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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-25-2021 Human Rights CommissionHuman Rights Commission May 25, 2021 Electronic Formal Meeting- 5:30 PM Zoom Meeting Platform Electronic Meeting (Pursuant to Iowa Code section 21.8) An electronic meeting is being held because a meeting in person is impossible or impractical due to concerns for the health and safety of commission members, staff and the public presented by COVID-19. You can participate in the meeting and can comment on an agenda item by going to https://zoom.us/webinar/reciister/WN Sv35qpjrTqeKllsnp7wB-Q via the internet to visit the Zoom meeting's registration page and submit the required information. Once approved, you will receive an email message with a link to join the meeting. If you are asked for a meeting ID or webinar ID, enter the ID number found in the email. A meeting password may also be included in the email. Enter the password when prompted. If you have no computer or smartphone, or a computer without a microphone, you may call in by telephone by dialing (312) 626-6799. When prompted, enter the meeting ID or webinar ID. The ID number for this meeting is: 941 8316 5236. Once connected, you may dial *9 to "raise your hand," letting the meeting host know you would like to speak. Providing comments in person is not an option. Agenda: 1. Call Meeting to Order and Roll Call 2. Approval of the April 27, 2021 meeting minutes 3. Public Comment of Items not on the Agenda. (Commentators shall address the Commission for no more than 5 minutes. Commissioners shall not engage in discussion with the public concerning said items) 4. Introduction of Monica Stone, Deputy Director for the Iowa Department of Human Rights 5. Funding Request: Coralville Pride Festival 6. Discussion on Including a Land Acknowledgement as a Part of HRC Meetings 7. Subcommittees: Housing, Anti -Racism, Health Equity 8. Proclamation for Pride Month (June 2021) 9. Proclamation for Juneteenth (June 19, 2021) 10.Commission Statement in Support of Black Lives Matter 11. Convention on the Rights of the Child PhotoVoice 12. Social Justice Racial Equity Grant Reports 13. Staff/Commission Announcements. (Commissioners shall not engage in discussion with one another concerning said announcements). 14. Adjournment. If you will need disability -related accommodations to participate in this meeting please contact the Equity Director, Stefanie Bowers, at 319-356-5022 or at stefanie-bowers(a�-iowa-city. org. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your access needs. l I AL mm CITY OF l0VVA CITY 410 Fast Wa hin ton Strect Iowa City{, lowa 52 240- 182 6 (3 [9) 3 5 6-5009 FAX www.icgov.org HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION MAY 25,2021 MEETING AGENDA ITEM #2 • DRAFT MINUTES OF 4/2712021 AGENDA ITEM #5 • FUNDING REQUEST CORALVILLE PRIDE AGENDA ITEM# 12 • SUDANESE COMMUNITY CENTER QUARTERLY REPORT Draft Minutes Human Rights Commission April 27, 2021 VIA Zoom Platform Commissioners present: Mark Pries, Jessica Andino, Ashley Lindley, Jason Glass, Bijou Maliabo, Adil Adams, Tony Siva nthaphanith, Roger Lusala. Commissioners not present: Noemi Ford. (Electronic Meeting Pursuant to Iowa Code section 21.8) An electronic meeting was held because a meeting in person was impossible or impractical due to concerns for the health and safety of commission members, staff and the public presented by COVID-19. Meeting called to order: 5:3213M. Approval of the minutes from the March 23, 2021 meeting: Pries moved; the motion was seconded by Lusala. Motion passes 8-0. Public comment of items not on the agenda: None. Introduction of Jane Wilch, Recycling Coordinator for the City of Iowa City: Jane oversees the Waste programs for the City and does outreach to the community on waste reduction and why it is important at the local level. Jane provided information on the downstream and upstream of a product and things a person should think about prior to purchasing a product, such as, whether it is locally made, has recyclable content, is totally recyclable, and whether the product is fair trade. Jane also noted that Rummage in the Ramp will not be held this year but that the City hopes to have alternative drop off sites for community members to leave items they no longer desire. Introduction of Sarah Gardner, Climate Action Engagement Specialist: Sarah reported on recent City initiatives that included over 800 energy efficient home boxes being passed out to residents. Sarah also spoke on electronic cars, and the Climate Ambassador Program, which is a deep dive into the City's Climate Action Plan where participants