HomeMy WebLinkAbout10 24 2023 HRC AgendaHuman Rights Commission
October 24, 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 September 26, 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.Statement Rejecting Antisemitism and Islamophobia
8.Racial Equity & Social Justice Grant
•Guide on Supporting Grant Recipients
•Fiscal Year 2023 Check Delivery
Center for Worker Justice (Kollasch)
Great Plains Action Society (Jons, Paul Shantz)
•Informational Session for Fiscal Year 2024 via Zoom
o Wednesday, November 8, 6 -7:15 p.m.
(Maliabo, Kollasch, Lusala, Paul Shantz)
o Wednesday, November 15, 12-1:15 p.m.
(Kollasch, Maliabo)
9.Collaboration with Recreation Department on Upcoming Programs
•All Around the World, November 12 (Lusala, Jons, Maliabo)
10. Commission Committees
• Building Bridges (Maliabo, Paul Shantz, Pandya)
• Reciprocal Relationships (Lusala, Channon, Jons)
• Breaking Bread (Kollasch, Pries, Ismail)
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
September 26, 2023
Emma J. Harvat Hall
Commissioners present: Jahnavi Pandya, Doug Kollasch, Kelsey Paul Shantz, Bijou Maliabo, Ahmed Ismail,
Roger Lusala, Mark Pries.
Commissioners absent: Sylvia Jons.
Staff present: Stefanie Bowers, Sergeant Kevin Bailey.
Recommendation to City Council: No.
Meeting called to order: 5:30 PM.
Native American Land Acknowledgement: Maliabo read the Land Acknowledgement.
Approval of meeting minutes of August 22, 2023: Ismail moved, and Maliabo seconded. Motion passed 7-
0.
Correspondence: The Commission received correspondence from Annie Tucker. It was an inquiry that asks
for the Commission to consider showing films that highlight systemic inequity. Tucker also provided an
article entitled, “Ten Lessons We Learned about Truth and Reconciliation” by the Truth Telling Project.
Updates on Outreach and Engagement by the Police Department: Sergeant Bailey, spoke on the recent
events the Department has participated in, including but not limited to, National Night Out, Welcome
Festival, Community Violence Intervention Committee, and the Climate Fest.
Tre Hall was recently hired as a Community Outreach Specialist.
Racial Equity and Social Justice Grant: Grant informational sessions will be held on November 8 and 15.
Staff will send out an Outlook Invite to see who is available on the selected dates.
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.
Pries has delivered the check to Houses into Homes. Ismail will be delivering the check to the
Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County later this week.
Checks to still be delivered:
Al-Iman Center (Maliabo), CommUnity (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).
Agenda Item #3
2
Commission Committees:
Breaking Bread – All members have been busy working on community programs but will meet up soon to
discuss work plans.
Reciprocal Relationships – Committee recently lost a member who resigned. Other members have been
unable to arrange a time to meet.
Building Bridges – The committee was able to meet and are working on aligning their efforts with the
Commission’s strategic Plan and Better Together 2023.
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 has initiated conversations.
Human Rights Award Breakfast Ceremony: Lusala and Kollasch will MC the event.
Announcements of commissioners: Paul Shantz’s husband recently was sworn in at a Citizenship
Ceremony. Pries has attended numerous events in the past month including a few meetings of the Ad Hoc
Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Pandya recently started a new mental health position. Lusala as part
of his new position spoke on trainings on secondary trauma.
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: 6:21 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 P
Bijou Maliabo 2023 P P P P P P A P
Kelsey Paul Shantz 2023 P P A P P P P P
Jahnavi Pandya 2024 P P A P P P P P
Sylvia Jons 2024 P A P P P P P A
Doug Kollasch 2024 P P P P P P P P
Vacant 2025 - - - - - - - -
Ahmed Ismail 2025 P P P P P P A P
Mark Pries 2025 - - - - - - P P
KEY: P = Present
A = Absent
Agenda Item #8
Guide for Human Rights Commissioners
Supporting Iowa City
Social Justice and Racial Equity Grant Recipients (23-24 Year)
As Iowa City Human Rights Commissioners, our role in fostering social justice and racial equity in Iowa City
is pivotal. One significant avenue for this is by supporting the recipients of the Iowa City Social Justice and
Racial Equity (SJRE) Grants. These grants are designed to empower organizations to address systemic
inequities in our community. Here's a guide on how you can effectively build relationships, understand,
support, and showcase these organizations:
1. Build Relationship:
-Initiate contact: Reach out to your assigned SJRE Grant recipient as soon as possible to introduce yourself
and express your commitment to their cause.
