Pain of Discrimination Stirs Empathy by Mary Stamp Another Bachelor’S and Two Mas- When Shahrokh Nikfar Came Ter’S Degrees in Business
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STORIES INSIDE Bishop reflects on national role - p. 3 Colleagues bring worship adventures - p. 7 Church supports AIDS project in Kenya - p. 8 Idaho women feed January 2008 [email protected] Micah 4:4 www.thefigtree.org - p. 12 Volume 25, Number 1 Ugandan children (509) 535-1813 • 323-4037 Monthly newspaper covering faith in action throughout the Inland Northwest Pain of discrimination stirs empathy By Mary Stamp another bachelor’s and two mas- When Shahrokh Nikfar came ter’s degrees in business. to the United States at the age of He worked in corporate manage- 16, images he saw in Hollywood ment for a medical software com- movies meant he expected to see pany, the World Trade Center in cowboys with guns and trucks. Tacoma, a corporation in Southern Because he went to Texas to at- California and a consulting firm. tend high school, his expectation “I was not happy working for was confirmed, but he found it was corporations. I was bothered by not true everywhere. the corporate culture,” Shahrokh Since then he has experienced said. “The corporate world does how media shape prejudices di- not care about human beings. It’s rected at others and him. about profit and productivity. I was His parents wanted him to study at odds with it.” abroad to expand his understand- Six years ago, he decided to ing. He went earlier than expected, volunteer. Elected to the Spokane because the revolution started in Human Rights Commission, he Iran and they thought he would be learned of fair housing law, civil safer in the United States. rights and nonprofits. “At first, I was popular at school. Then he discovered the North- Girls thought I was cute. I had west Fair Housing Alliance, where many friends. When the hostage he now works. The alliance seeks crisis started, media demonized to end housing discrimination Iranians,” he said. “Those who had based on religion, nationality, loved me soon hated me.” gender, disability, race, color, fa- One day he missed the bus and milial status, sexual orientation and walked to school. Students passing marital status. him in a car spat on him, swearing “I had experienced discrimina- at him for being Iranian. He walked tion when I tried to rent an apart- half an hour with a caravan of cars ment on the South Hill when I was yelling at and spitting on him. a college student. I went to a new After high school, he came to complex with a banner announc- Spokane, where his sister was a ing specials for one-, two- and doctor at the Veterans Hospital, three-bedroom apartments. It said, earned a bachelor’s degree Gon- ‘Come on in,’ so I went in. zaga University, and then earned Shahrokh Nikfar informs KYRS audience of “The Persian Hour” about his homeland. Continued on page 4 Through Permanent Supportive Housing For Martin Luther King, Jr., commemoration VOA provides rent, support services Rabbi and bishop speak to house disabled and homeless people on ‘Stand up! Speak out!’ Rabbi Jack Isaacson of Temple Beth Shalom, Bishop Wil- Because of support services VOA leases apartments from ment. Of their clients from 18 to liam Skylstad of the Catholic Diocese of Spokane, and the Volunteers of America (VOA) private owners, rather than buying 73 years old, 51 percent are men Rev. Ezra Kinlow of Holy Temple Church of God in Christ provides in its Permanent Sup- housing, with Housing and Urban and 49 percent women. will be among the speakers addressing the theme, “Silence portive Housing Program, Dale Development (HUD) funds. “The people need encourage- Is Deafening: Stand Up and Speak Out,” at the 2008 Martin Briese finds landlords responsive At first landlords were leery, ment and resources,” Dale said. Luther King Day Commemoration. to renting one-bedroom apart- concerned about potential damag- “There is much paperwork to fill The 2008 featured speaker is Constance Rice, wife of Se- ments to chronically homeless es, but VOA contracts with them out for employment, mental health attle’s first African-American mayor Norman Rice. She has and disabled people through the guarantee that VOA is responsible and government assistance. Often been an influential woman in Seattle, continuing to be a leader program he manages. for any damage done by tenants. it’s overwhelming and the people in bringing families together for nutritious meals, in promoting Since January 2007 they added Case workers visit once a week give up. global peace and in challenging media bias. 31 units to the six they had. Most and do a monthly inspection of “We nurture them through the The service of commemoration will be held at 4 p.m., Sun- are in five apartment complexes. apartments. system,” said Dale, who had done day, Jan. 20, at Holy Temple Church of God in Christ, 806 W. “We are a housing-first model. As