learn how to talk to colleagues, friends, and families on it. Sarah closed with a discussion on the "Root for Trees Program". This program provides vouchers that offer discounts on the price to purchase trees for residents who wish to plant them. Discussion on Including a Land Acknowledgment as part of HRC meetings: Ad Hoc Truth and Reconciliation Commissioner Rivera and Lindley are still working with representatives from the Meskwaki Nation to provide input on the acknowledgment. HRC Subcommittees: The Housing subcommittee plans to schedule a meeting with Neighborhood and Development Services Director Tracy Hightshoe to learn more about affordable housing in the area. The Health Equity subcommittee no report. Anti -Racism subcommittee plans to hold a film screening of "White Privilege 101: Getting in on the Conversation" on June 3. This is one of several initiatives to bring attention to implicit bias. Commission Statement in Support of Black Lives Matter: Pries sees this statement as a living document, and he has some suggestions for edits to the current document. Pries, Lusala, and Lindley will plan to meet prior to the next meeting to discuss a way to possible streamline the document with current programs, activities, and outreach of the Commission and bring back a proposed updated draft to be reviewed by the entire Commission. Iowa Department of Human Rights Invitation to the May Commission Meeting: Glass who previously served on the state Human Rights Board will invite Deputy Director, Monica Stone, to the Commission's May meeting to discuss the Department's current initiatives including but not limited to language access, talent bank, youth programs, and data/demographics. Social Justice and Racial Equity Grants: Successful Living (FY20 recipient) requested an extension on the grant through June 2022 due to the COVID pandemic. Pries moved and Maliabo seconded to grant the request. The motion passed 7-0. (Andino not present). AAPI Day Against Bullying and Hate (May 18, 2021): The Commission decided to present two proclamations for the Mayor's consideration for the May 4, 2021 City Council meeting. One for AAPI Day Against Bullying and Hate, and the other for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Motion by Lindley, seconded by Lusala. Motion passes 7-0. (Andino not present). Reports of Commissioners: Adams spoke on a recent murder in Iowa City where a young man has been accused of killing his friend, Lindley participated in a news story for KWWL on the increased discrimination and hate crimes committed against Asian Americans and has been admitted into the University of Iowa's Master's program for Social Work, Lusala has been out of the country and has only been back about two weeks and is still catching up on things, Maliabo participated in the rally to support Asian Americans that was held on the Ped Mall earlier in the month, Pries recently participated in a discussion on BIPOC mental health, and Glass was recently appointed as permanent faculty at the University of Iowa Tippie College of Business. Adjourned: 7:30 PM 00 N N N r--1 N O 00 N Q1 N 00 N N N M N N M N M N N N N N N N N N W w O O O O O O O O O N .,O PLO d OEM: Cover Letter (required reading) Thank you for your interest in seeking sponsorship from the Iowa City Human Rights Commission. The Commission provides funding to organizations and agencies to offset the costs of organizing, planning, and facilitating educational public forums or programs and activities that are designed toeliminate racial, religious, cultural, and other intergroup tensions, including but not limited to, sex, color, creed, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, age, and national origin. To process your request for sponsorship, we need you to take a few minutes to fill out this application form. Please note sponsorship requests are due by 5 p.m. on the second Monday of each month. The Iowa City Human Rights Commission will review the request at their monthly meeting and staff will contact you to let you know whether the request has been approved. If you are awarded funding, you will be required to submit a full (one page) summary of funding impact, including but not limited to, number of persons involved in your project, anecdotal stories to share with the team about the event, frequency of the event, and other essential information. If you have any questions about the application process, please do not hesitate to contact Equity Director Stefanie Bowers at 319-356-5022 or Stefanie-bowers@iowa-city.org. Please sign here to verify you have read the cover letter to this form.