Local human rights awards given

The Bloomington Human Rights Commission presented their seventh-annual Human Rights Awards at the Bloomington Common Council meeting Wednesday.\nTwo recipients were chosen -- the late Frank McCloskey and the Bloomington Bill of Rights Defense Committee.\n"We wanted to recognize (them) in someway," said Bloomington Human Rights Commission director Barbara E. McKinney. "They have done so much for the community."\nMcCloskey was the mayor of Bloomington from 1972 to 1982. He also served as a congressman from the eighth district from 1983 to 1995. \n"(We gave him the award) because he embodied the essence of humanity," said Carolyn Calloway-Thomas, an assistant professor of communication and culture at IU and chair of the Human Rights Commission. "He enacted the first human rights ordinance for Bloomington. He made a serious effort to hire women and minorities. He had one of the strongest civil rights and equal opportunity records. He was also one of the first voices in Congress to speak out against genocide in Bosnia, and for peace in the Balkans."\nThe Bloomington Bill of Rights Defense Committee also received an award for their work on ensuring that the USA Patriot Act does not infringe upon individual rights. The group worked with the city council of Bloomington to pass Resolution 03-10, which urges both private citizens and the government to consider the possible dangers to individual rights contained in the USA Patriot Act. The city council passed the resolution June 25, 2003.\n"They are a successful bunch of citizens," McKinney said.\nCalloway-Thomas and the Human Rights Commission was impressed by how hard the Bill of Rights Defense Committee fought.\n"They fought tenaciously for individual freedoms that have been threatened by the Patriot Act," she said. "They helped to produce vigor in the community and freedom in the mind. The are aware of how precious our freedoms are."\nCalloway-Thomas presented the awards to Roberta McCloskey, Frank McCloskey's widow, and representatives of the Bloomington Bill of Rights Defense Committee.\n"It was lovely. It was an interesting evening, with the mayor also making a statement about gay marriage," McKinney said. "It was a human rights night."\nMore information about the Bill of Rights Committee can be found at the national Web site, www.bordc.org.