case managers, he and Mary social work for 20 years, first in Indiana. Youth and community choirs will provide music. That means we move people into Tracey, who has been with the bereavement with the Spokane The annual Martin Luther King, Jr., Day Rally and March housing before we help them find program four months, deal with AIDS Network and in health begins at 10 a.m., Monday, Jan. 21, at the INB Performing work,” said Dale, who has been issues that lead a person to be education with corrections facili- Arts Center (Opera House) and proceeds to Riverpark Square with VOA six months, noting homeless—chemical dependence, ties through the Regional Health for more celebration and a community resource fair. that housing-first has been VOA’s mental health problems, disabil- District and Community Mental Members from Salem Lutheran Church in West Central model for a long time. ity, transportation or unemploy- Health. Spokane, Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Browns Addition Growing up in Post Falls, and Westminster Congregational United Church of Christ church had an impact on his downtown will walk from their church buildings and join in The Fig Tree Non-Profit desire to give back to the com- the march and rally at the Opera House. 1323 S. Perry St. Organization munity and promote community U.S. POSTAGE “We are inviting other congregations—Quakers, United Spokane, WA 99202-3571 health. In 1983, he completed Methodists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Catholics, Disci- PAID a degree in social work at North SPOKANE WA ples—people in all churches—to join us to make this a grand DATE D MATERIALS Permit No. 1044 Idaho College. event,” said the Rev. Happy Watkins, who is co-chair of the He finds that some may resist planning committee with Ivan Bush, equity officer with Edu- moving from living in tents or on cational Service District #101. the streets, because living within For information, call 455-8722. Continued on page 6 Page 2 - The Fig Tree - January 2008 Religion News Briefs REGIONAL ECUMENICAL & INTE R FAITH NEWS Around the World Ecumenical News International, PO Box 2100 Coalition helps lead advocacy workshop CH - 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland Tel: +41-22 791 6111 The statewide Religious Co- stewardship, tax fairness, public The timing was set, said the Fax: +41-22 788 7244 Email: [email protected] alition for the Common Good safety and restorative justice, Rev. Nick Block of the Spokane (RCCG) and the Coalition for Pro- compassionate immigration re- Friends Church, to accommodate Iraq church has ‘new martyrs’ gressive Pastors plan a Legislative form, efforts to reduce poverty, inclusion of people from various Geneva (ENI). Christians are fleeing Iraq and Christianity Advocacy Event from 4 to 8:30 and affordable and accessible faith traditions. risks disappearing from the country, says a senior Baghdad p.m., Sunday, Jan. 13, at Spokane housing and health care. There will be a computer lab archbishop, reiterating appeals made recently to Western Friends, 1612 W. Dalke. After a 5:30 p.m. dinner with available so participants can send churches to intercede with their governments about the plight Alice Woldt of the RCCG and Interfaith Hospitality families email messages to representatives of the Iraqis. Paul Benz of the Lutheran Public staying at the church, participants and senators as the new state leg- “We have the courage of faith, the outpouring of love, but Policy Office will address RCCG will do local networking and dis- islative session begins. because of the war, we see death and destruction, the mani- priority issues: environmental cuss local issues. For information, call 844-5666. festation of evil. Our people are lacking hope, and so they are leaving,” said Archbishop Avak Asadourian of the Armenian Church of Iraq in an interview with Ecumenical News Inter- Sexual assault training set for Jan. 10 -11 national on Dec. 10 at the headquarters of the World Council Gonzaga University and East- tions by Sgt. Joanne Archambault, Sessions are from 7:30 a.m. to of Churches. ern Washington University are SATI training director; Jennifer 4:30 p.m., both days. He said the four years since the U.S.-led invasion had been presenting a Sexual Assault Train- Pearson Stapleton, director of Sexual Assault and Training “the most difficult by far” of his 28-year ministry in Iraq. ing and Investigations (SATI) the Spokane County Domestic Investigations, Inc., provides “Each day, young people face death and destruction, threat Conference Thursday and Friday, Violence Consortium until 2006, victim-centered, multidisciplinary of being kidnapped or facing the agony of having a loved one Jan. 10 and 11 at the Cataldo and Cindy North Jones, a Spokane training and consultation related kidnapped,” the prelate told worshippers. Hall Globe Room at Gonzaga County Sheriff’s Department to crimes of sexual assault.