties, Minnesota and North Dakota) and the Moorhead Justice Circle.

Diane Wray-Williams, Co-Convener of the Moorhead Justice Circle states, "We are not in favor of dismantling the good life that we and our neighbors have worked hard to put into place. We support a safe, just, prosperous, free, healthy society and are willing to pay for it...we don't want to be made fools of with budget cuts that destroy what we care about…"

No matter where you live, it is not too late to become involved. Groups of various sizes are forming around specific issues and coming together on both sides of the Red River. Individuals realize that by uniting they will have a broader base of support for their issue(s). They understand the likelihood of being heard will be greater. The broader the base of support, the more successful they will be in getting their message across. Groups are speaking up and out on issues that may, are or will be impacting their lives.

What began as a small group of women coming together in Moorhead, in order to fight a proposed 30 percent cut in Minnesota's AFDC program in 1986, has, over the past 17 years, evolved into a formidable force to be reckoned with. In 1986, the initial group of women received technical support from the Women's Network of the Red River Valley. This group organized others throughout the community and was successful in preventing the proposed 30 percent cut in Minnesota's AFDC program. After that success, the women applied for and received a $10,000 grant from the Minnesota Women's Fund, formed a board and began publishing a newsletter. From this group of women, came the organization we know as the People Escaping Poverty Project (PEPP). PEPP obtained its' "501(c) (3)," Non-Profit status in 1990.

PEPP became concerned about the negative impact cuts in AFDC, MA and other programs would have upon those who were members of PEPP, as well as others. PEPP members became aware of several local issues that were impacting their group. Under the patient, consistent and visionary leadership of Executive Director, Duke Schempp, PEPP began to organize on a number of significant issues at both the local and state levels.

PEPP's original mission focused on developing a strong and unified voice to gain economic justice for all [people] by educating, organizing, empowering and advocating on behalf of people with low incomes. This part of the organization's mission remains intact and unchanged, today.

Although maintaining a relatively low profile, PEPP has gained support from the Moorhead State University Social Work Department, as well as other non-profits in the area. As PEPP continues to grow, the focus of the group is both changing and broadening

During the past several years, PEPP has become concerned about the lack of affordable housing in Moorhead and has been instrumental in moving Moorhead forward toward dealing with the issues of affordable housing and Human Rights agendas and local government accountability in all these areas.

Anti-Racism education, Organizing and Grass roots leadership development are three other areas that PEPP has established as priorities. PEPP, in collaboration with other area organizations, was instrumental in bringing the Minnesota Advisory Committee of the U. S. Commission on Civil Rights concerning The Status of Equal Opportunity for Minorities in Moorhead, Minnesota.

PEPP has successfully undertaken the monumental task of being a "watchdog," ensuring that the City of Moorhead is not only accountable for the use of Federal program dollars from Community Development Block Grants, but that the City uses these dollars appropriately. Local issues included those relating to minority ethnic groups, housing for fixed income and low-income families and City use of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Funds. PEPP was successful in convincing the City of Moorhead to purchase 15 homes with the 2.1 million dollars the city wanted to send back to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

PEPP's other local successes include winning demands of public housing tenants for a better security system, convincing the city of Moorhead to invest in park programming to improve the conditions in a neighborhood of primarily low-income families and influencing the direction of welfare reform and human service funding in both Minnesota and North Dakota.

PEPP has made its presence known and felt at public hearings, attending and speaking out on pertinent issues at City Council Meetings, writing and contacting local and County government officials. On occasion, PEPP became an unwelcome thorn in the side of the City Council and former Mayor, Morrie Lanning.

When Morrie Lanning announced that he would not seek re-election as Moorhead's Mayor, a period of transition began. With the election of Mark Voxland as Mayor, those in City Government found it would take some time to become comfortable and acclimated to their new roles. PEPP used the opportunity to re-establish and create new lines of communication with those who were/are responsible for planning and carrying out programs affecting PEPP members as well as other area non-profits.

Over the years, PEPP has developed working

relationships with a number of area organizations on several issues of common interest. Each organization had its' own agenda, and in past years, found they were having difficulty making headway in successfully advancing their causes. During numerous discussions, individuals from a number of local and regional non-profits became aware that there would be more chance of successfully advancing their causes if they could find and agree on common goals.

Early in 2002, under PEPP's leadership and guidance, a series of meetings were held to get ideas and discuss what the participants felt were important to the success of their community. To the delight of the participants, it was found that they all had similar visions. More importantly, they found there could be agreement on a number of basic visions. Participants included representatives of many local and area non-profits, as well as concerned, individual citizens. Beginning with the four major areas addressed by the Minnesota Advisory Committee of the U. S. Commission on Civil Rights concerning The Status of Equal Opportunity for Minorities in Moorhead, Minnesota, the participants began to see themselves coming together and collaborating in the interest of a common goal: the realization of their basic visions for the communities they serve and live in. The four areas covered by the study were Education, Housing and Public Safety, Income and Employment and Recreation and Sports.

It made sense to indicate that the group was Uniting For Equality, a Collaborative Project of Fargo-Moorhead Based Organizations. The basic visions evolved into what have become known as Core Community Values. Uniting For Equality sponsored/co-sponsored several Candidate Forums before the November 2002 elections. After the elections, Uniting For Equality held a Legislative Luncheon. As a part of that luncheon, the candidates were informed of and presented with the Core Community Values, commissioned by UFE and presented with certificates of commission.

To date, the Uniting For Equality Collaborative Members include: The YWCA of Fargo-Moorhead, Freedom Resource Center for Independent Living, Inc., Dorothy Day House of Hospitality, Minnkota Health Project, Minnkota Center, F-M Area Coalition for Homeless Persons, Women's Network of the Red River Valley, Pride Collective and Community Center, The Moorhead Justice Circle, The MSUM Social Work Department, The People Escaping Poverty Project (PEPP), The Great Plains Food Bank, The Trinity Lutheran Church Social Concerns Committee, Creative Care for Reaching Independence (CCRI), Presbyterian Women of the First Presbyterian Church of Moorhead and Individual Members.

As a collaborative, Uniting For Equality (UFE), Collaborative will have a more far reaching and positive impact on those in government than any individual organization could hope to have. With this broader base of support, Uniting For Equality is building on momentum created by its members. The power to bring about change is directly proportional to the base of power from which we operate. The broader the base of power, the greater the likelihood of success, when working to bring about positive change. Uniting For Equality welcomes inquiries of other area organizations, as well as new members.

The climate in the Cities of Fargo and Moorhead is changing. The Uniting For Equality Collaborative would not have been possible two years ago. More organizations are finding they can support what has come to be known as Uniting For Equality's Core Community Values. Agreement on these Core Community Values continues to bring more organizations together under UFE’s umbrella.

The word is spreading. Concerned individuals in North Dakota are talking about issues that matter to them. This is where the action is. History is in the making. Groups of citizens are coming together, standing up and speaking out on issues of importance to our area. Will you join with us?

For more information on Uniting For Equality, please feel free to visit their web site at www.pepp.org or call PEPP at 218-236-5434.

Friday Evening

6:00- 9:00P. M. in the Christian Life Center

Plenary Session: overview of work, relationships and accomplishments, to date

Saturday, April 5, 2003

For more information on Uniting For Equality, please feel free to visit their web site at www.pepp.org or call PEPP at 218-236-5434.