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Tri-State Unity Coalition
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| Tri-State Unity Coalition (TSUC) is a non- political, non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to celebrating diversity, promoting human rights, creating a moral barrier to hate, and enhancing community harmony in Pike (PA), Orange (NY) and Sussex (NJ) counties. | ||
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News Releases |
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| 5/3/08 Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission Meets in Pike County The civil rights enforcement agency in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (PHRC). Their mission is to administer and enforce the PA Human Relations Act and PA Fair Educational Opportunities Act, which strive to eliminate discrimination and provide equal opportunity for all persons. Notice is hereby given that the PHRC has scheduled its monthly Commission meeting for Monday, May 19, 2008 at the Hotel Fauchere, 401 Broad Street, Milford, PA 18337. The Commission will convene the public session of its monthly meeting at 1:00 p.m. Prior to the convening of the public session, the Commission is scheduled to meet in Executive Session (not open to the public) to discuss monthly investigative case compliance activity, engage in case deliberations and to discuss other matters permitted to be discussed in Executive Session under the Commonwealths Sunshine Act. PHRC encourages individuals with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing special accommodations or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact Martin Kearney at 717-787-9025 or at mkearney@state.pa.us. Meeting Invitation |
| 2/14/08 Political Committees in Pike County Unite to Promote Unity in the Community It's a presidential election year and it seems like all that people have been talking about for many months is politics. Sometimes it seems as if there are many more differences than similarities between the political parties both on the national and local levels. Yet, because we are all human beings, we are not that different from one another and it's fundamentally important for us to first understand and respect each other as people before we can have meaningful dialog about our own political views. Unfortunately, there have been several recent incidents of hate and discrimination in our county. Hate graffiti was found along Route 739 near the school and a local community. There were also two incidences related to racism form our past elections in Pike County and a discriminatory email joke was recently sent out in our community. These and other incidences of bias are a concern for all of us regardless of our political affiliations such that both the Pike County Democratic and Republican Committees have joined together to promote unity and harmony in our community. Both political committees along with several local organizations are hosting a forum on discrimination in Pike County. The forum will also focus on gang activity since there are hate-based gangs and the issues relate in many ways. The forum will be held on Saturday, March 1st from 10am to 2pm at the Pocono Environmental Education Center (PEEC) located in Dingmans Ferry off Route 209. The forum is open to the public and refreshments will be provided. The other sponsors of the forum include Tri-State Unity Coalition, Unity Coalition of the Poconos, Monroe County Advisory Council for the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, and Safe Have Inc., of Pike County. Speakers include representatives from these organizations. The Rallying Youth Organized Together Against Rape (RYOT) from Safe Haven will put on a socio-drama. Also speaking will be Michael Leonard Sr., a criminal justice consultant and gang expert (www.gangsrreal.com) and Dr. Letitia Lladoc, a multicultural instructor and educator. As communities become more aware of bias and gang activity, they are more empowered to address it. Please attend the forum to learn how you can help protect and take back your community. For more information, contact the Tri-State Unity Coalition at 570-686-5555 or www.tristateunity.org and tristateunity@gmail.com. |
| 2/1/08 Forum on Discrimination and Gang Activity in Pike County Northeast Pennsylvania is perhaps one of the most beautiful and peaceful places in the entire country. It's easy to understand why so many people come here to visit or live. The population in Monroe County has increased 19.5% since 2000 and is 165,685 based on U.S. Census estimates in 2006. Pike County is the fastest growing county in the state and ranks 92nd in percent growth in the country. The population in Pike County has increased 25.7% since 2000 and is 58,195. Unfortunately, as with any community, some people disturb the beauty and peace that surrounds us. The rapid growth of our region affords many challenges including those related to discrimination and gang activity. The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (PHRC) annual report for 2006-07 was just published and there were a total of 19 and 8 bias incidences reported for Monroe and Pike Counties, respectively. This was equal to or the highest number of incidence reported annually for these counties. The bias incidents are those that have caused tension in the community. The PHRC