HomeMy WebLinkAbout8 5 2021 TRC AgendaAd Hoc Truth and Reconciliation Commission Agenda
Thursday, August 5, 2021, 7PM
Emma J. Harvat Hall
Iowa City City Hall
410 E. Washington Street
In order to encourage input from the public, the Commission intends to offer the opportunity to
participate in the meeting remotely. HOWEVER, THIS MEETING IS IN-PERSON, AND THOSE WISHING
TO ENSURE THEIR ABILITY TO PARTICIPATE SHOULD ATTEND THE MEETING IN-PERSON. If you instead
wish to participate remotely, you may attempt to do so by joining the meeting via Zoom by going to:
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Z1lKoUxcSB2o-XLnk7tQlA. If you are asked for a meeting
ID, enter Meeting ID: 923 5355 5433 to enter a 'Waiting Room' for the meeting. If you have no computer
or smartphone, or a computer without a microphone, you can call in by phone by dialing (312) 626-6799
and entering the meeting ID when prompted.
Meeting Agenda:
1.CALL TO ORDER
2.ROLL CALL
3.LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
4.APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM THE JULY 22, 2021 MEETING DATE
5.PUBLIC COMMENT OF ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA (Commentators shall address the TRC for no
more than 5 minutes. Commissioners shall not engage in discussion with the public concerning
said items).
6.JOINT RECOMMENDATION WITH HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION TO CITY COUNCIL ON THE USE
OF LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT *10 MINUTES
7.DISCUSSION ON SUBMISSON FOR THE TRC FACILITATOR *20 MINUTES
8.BUDGET PROPOSAL UPDATES *10-15 MINUTES
9.UPDATE FROM THE EDUCATION SUBCOMMITTEE: RESPONDING TO THE STATE OF IOWA BAN
ON CRITICAL RACE THEORY *10-15 MINUTES
10.STRATEGIC PLANNING SESSION: THE FRAMEWORK(S) WE USE TO COMPLETE OUR WORK *45
MINUTES
11.DISCUSSION OF COMMUNITY TOPICS:
A.EXCLUDED WORKERS FUND UPDATES
B.INCREASING PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT
12.DATE SELECTION FOR WORK SESSION WITH CITY COUNCIL (Currently scheduled for August 17,
4PM)
13.DISCUSSION AND VOTE ON CHANGING THE MEETING SCHEDULE FROM EVERY OTHER
THURSDAY TO THE FIRST AND THIRD THURSDAYS OF EACH MONTH OR SWITCHING TO A ONCE A
MONTH MEETING DATE
14.COMMISSIONER ANNOUCEMENTS
15.STAFF ANNOUCEMENTS
16.ADJOURNMENT
*The times listed in the agenda are the anticipated duration of that particular agenda item. The
actual discussion may take more or less time than anticipated.
If you will need a disability-related accommodation to participate in this meeting please contact
the Equity Director, Stefanie Bowers, at 319-356-5022 or at stefanie-bowers@iowa-city.org. Early
requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your accessibility needs.
July 22, 2021
Draft Ad Hoc Truth and Reconciliation Commission Minutes
(Electronic) Zoom Platform
Regular Meeting
Commissioners present: Amel Ali, Daphney Daniel, Chastity Dillard, Wangui Gathua, Eric Harris, Clifton
Johnson, Kevin Rivera, Mohamed Traore.
Commissioners not present: Sikowiss.
Staff present: Stefanie Bowers.
(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: 7:08.
Discussion of Land Acknowledgement: Rivera read the Land Acknowledgement,
Approval of Minutes from the July 8, 2021: Traore moved, and Rivera seconded. Motion passed 8-0.
Public Comment of Items not on the Agenda: None.
Request for Proposals Update and Next Steps: Staff updated the Commission on the one submission
received for the role of a facilitator. The Commission requested that all evaluations be sent to the
Purchasing Department no later than Monday, August 2, 2021 versus the original due date of Friday,
August 6, 2021. The Commission discussed and agreed that if they decided not to move forward on this
proposal, they will move forward with a referral process from Commission members and bypass using the
RFP process again.
