Celebrating Human Rights

By: David Yancey, FA, AFT 6157 President

On February 29, 2008 Santa Clara County’s Human Rights Commission celebrated its 36^th Annual Awards Breakfast. The event offers recognition of the efforts of community groups, private citizens and student organizations in advancing the cause of human rights, tolerance and bridging divisions that still separate us from each other. This year was an especially significant and important year.

First off, this event is sponsored by the Commission where Richard Hobbs, our Board of Trustee member is in charge of the Commission. We frequently ask for help and assistance from our Board of Trustee members and what better way to show our appreciation then to attend events that are important to them?

The second important reason for attending this event was that one of the award winners was our very own colleague and Council of Division Representatives member: Paul Fong, EVC Political Science/History. The Union already has endorsed Paul Fong in his race for Assembly District 22, and it was a great honor to be at an event that also recognized his contributions.

FA, AFT 6157 /Academic Senate/Student Leadership-In Attendance

Your faculty association has been attending this annual event as invited guests of the Chancellor Rosa Perez, who sponsors a district table, for the last two years. This year we took the next step and reserved a table specifically from the FA, AFT 6157. Several members of the Executive

So attending this Human Rights celebration is just one of the ways we are trying to change the culture in this district and make our collective lives better. Our attendance raises the awareness of our union and establishes the recognition of our union as a full participant, in the larger community where we all live and work. It also furthers the recognition that your FA is an important component of the district not just as those folks across the table at negotiations time.

I am convinced that our efforts in these endeavors have strengthened our position and influence in our district but is also key in developing the cooperative and productive relationship with our college’s and district’s leadership structure that reduces confrontations, builds trust, and furthers our shared values of fairness, tolerance and social justice.

Let me close by saying that everything we do as your union leadership is in an effort to advance not only the needs and interests of our faculty, but also to contribute in a positive way to the health and happiness of the district in which we all work and to hopefully further well being of our community at large.

By working together we can make a difference.