* Application Date * 5/15/2021 Group/Organizaton Name Reach Out Marketing, LLC Contact person Timothy Nedoba Phone number* 319-430-2545 Email * tim@romllc.us Date of activ ity/eve nt/prog ram 9/5/2021 If your event occurs on multiple dates, list here One day event Event location and address* Iowa River Landing Is the event wheelchair accessible?* r' Yes r No Is the event accessible to individuals with visual impairments?* r Yes r No Describe the activity/event/program and how it contributes to Human Rights. * Coralville Pride Festival is a new local event showcasing the growing diversity in our local communities and offering the LGBTQ+ community the opportunity to showcase our diversity. All are welcome. The event includes entertainment, vendors, food, beverages, and a whole lot more! This celebration isn't just for Coralville. It's for Iowa City, Tiffin, North Liberty, and all the surrounding towns and cities. This is also an opportunity to showcase to the rest of the state! Amount of funds requested. Attach an itemized budget (field below).* $ 1,000.00 Attach itemized budget.* Pride Honor Roll Class of 2021.docx 82.64KB List other funders below: This money will be used to present Pride Honor Roll plaques and recognition to all that have been honored since 2019. Has this organization applied for any other City of Iowa City funding for this activity/event/program? r Yes r- No If yes, what department were the funds requested through? This money will be used to purchase the award plaques it will also make Iowa City Human Rights Commission the official sponsor of the presentation and you will receive all the benefits. How much funding was requested? Was this request granted? r Yes r No Has the organization received any funding from the City of Iowa City in the last year?* r Yes r' No If yes, what department were the funds requested through? How much funding was requested? How will this activity/event/program be marketed? Currently we're advertising inside local busses. We're working hard to reach out to UI students faculty and staff. A June one press release will get the word out to local news organizations. Then on August 15 GoGuide Magazine will blanket the four -county region with collectors additions of the mag Will sponsors be mentioned and/or logos be used in the marketing of the activity/event/program? r' Yes r No Is the activity/event/program a fundraiser?* r' Yes r No If yes, explain:* We're raising money for UI Health Car LGBTQ Clinic Pride Honor Roll Class of 2021 Each Pride GoGuide Magazine honors individuals, groups, organizations, and events that have had a positive influence on the lives of LGBTQ+ Iowans. It's called Pride Honor Roll. It's a tradition that started in 2019 and continues today and hopefully for many years in the future. The class will be officially announced in our June 1 digital Pride issue. I will be contacting each of you soon to verify bios and obtain current pictures for the special issue. I also want you to save the date of Sunday, September 5th. This date is Coralville Pride Festival at Iowa River Landing. At the Pride Festival past and present honorees will be presented with a plaque and recognized in front of the Festival crowd. Here is the class of 2021: Liz Mathis State Senator Zach Wahls State Senator Troy Price Former Chair Iowa Democratic Party Current Vice -Chair Iowa Democratic Party -Stonewall Caucus John Lundell Coralville Mayor Janelle Rettig Former Johnson County Supervisor Elizabeth Tovar Executive Officer, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion University of Iowa Charles Swanson Executive Director Hancher Jan Jansen Associate Head Women's Basketball Coach University of Iowa Andrew Sherburne Executive Director and Co -Founder I FilmScene The Quire of Eastern Iowa From: badri kuku To: Stefanie Bowers Subject: Final report from Sudanese community center Date: Saturday, May 1, 2021 12:13:54 AM Attachments: We sent you safe versions of your files.mso Arabic Class.pdf Cetizinship Class.pdf Communication Class.pdf April reports associated with the SJRE grants for FY20 - Sheetl.pdf A Mimecast Attachment Protection has deemed this file to be safe, but always exercise caution when opening files. Date: 04/30/2021 From: Sudanese Community Center To: Stefanie Bowers Topic: Reports Associated with the SJRE Grants for FY20 Good morning Stefanie, The following is a second report from the Sudanese Community Center for the SJRE grants for FY20: 1. Arabic classes were successfully conducted, and it's as a primary program for our community. The amount of $ 3,000 that was received is whole spent accordingly as is shown on the attached file. 2. The Youth sport was divided into two terms. The report for the first term has been already submitted on December 01, 2020. However, we are also considering sport for youth in the Sudanese Community Center as a vital program. Everything went well and all the vouchers are explained as attached. We have an amount of $337.94 in our account as remains from the whole budget. 