is mandated to enforce the Commonwealth's laws that prohibit discrimination and their jurisdiction covers employment, housing, and commercial real estate, public accommodations, education, refusal or willingness to participate in abortion procedures, and monitoring racial tension situations. The number of discrimination cases docketed also includes those that are not known to the public and are reported separately. In Monroe and Pike Counties respectively, there were a total of 27 and 10 cases docketed for 2006-07. The Tri-State Unity Coalition also monitors bias incidents in Pike County. They are a local non-profit and volunteer organization that promotes community harmony and address diversity issues. They report a total of 44 incidents in Pike County since their organization was formed in 2000 and 12 of these incidences were from 2007. All of these figures are useful for trend analysis and community awareness but they are very under represented since only a fraction of the incidences are actually reported. Gang activity is also increasing in our region. There have been a few featured articles in the news about incidences in Monroe County. Gang-related graffiti was also found at a public place in Matamoras (Pike) has been known to occur there for at least a few years. Gangs are a business and like any business they are looking to expand their territory to increase their profit and bottom line. Their business is criminal activity such as drugs, prostitution and robbery. Hate based gangs also exist and they are in the business of prompting their hate message using criminal activity to fund their "promotional campaigns". Gangs are looking to recruit more members and they are targeting our youth. Hate and gangs look for communities that think they don't happen there. They also flourish in communities that are not prepared or organized to deal with them. The rapid growth of our region makes us a prime area for such activities. Furthermore, the limited police and other resources in our region hamper our ability to address and combat these problems. How can we as a community and as individuals address these issues? Several local community organizations and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission are hosting a forum to address discrimination and gang activity in Pike County. The Forum will be open to the public and is on Saturday, March 1st from 10am to 2pm at the Pocono Environmental Education Center (PEEC) located in Dingmans Ferry off Route 209 (signs between mile markers 8 and 9). Refreshments will be provided. Speakers include representatives from the Tri-State Unity Coalition, Unity Coalition of the Poconos and Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission. The Rallying Youth Organized Together Against Rape (RYOT) from Safe Haven will put on a socio-drama. Also speaking will be Michael Leonard Sr., a criminal justice consultant and gang expert (www.gangsrreal.com) and Dr. Letitia Lladoc, a multicultural instructor and educator. As communities become more aware of bias and gang activity they are more empowered to address it. Please attend the forum to learn how you can help protect and take back your community. For more information, contact the Tri-State Unity Coalition at 570-686-5555 or www.tristateunity.org and tristateunity@gmail.com. |
| 1/4/08 High School Students: Can You Hear Dr. King's Voice? The Pike County Public Library, Safe Haven, Inc. of Pike County & Tri-State Unity Coalition are holding an essay contest for high school students that live in Pike County or from any high school that supports Pike County - Delaware Valley High School, East Stroudsburg High School North and Wallenpaupack Area High School. The theme is Dr. King's Voice in My Community, Home and/or School. The essay must have a title, be 450 to 550 words and include one or both of the following quotes from Dr. King: (a) "In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." or (b) "Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars…Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that." The goal is to encourage students to read and research Dr. King's life, accomplishments and visions to broaden young people's perception of their world. Essays will be judged anonymously in two categories: Grade 9-10 and Grade 11-12. A cash prize of $100 and $50 will be awarded for the top two entries in each of the two categories. Essays with the official application are due on January 26th. The official contest rules and entry form are posted at www.tristateunity.org. |
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WINNERS |
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~ Click Name to Read Essay ~ Grades 9-10: SECOND $50 - Tenisha Person, ESNHS THIRD $25 - Daniella Haigler, DVHS THIRD $25 - Jessica Prickett, WAHS The winners and school officials were notified on Feburary 29th. All entries were judged as one group and then ranked. The judges had a very hard time since the essays were very well done. The judges also commented that the student's perspectives were very encouraging! Our judges were as follows: Irene Prokop, the Editor-in-Chief of Milford Magazine, Dr. Julie Weber, an educator and been an advocate for civil rights for more than 40 years, and Maxwell Kofi Donker, an African artist, drummer and diversity advocate from New York City (www.bak2roots.com). |
