To the editor:

According to Sec. 3.03 of the city code, the New Ulm Human Rights Commission (HRC) was established to ensure compliance with state nondiscrimination statutes, to educate the public on human rights issues, and to improve human relations in the city.

The members of the HRC should be given credit for the time and effort they contribute. However, the HRC, on balance, has not lived up to its potential as a force for improving human relations in the city.

Why is that? I would like to suggest five possible reasons.

First, the city has not clearly defined the boundaries of the term “human rights.” In state law that term encompasses a few specific areas if civil life; in international law it includes more; and political activists, in their use of the term, include an even wider range of human needs and conditions. The definition matters because it delineates the sphere of the HRC’s activities and concerns.

Second, as a starting point for improving human relations, the HRC needs to recognize that there are a variety of worldviews among the people of the city. They need to acknowledge and accept the legitimacy of all of them — both by their words and by their actions.

Third, to improve human relations, the HRC needs to set appropriate goals. Instead of developing programs that champion and promote one worldview over the others, they should develop programs that encourage mutual understanding and tolerance between the adherents of the various worldviews.

Fourth, the HRC needs to adopt a stance of impartiality when it comes to the various worldviews of the people of New Ulm. When it comes to issues on which there is disagreement between the worldviews, the HRC should not advocate for one worldview, but should maintain strict neutrality.

Finally, to become more effective in improving human relations in New Ulm, the HRC should have a balanced membership; the commission should consist of a balanced representation of the worldviews found in the city. As it currently stands, only one worldview is represented.

The mayor and the city council have the authority to address these issues and make the HRC what it can and should be. I am hoping that they will.

Michael Thom

New Ulm