3. The Communication class is still going on among our community as a challenging program in order to improve their English language. So, we will continue this program for our community until they better their communication skills. We have a remain in our account an amount of $234-22. 4. A citizenship class is going very well. However, we have not spent any money for expenses and services, but we have already considered an amount of $220.00 as an incentive for the provider and we have the rest in account. 5. The Graduation will be conducted in mid of May, because we are waiting for students to graduate. Respectively Representative Badri Kuku Sudanese Community Center -Iowa 536 Southgate Avenue, Iowa City, IA 52240 Contacts Number: (319) 338-537 or (319) 855-9231 The following documents were handed out during the meeting. Continuing Affirmation of Black Lives Matter Iowa City Human Rights Commission The Iowa City Human Rights Commission stands in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. We are part of a society where the lives of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color continue to be affected by structural racism, lack of opportunity, health disparities, and direct violence by the police and others. American cities, including Iowa City, have for too long been complacent or complicit. The Iowa City Human Rights Commission hereby reaffirms its longstanding commitment, and pledges to more fully act in solidarity with all who are targets of this violence and inequity. The Iowa City Human Rights Commission recognizes the ongoing oppression occurring not just in police departments, but also eviction courts, legislatures, banks, academia, and hospitals. Additionally, this includes any space where Iowa City has been complacent about and complicit in the eradication of intellectual and cultural contributions by Black, Indigenous and People of Color, as well as women, and ignores the racism present in the contributions of white people and the sexism present in the works of males. We pledge the following actions to embody our affirmation that Black Lives Matter. Programs [these are generalities; could we provide specifics beyond what Stefanie is providing?] • We will continue to bring to light _the contributions of nonwhite, non -male, and non- Eurocentric people (or Black, Indigenous, and People of Color?) in our recommendations to the Iowa City City Council and support events dedicated to their recognition. • We will actively confront racism, sexism, or other forms of bias within the work of the commission or city of Iowa City by pursuing training to increase our awareness of our racism, sexism and bias. • We will support City departments' efforts focused on diversityquity, and inclusion. • We will plan and promote additional programming opportunitijfocused on understanding oppression and recognizing the contributions of people from underrepresented groups. City Council and City Administration: • In services, we will foster and amplify the contributions and perspectives of Black people and people of underrepresented groups and promote widespread discussion of issues or particular concernseeaeem. [What services are you talking about here? You mentioned being more inclusive in our programming and recommendations to City Council in other bullet points. I can't think of anv other services we provide, as technically the Department of Equity and Human Rights is the agency that accepts complaints of discrimination and harassment] The differential valuing of life, of achievement, of opportunity, and of intellectual and cultural contributions based on which racialized group one is thought to be a member of is manifestly unjust. It compels us to repeat, internalize, and act on the affirmation that Black lives matter. Black lives do matter, and our collective practices, discourses, policies, and laws must reflect this. Black lives matter for the same reason that everyone's life matters; yet we are compelled to affirm that Black lives matter precisely because institutions, practices, and behaviors have so long denied it. We are committed to continuously engaging the people of our community in dialogue and action to realize a world in which `Black lives matter" as a simple description of how we all live. Until that world is achieved, we stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.