| 12/6/07 “What a Conundrum… " Letter to the Editor: “What a Conundrum… It was a terrible nightmare, the most horrible one you could imagine”, is how the email started. As I read on, I became sad, angry and scared. It was a very offensive and hurtful joke that ridiculed people based on their ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, etc. We all get spam and those emails from around the world but this was one from someone in my own town! We all have the right to freedom of speech and can express our opinions. Every individual is certainly entitled to agree with the context of the joke and I assume many people did because it’s been widely distributed thus far. I found the joke to be anti-American, hateful and discriminatory. America is a place where all peoples are created equal. Instead of ridiculing people for their differences, we should understand one another and show tolerance. I strongly support our freedom of speech, but with our freedoms come responsibilities. Hate speech is intimidation and can also lead to violence. As Elie Wiesel said, “To remain silent and indifferent is the greatest sin of all.” In deed, silence is the welcome mat for hate in our community because it’s an affirmation of that message by everyone including the offenders and the victims. So, please join me in saying “Not around me” and hit the delete key if you get that hateful email or another one like it. Someday the joke may be on you. Robert Veneziale, Ph.D. Board of Director, Tri-State Unity Coalition If space permits, please also consider including this appropriate poem by Reverend Martin Niemoller (1892–1984): When the Nazis came for the communists, I remained silent; I was not a communist. When they locked up the social democrats, I remained silent; I was not a social democrat. When they came for the trade unionists, I did not speak out; I was not a trade unionist. When they came for the Jews, I remained silent; I wasn't a Jew. When they came for me, there was no one left to speak out. |
| 10/26/06 Three Pike Residents on Regional Advisory Council to Improve Opportunities for Minorities Minorities face many challenges for equal access to opportunities and services such as employment and housing. The rapid growth and changing demographics of the Pocono Region has further exasperated these challenges. The civil rights enforcement agency in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (PHRC). Their mission is to administer and enforce the PA Human Relations Act and PA Fair Educational Opportunities Act, which strive to eliminate discrimination and provide equal opportunity for all persons. The PHRC formed the Monroe County Advisory Council to better serve the Pocono Region and assist them in ascertaining and improving opportunities in employment, housing, public accommodations and education. The Monroe County Advisory Council, sworn in by the PHRC on October 23rd, is the seventh council in the Commonwealth, and was the first council formed in the past 20 years. The other councils are in Blair, Centre, Johnstown, Montgomery, Northampton and York counties. The Monroe County Advisory Council consists of 16 members throughout Monroe and 3 members from Pike. The Pike County members of the Council are Perry Gower, Cindy Stine and Robert Veneziale. Perry Gower and Robert Veneziale are from the Tri-State Unity Coalition which celebrates diversity and enhances community harmony. Mr. Gower is also a founding member and director of the Pocono Action Lambda Society (PALS) and a director of Rainbow Youth NEPA. These organizations provide support for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community in our region. Dr. Veneziale is also a board member of the Pike United Way and oversees the county Information and Referral System. Ms. Stine is an educational outreach coordinator/child advocate with Survivors' Resources, a domestic violence and sexual assault crisis center. She is also a facilitator for the teen support group, RYOT against Rape (Rallying Youths Organizers), which focuses on prevention and awareness of social problems such as dating violence, diversity, and sexual abuse. "Pike and Monroe Counties share a border, school district, various social services and face many of the same issues," says Perry Gower, "The Advisory Council will be the eyes and ears in our region for the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission and improve compliance with the PA Human Relations Act". Meetings of the Tri-State Unity Coalition are a forum to learn more about the PA Human Relations Act and also to address diversity issues in the community. They will hold the next public meeting on Thursday, November 9th at 6 PM in the Dingman Township Branch of the Pike County Public Library. Normally, public meetings are held the second Wednesday of the month. For more information, call 570-686-5555 or visit http://www.tristateunity.org. If you feel that you have been the victim of discrimination and want to file a complaint with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, contact their regional office serving Monroe and Pike Counties at the Riverfront Office Center, 1101-1125 S. Front Street, 5th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17104-2515, Voice: (717) 787-9784 / Text Telephone (TT/TTY): (717) 787-7279. Visit the PHRC website at http://sites.state.pa.us/PA_Exec/PHRC for more information. |