Area human rights groups will focus on increasing collaborative efforts before any official discussions of merging the groups begin.
Members of the Moorhead Human Rights Commission met with the Fargo Human Relations Commission on Thursday to discuss the future of the Moorhead group, which some members say is struggling.
The Fargo commission said it would prefer to attempt more collaboration with Moorhead, instead of jumping right into merger talks.
"Until we have equal playing fields, it's going to be difficult to have a shared body," said Prairie Rose, chairwoman of the Fargo commission.
At an April 25 meeting, the Moorhead commission raised concerns about a growing number of board vacancies and a lack of financial support from the city.
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"The amount of funds we received has been reduced," said Moorhead member Brian Arrett. "Staffing has been tenuous at best. Maybe eliminated is a better way to put it. The support seems to have been diminished in the last few years."
For several years, the Moorhead commission has tried to secure a staff person without success. The City of Fargo employs Nate Bailly to spend half his time with Fargo's human rights group. He is also a community development planner for the city.
"It would take a lot technically and logistically to make (a merger) happen," Bailly said. "We wouldn't want that to hamper us."
Instead, working in conjunction on events such as Fargo's "Know Your Rights" campaign and Moorhead-sponsored Pangea, an annual multicultural event, might be advisable, Bailly suggested.
Members of both human rights groups agreed that testing the waters of collaboration would be a logical first step before serious thought is given to merging.
As Moorhead member Phyllis Emmell put it, "we should date awhile before we get married."
Readers can reach Forum reporter Kim Winnegge at (701) 241-5524