-Schedule regular meetings: Establish a consistent communication schedule to keep abreast of their
progress, challenges, and needs.
-Be a resource: Offer guidance, connections, and assistance where appropriate to help them succeed.
2.Understand the Grant Recipient Community Organization:
-Research their mission: Familiarize yourself with their organization's history, goals, and current initiatives.
-Understand their community: Learn about the specific communities they serve and the unique challenges
they face.
3. Understand Their Grant Project:
-Review their grant proposal: Understand the project they've undertaken, the intended impact, and the
timeline.
-Clarify expectations: Discuss the goals and metrics of success to ensure alignment with the SJRE
program's objectives.
Sylvia S. Jons, Vice-Chair, HRC
4. Proactively Identify Opportunities to Partner:
-Identify synergies: Explore opportunities for collaboration between the SJRE recipient and other
organizations or agencies.
-Leverage resources: Help them tap into additional resources or partnerships that can enhance the project's
effectiveness.
5. Identify Opportunities to Be an Ally or Support Them:
-Advocate for them: Use your position to advocate for their initiatives within the Human Rights
Commission and the larger community.
-Attend their events: Show your support by attending their events and programs, share these opportunities
with the Commission (email Stefanie as well), and encourage other commissioners to attend.
6. Showcase the Organization and Project:
-Share their story: Utilize your platform and HRC’s communication tools (social media, newsletter, etc.) to
highlight their work and achievements within the community.
-Connect them to resources: Help them access media outlets, community networks, or platforms for wider
exposure.
7. Be the Link Between Them and the City, and Wider Community:
-Facilitate communication: Act as a bridge between the SJRE recipient and the broader Iowa City
community, ensuring they have a voice.
-Address concerns: If issues or challenges arise, facilitate dialogue and resolution.
8.Prepare and Share Monthly Updates to the Commission during our HRC meetings:
-Share progress: Provide regular updates on your assigned SJRE organization's activities and milestones
during commission meetings.
-Seek input: Encourage other commissioners to offer insights and support where appropriate.
By actively engaging with your assigned SJRE Grant recipient, you can play a vital role in advancing social
justice and racial equity in Iowa City. Your commitment to understanding, supporting, and showcasing their
efforts will contribute to a more equitable community for all.
Remember, the goal is to create a space where the community's voices are heard, and their needs are
addressed through these important grant initiatives. Your involvement can make a significant difference in the
success of these projects and the betterment of Iowa City as a whole.
Late Handouts
Informational Session
NOVEMBER 2023
Racial Equity & Social Justice Grant FY24
CITY OF IOWA CITY HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION
Agenda Item #8
Agenda
•Welcome
•Native American Land Acknowledgement
•Background & History of the Human Rights Commission
•Overview of the Racial Equity & Social Justice Grant
•Advice & Tips on Filling out the Application
•Q&A
01
"We meet today in the community of Iowa City, which now occupies the homelands
of Native American Nations to whom we owe our commitment and dedication. The
area of Iowa City was within the homelands of the Iowa, Meskwaki, and Sauk, and
because history is complex and time goes far back beyond memory, we also
acknowledge the ancient connections of many other Indigenous Peoples here. The
history of broken treaties and forced removal that dispossessed Indigenous Peoples
of their homelands was and is an act of colonization and genocide that we can not
erase. We implore the Iowa City community to commit to understanding and
addressing these injustices as we work toward equity, restoration, and reparations."
