HomeMy WebLinkAbout9 26 2023 HRC AgendaHuman Rights Commission
September 26, 2023
Regular Meeting – 5:30 PM
Emma J. Harvat Hall, City Hall
Agenda:
1. Call the meeting to order and roll call
2. Reading of Native American Land Acknowledgement
3. Approval of the August 22, 2023, meeting minutes
4. Public comment on 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 or one another concerning said items)
5. Correspondence
6. Updates on Outreach and Engagement by the Police Department
7. Racial Equity & Social Justice Grant
• Organizations & Commissioner list for Fiscal Year 2023
CommUnity & Al-Iman (Maliabo)
Center for Worker Justice (Kollasch)
Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County (Ismail)
Great Plains Action Society (Jons, Paul Shantz)
Wright House of Fashion (Lusala)
Natural Talent Music (Pandya)
• Informational Session for 2024 via Zoom
Wednesday, November 8, 6 -7:15 p.m.
Wednesday, November 15, 12-1:15 p.m.
8. Collaboration with Recreation Department on Upcoming Programs
• Indigenous Peoples Day, October 9 (Paul Shantz, Jons)
• Mental Health Celebration, October 14 (Maliabo, Pandya)
• All Around the World, November 18 (Lusala, Jons, Maliabo)
9. Commission Committees
• Building Bridges (Maliabo, Paul Shantz, Pandya)
• Reciprocal Relationships (Lusala, Channon, Jons)
• Breaking Bread (Kollasch, Pries, Ismail)
10. Human Rights Breakfast Ceremony
• Selections
• Introduction, Award Presentation, Closing
11. Staff Announcements
12. Commissioner Announcements (Commissioners shall not engage in discussion
with one another concerning said announcements)
13. Adjournment
Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all City of Iowa City-
sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable
accommodation in order to participate in these events, please contact the Office
of Equity and Human Rights at 319-356-5022 or humanrights@iowa-city.org.
Agenda Item #2
1
Draft Minutes
Human Rights Commission
August 22, 2023
Emma J. Harvat Hall
Commissioners present: Jahnavi Pandya, Doug Kollasch, Kelsey Paul Shantz, Sylvia Jons, Suyun Channon.
Commissioners absent: Bijou Maliabo, Ahmed Ismail, Roger Lusala.
Staff present: Stefanie Bowers.
Recommendation to City Council: No.
Meeting called to order: 5:32 PM.
Native American Land Acknowledgement: Paul Shantz read the Land Acknowledgement.
Approval of meeting minutes of June 27, 2023: Kollasch moved, and Paul Shantz seconded. Motion passed
5-0.
Sponsorship Request: The commission approved $250 to the Asian Pacific Islanders American Public Affair
(Iowa City Chapter) for Welcoming Week. Welcoming Week is a national event where organizations and
communities bring together neighbors of all backgrounds to build strong connections and affirm the
importance of welcoming and inclusive places in achieving collective prosperity. Motion by Kollasch,
seconded by Pries. Motion passed 5-0.
Request to change the name of the Native American Land Acknowledgement to the First Nations Land
Acknowledgement: Pries will send other commissioners more information as it relates to this request.
Pries would like the group to compare the commission’s Land Acknowledgement to that of the City
Council. Staff will send out the information on how to register for the upcoming seminar being presented
by Megan Red Shirt-Shaw.
Racial Equity and Social Justice Grant: Three final reports from the Center for Worker Justice of Eastern
Iowa, MDC Iowa, and IC Compassion were reviewed.
Grant informational sessions will be held on November 8 and 15. If commissioner’s schedules don’t work
for both dates, one option will be to hold only one session, record it and make it available to the
community.
November 8 – Kollasch and Paul Shantz (both tentative).
November 15 – Jons.
Agenda Item #3
2
Commissioners will continue to have conversations with their respective organization and arrange a time
to deliver the checks. Staff will assist in providing the checks. Jons will create a template that others can
use when having conversations with organizations.
Al-Iman Center (Maliabo), CommUnity (Maliabo), Center for Worker Justice (Kollasch), Houses into Homes
(Pries), Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County (Ismail), Great Plains Action Society (Jons, Paul Shantz),
Wright House of Fashion (Lusala), Natural Talent Music (Pandya).
Commission Committees:
Breaking Bread – working on a time to meet and discuss work plans.
Reciprocal Relationships – working on revising their goals as a committee.
Building Bridges – working on recommitting to their initiatives.
Partnerships with Recreation Department:
a.Mental Health Celebration – October 14, RAL Social Hall (Maliabo, Pandya) – Has not met.
b.Indigenous Peoples Day – October 9, RAL Social Hall (Paul Shantz, Jons) – Planning an event in
collaboration with Great Plains Action Society for October 9 at Terry Trueblood Lodge.
c.All Around the World – November 18, RAL Social Hall (Lusala, Maliabo, Jons) – Has been some
email correspondence that have initiated conversations.
Announcements of commissioners: Jons has been appointed to serve on the board of directors for the
Iowa City Foreign Relations Council (ICFRC). The ICFRC is dedicated to promoting understanding of
international issues through education, connection, and engagement. Paul Shantz gave updates on
the ongoing book study “Bleeding Out” by Thomas Abt and reminded commissioners that September 21 is
the United Nations Association’s International Day of Peace. Pandya spoke on a train the trainers program
she recently participated in entitled “Problem Management Plus”. Pries attended a truth and reconciliation
commission (TRC) meeting and reported on the work of the TRC. Kollasch noted that it has been a very
busy summer and believes there is more that the HRC should be doing specifically as it relates to LGBTQ
folks.
Announcements of staff: The HRC celebrated its 60th anniversary on August 20. There is a program
planned for September 13 featuring Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for HUD Demetria McCain and a
commemorative video that will be released the first week of September.
Adjourned: 6:39 PM.
The meeting can be viewed at https://citychannel4.com/video.html?series=Local%20Government.
Human Rights Commission
ATTENDANCE RECORD
YEAR 2023
(Meeting Date)
NAME
TERM
EXP.
1/24 2/28 3/28 4/25 5/23 6/27 8/22 9/26 10/24 11/28
Roger Lusala 2023 P P P P P P A
Bijou Maliabo 2023 P P P P P P A
Kelsey Paul Shantz 2023 P P A P P P P
Jahnavi Pandya 2024 P P A P P P P
Sylvia Jons 2024 P A P P P P P
Doug Kollasch 2024 P P P P P P P
Vacant 2025 - - - - - - -
Ahmed Ismail 2025 P P P P P P A
Mark Pries 2025 - - - - - - P
KEY: P = Present
A = Absent