Budget Updates – Action Plan for City Council Meetings: Chair Traore will present to the Council,
Commissioner Harris will assist as well as other Commission members. Commissioners Johnson, Harris,
Gathua, Dillard, and Traore will be present at the Council meeting being held on July 27, 2021.
Commissioner Rivera and Commissioner Gathua will attend the Human Rights Commission meeting on
July 27, 2021 to discuss the Land Acknowledgement.
Revisit the TRC’s Mission & The Framework Used to Complete Work: The Commission discussed the
possibility of having an official letter that speaks of who they are as a Commission and mentions their
authority. They also spoke on the Commission holding their own truth-telling session. By Commission
members speaking their truths it may assist members of the public to feel more comfortable to come
forward to tell their stories.
Update on Future Meetings and Discussion: A few Commissioners do not feel comfortable meeting in
person, due to the new Delta variant of COVID-19. Staff will work with the Communications Department
to set up a hybrid meeting. Under Iowa law it will still require that a majority of Commissioners are
present to meet in-person.
Community Topics for Discussion: Excluded Workers: Members of the public spoke on the concern that
the timeline established by the City is too delayed to appropriately distribute American Rescue Plan funds.
It was also mentioned that the Excluded Worker Coalition will meet with the Iowa City City Manger’s
Office on Friday, July 30, 2021 at Saint Patrick's Church.
Increasing Public Engagement: The Commission discussed ways they could better engage with the
community when doing outreach and/or holding sessions.
Critical Race Theory: The Commission plans on making a statement against the ban on critical race theory
here in Iowa. The Commission would also like to hold a community event where persons who support this
new law and persons who do not support this new law can engage in a conversation on the topic. The
Commission wants to hear from members of the public to learn why Critical Race Theory should be taught.
The Education Subcommittee will discuss this at the next meeting.
Commission Announcements: Rivera, spoke on a series of conversations sponsored by the Carver College
of Medicine and Psychiatry Department on the intersectionality of health on marginalized communities.
These sessions are recorded and can be viewed at a later date. Gathua, spoke on a presentation from
Iowa Legal Aid on Fair Housing and is looking forward to more collaborations with them. Gathua also
spoke on a conference on Human Trafficking that focused on African women being targeted for trafficking
in the state of Iowa. Traore, spoke on National Night Out being held on Tuesday, August 3, 2021 and
reminded all Commissioner of the importance of preserving their mental health and taking care of
themselves. Daniel, commented on the CDC moratorium on evictions that ends July 31, 2021 and the
effect these evictions will have on persons of color and that there are emergency funds available to
persons that were unable to pay their rent due to the pandemic.
Staff Announcements: None.
Adjourn: 9:00 PM
AD HOC TRUTH & RECONCILIATION COMMISSION
ATTENDANCE RECORD
YEAR 2021
(Meeting Date)
NAME
TERM
EXP. 4/15 4/29 5/13 5/27 6/10 6/24 7/8 7/22 8/5 8/19 9/2 9/16 9/30 10/7
Ali 6/22 X X X X X X X
Daniel 6/22 X X X X X X X
Dillard 6/22 X X X X O X X
Gathua 6/22 X X X X X X X
Johnson 6/22 X X X X X X X
Harris 6/22 O X X X X X X
Nobiss 6/22 X O X X X X X
Rivera 6/22 X X X X X X X
Traore 6/22 X X X X X X X
KEY: X = Present
O = Absent
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
O
X
From David Goodner (of Iowa Catholic Worker House) :
“ Join us Wed, Aug 11 at 3:30pm at the Catholic Worker House for a rally and march to the
city's public ARP hearing
Dear Fund Excluded Workers Coalition members,
March for an Excluded Workers Fund! March for Covid relief and the rights of essential
workers!
As the Delta variant spreads more than one year after the pandemic began, immigrant
workers have been left behind from aid and disproportionately impacted by Covid-19.
We march to demand relief and rights for essential immigrant workers!
Wednesday, August 11, 3:30pm
Catholic Worker House
1414 Sycamore Street
Iowa City, IA 52240
The 1.2 mile march will begin at the Catholic Worker House at 3:30pm and end at Mercer
Park before a public hearing on the American Rescue Plan at 5pm.
I pray you can join us,
David”