Land Acknowledgement 02
The duties of the Commission were to provide for the general welfare
of the residents of Iowa City by studying the relationships of people of
various races, colors, creeds, religions, nationalities, sexes, and
ancestries living within the community; To provide procedures to
eliminate prejudice, intolerance, bigotry, and discrimination in the City
of Iowa City.
Human Rights Commission
Background & History
03
The Commission Now 04
Nine residents of Iowa City appointed by the City
Council to serve 3-year terms.
Commissioners, all committed to civil rights, reflect a
broad cross-section of the community, thus ensuring
diversity of ideas and interests.
Duties of the commission include:
•Disseminating information to educate the public on illegal
discrimination and civil rights, such as organizing and
facilitating educational public forums that address one or
more of the broad range of topics included within the rubric
of human rights.
The Commission Now 05
Duties Continued:
•Making recommendations to the City Council for further
legislation concerning discrimination as it may deem
necessary and desirable.
•Cooperating within the limits of any appropriations made
for its operation with other agencies or organizations both
public and private whose purposes are not inconsistent with
those of Title 2 of the City Code (Human Rights Ordinance)
•Planning programs and activities designed to eliminate
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.
•Roger Lusala, Chair
•Sylvia Jons, Vice Chair
•Ahmed Ismail
•Doug Kollasch
•Bijou Maliabo
•Jahnavi Pandya
•Mark Pries
•Viana Qadoura
•Kelsey Paul Shantz
The Commissioners 06
Human Rights Awards 07
Fall 2022
08Human Rights Awards
Spring 2023
Implicit Bias Challenge 09
Fall 2022
Till Film 10
Presented in partnership with the Human Rights
Commission.
The Human Rights Commission will present a special
preshow introduction for the screening on Friday and
Saturday.
Community Events 11
“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 fully act in solidarity with all who are targets of this
violence and inequity. The Commission recognizes the ongoing oppression occurring not just in police departments,
but also in 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. We will continue to uplift the contributions of nonwhite, non -male, and non-
Eurocentric people in our recommendations to the Iowa City City Council and support events dedicated to their
recognition. (See full statement on website).
Solidarity with the Black Lives
Matter Movement, June 22, 2020
12
The Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade brings an end to many individuals' freedom to make private,
informed reproductive healthcare choices with their doctors about their own bodies. It also marks the reversal of
nearly 50 years of progress towards reproductive justice and the return to an era when a pregnant person's rights
to bodily autonomy cease to exist as soon as an egg is fertilized.
As a result, the United States now returns to a time where, depending upon the state in which they live, pregnant
people may be forced to seek out illegal and life -threatening procedures and may even face criminal charges for
accidental miscarriages or stillbirths.
Among its many duties, the Human Rights Commission of Iowa City is tasked with educating the public on human
rights and illegal discrimination. We are concerned for young people whose future education and other
opportunities will be limited by state legislatures who claim control over their reproductive decisions. We are
concerned for physicians forced to weigh the benefits of helping pregnant individuals against the consequences of
assisting in or facilitating procedures that terminate unwanted or even dangerous pregnancies. (See full statement
on website).
Statement on Roe v. Wade, July
13, 2022
13
On Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022, the Iowa City Public Library (ICPL) hosted a Drag Storytime and Costume Ball. Drag
Storytime is a voluntary program that provides educational opportunities and fun, enriching experiences to families with
children of all ages. The City of Iowa City Human Rights Commission believes this programming strongly aligns with
ICPL’s values of access, belonging, collaboration, and community. Though many drag storytime events have been
hosted by ICPL since 2018, the Oct. 15 storytime was the first to be attended by a group of protesters.
According to the Iowa City Press-Citizen, the group:
•Carried signs accusing the library of “grooming” children
•Verbally insulted the event, the performers, and the attendees
•Stood in the room during the event holding signs and not participating in the activity
Members of this Commission believe in the right to protest and to express opposing viewpoints. While this protest was
a lawful one, the group’s purpose seems to have gone beyond the protest of a program with an opposing viewpoint.
