Itt-Ott, 1992 (25. évfolyam, 1/119-3/121. szám)

1992 / 2. (120.) szám

ty-The workshop and its activities can be divided into two main parts: those which related directly to networking with organizational leaders in the Cleveland area, and those which imparted practical information to the participants in group discussions. The former included a catered meal Saturday evening to which many such leaders were invited. It also included a visit to the headquarters of the Croatian-American community of the Cleveland area.

The other part of the program included presentations and group discussions at John Carroll University. The workshop opened on Friday, May 29, with a keynote panel discussion. This program was open to the general public. It included three presentations on the contemporary state of the human rights struggle in East Central Europe. The panel was composed of both activists/policymakers and scholars. Professor Martha Pereszlényi Pinter of the host institution chaired this panel and introduced the speakers. The first was Elisabeth T. Dreyfuss, professor of the Cleveland Marshall College of Law, Cleveland State University, and a leader of Amnesty International. She outlined some major questions of human rights and the role of Amnesty International in defending these on an international and individual basis. She was followed by Professor Joseph Bombelles of John Carroll University, who focused his attention on the evolution of inter-ethnic relations and Croatia’s bid for independent statehood. Finally, László Hamos, of the Hungarian Human Rights Foundation, reflected on the fate of Hungarian minorities throughout the region, and how U.S. foreign policy has been rudderless in trying to address their concerns and issues of regional stability in East Central Europe. Lively discussion followed, including some people from the Cleveland community as well as the workshop participants.

These discussions set the stage for the following two days of confronting “how-to” problems, or the nutsand-bolts of the human rights struggle. These were led by Ildikó Bodoni, Kristóf Forrai, László Hamos, Bemard Handley, Janos Horvath, Karoly Jokay, Edith Lauer, Anras Ludanyi, Kay Randle Scrimger, Bernard Tamas, and Peter Ujvagi. The participants shared their know-how about minority policies, political behavior, interest group effectiveness, and the role of public relations in influencing policy-making. Ludanyi and Bodoni provided background information on the past and present status of Hungarian minorities throughout East Central Europe. Ludanyi provided the background and overview from 1918 to 1989, while Bodoni focused mainly on recent developments in the region, with particular attention to Ruthenia- Karpatalja. Hamos followed this with a very focused discussion of developments in Transylvania, and how these can be linked to Romania’s quest for a renewal of MFN status. Scrimger then outlined the basic traits of the American decision-making process, stressing the importance of identifying and influencing the “gate keepers.” Hanley and Bodoni devoted their attention to enlisting media support; Bodoni on preparing spokespersons for radio interviews, and Hanley on preparing effective press releases. Forrai shared with

the group the contacts and sources that can help them present informed and up-to-date briefs in the area of minority protection. Ujvagi and Horvath concentrated their attention on linking the human rights struggle to the campaigns of the present election year, when nation-wide and important state-wide elections are hanging fire. The importance of networking was driven home by both the Lauer and the Jokay presentations. Lauer discussed this mainly within the Hungarian- American context, while Jokay focused on how the message can be carried to religious, fraternal, cultural and other “mainstream” American organizations. Bernie Tamas also picked up on the need for organized efforts to influence public officials rather than ad hoc reactions. Phonathons and contact networks were discussed. In the morning session on Sunday two skits were organized on the effective and ineffective ways of contacting public officials. Participant volunteers effectively enacted these roles. Finally the participants learned how to write letters to their congressmen, to the “Letters to the Editor” section of their newspapers. They also learned about efforts to establish the Hungarian American Coalition, an umbrella organization for the more effective coordination of Hungarian American concerns in Washington, D.C., particularly as these relate to human rights struggles in East Central Europe. They all wrote letters to their Congressional representatives indicating their reservations about granting Rumania unqualified MFN status. Some of these were read. All participants promised to complete their letters at home, so that the letters would be ready for action whenever the HHRF requested that they be mailed.

The workshop also benefited from the presence of visitors who could be part of the group only for part of the weekend. A number of our supporters from Chicago and Cleveland visited with us, as did József Ormay, who has already written about his impressions of the workshop in Magyarság, the Hungarian-language newspaper published in Toronto (June 13, 1992).

The John Carroll workshop also had two unique experiences for the participants. One was the party made possible by Kori Smith, Martha Pereszlényi Pinter, and Edith Lauer in the faculty lounge of JCU on Saturday evening. Thus the workshop participants had the opportunity to get to know one-another socially. It was also an opportunity for political interaction with some leaders from both the Hungarian-American and Croatian-American communities of Cleveland. The evening was spent with the younger generation visiting a night spot on the East Side, while the instructional staff attempted to rest up for the next day’s activities.

The other novel experience was the conclusion to the workshop on Sunday afternoon with a visit to the Lakeside headquarters of the Croatian American community of Cleveland. The participants who visited the Croatian Center were able to get a glimpse of what makes the Croatians influential in spite of State Department foot dragging. Those who were there witnessed that we still have a long way to go. However, they have also become convinced that in the future we should maintain much closer contact with the credible

ITT-OTT 25. évi. (1992), 2. (120.) szám 7