Archives West Finding Aid

The records of the Whatcom Human Rights Task Force document the formation and activities of a community-based organization in Whatcom County, Washington. The collection spans the years 1994 to 2005, and contains administrative and financial records, materials documenting activities and events, newsletters, clippings, and other reference materials.

Administrative records date from 1994 to 2005, and document the early history of the Whatcom Human Rights Task Force (WHRTF). They include resolutions regarding the WHRTF's formation, as well as interviews with founding members. The records also contain copies of the organization’s mission statement, bylaws, meeting minutes, and correspondence, which document the group's stance and involvement on various human rights-related issues.

Financial records comprise budget information from 1996 to 2003, and a 2003 annual report. They also contain materials documenting WHRTF activities and events that occurred between 1995 and 2005. Many of these records document preparations and proceedings for the annual Awards Banquet and the Martin Luther King Jr. Conference, including the process of selecting speakers and award recipients, and financial planning. Financial records also document the regional “Not In Our Town” campaign opposing racism and hate crimes in Bellingham, migrant worker appreciation celebrations throughout Whatcom County, and planning and publicity materials for the WHRTF’s monthly film series.

WHRTF newsletters date from 1997 to 2008, and include a small number of newsletters from the Northwest Coalition Against Malicious Harassment as well as booklets produced by the Northwest Coalition for Human Dignity.

Reference materials and newspaper clippings include a “militia watch” clippings file that details the arrest and prosecution of several militant cells in the Pacific Northwest. Reference materials also include newspaper clippings relating to the WHRTF, pamphlets and publicity materials, and papers written by Western Washington University students about the WHRTF.

The collection also contains a small selection of oversize events posters and display boards containing newspaper clippings and photographs.