Tactics were deployed with the intent to insult, intimidate, and disrupt a children’s story hour. (See full statement on
website).
Statement in Support of Iowa City
Public Library’s Drag Storytime
14
Racial Equity & Social
Justice Grant
In 2017, the City Council created the Racial Equity and
Social Justice (RESJ) Grant to assist community -based
organizations in building capacity to address racial
equity and social justice needs. One hundred thousand
dollars has been allocated for the RESJ Grant for 2023.
15
16
•Access to Justice
•Al-Iman Center of Iowa
•Antelope Lending Library
•Center for Worker Justice
•CommUnity Crisis Services
•Great Plains Action Society
•Houses into Homes
•Iowa City Bike Library I
•Iowa City Compassion
•Inside Out Reentry II
•Iowa Harm Reduction
•Iowa Legal Aid
•Johnson County Affordable Housing Coalition
•Labor Center II
•Little Creations Academy
Past Recipients of the RESJ Grant
•Mood Disorder Clinic
•Multicultural Development Center of Iowa
•Natural Talent Music
•Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County
•Refugee & Immigrant Association
•Open Heartland I
•Sankofa Outreach Connection I
•Shelter House I
•South District Neighborhood Association
•Successful Living
•Sudanese Community Center
•University Food Pantry
•World of Bikes
•Wright House of Fashion
17
Past Recipients of the RESJ Grant 18
Racial equity is a process of eliminating racial disparities and improving
outcomes for everyone. It is the intentional and continual practice of changing
policies, practices, systems, and structures by prioritizing measurable change
in the lives of people of color.
Social justice refers to a fair and equitable division of resources, opportunities,
and privileges in society.
Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, regardless of race, sex,
nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status.
Racial Equity, Social Justice, and
Human Rights
19
Areas of Focus 20
The project should address one or more of these areas:
•Building Communities
•Criminal Justice
•Education
•Employment
•Health
•Housing
RESJ Grant
Requirements
21
•The organization must be physically located in Iowa City.
•The project must take place in Iowa City.
•The project should seek to eliminate inequity in the
community (individual, institutional, or structural).
•The project must be a new project. Exception,
organizations previously funded in the last grant cycle may
reapply for the same project to be funded for one
additional grant cycle.
•Applicants cannot be governments, public schools, and
colleges/universities.
•Applicants can request no more than $25,000.
•Projects cannot be for fundraising purposes.
Things to Consider in
Deciding on a Project
22
•What are the priorities of the organization? Are there
indicators that there are gaps or needs in services or
programs that the organization can address?
•Is there data or community trends that demonstrate the
gap or need?
•If yes, develop an action plan that answers the
following:
-What is the identified gap or need?
-How can the organization mitigate the gap or need?
-What supports are needed?
-How can success be ensured?
Application Tips 23
•When filling out the application, make sure that you're clearly
communicating the background and goals of the project.
•Once you have filled out the application save it and have someone unfamiliar
with the project proofread it for you to make sure it’s grammatically clear and
that you have met all the guidelines.
•Be clear and specific about the outcomes.
•Don’t ask for more than you need.
•Partial funding may be recommended if from the budget it appears that the
project can be completed with less funding.
•The Commission will factor into its decision-making whether an organization
has or will receive funding from the City for any projects.
Final Tip 24
•Cut and paste the application form into a Word file or
similar document. Type out the responses to each
question and then cut and paste each response back
into the online form always make sure you have a saved
copy of all your responses just in case the session times
out.
Review of Applications 25
Review of Applications 26
RESJ Grant Timeline 27
•Start early. Late applications are not reviewed.
•The grant link to apply will be active from Friday,
December 1 through Friday, January 5.
•The Human Rights Commission will send a
recommendation to the City Council for review and
approval no later than March 31, 2024.
•Funding allocated by June 1, 2024.
QUESTIONS?
EMAIL: HUMANRIGHTS@IOWA -CITY.ORG
CALL: 319-356-5022
CITY OF IOWA CITY HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION