HomeMy WebLinkAboutHRC 11 23 21 Agenda and PacketHuman Rights Commission
November 23, 2021
Formal Meeting – 5:30PM
Emma J. Harvat Hall, Iowa City City Hall
Agenda:
1. Call the meeting to order and roll call
2. Reading of Land Acknowledgment
3. Approval of the October 26, 2021 meeting minutes
4. 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)
5. American Rescue Plan & The Excluded Workers Fund Discussion/Updates
6. Review of Current Commission Subcommittees & 2020 Strategic Plan
7. Report on the Human Rights Awards Ceremony
8. Report on Coralville Pride
9. Social Justice & Racial Equity Grants Updates and Reports
10. Board Commission Training on Open Meetings and Public Records (December 8 at 6PM)
11. Staff/Commission Announcements (Commissioners shall not engage in discussion with one
another concerning said announcements)
12. Recognition of Outgoing Commissioners Andino and Adams
13. Adjournment
If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate in this meeting please contact Human
Rights Coordinator, 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 access needs.
HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION
NOVEMBER 23, 2021 MEETING PACKET CONTENTS
AGENDA ITEM #2
• LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
AGENDA ITEM #3
• DRAFT MINUTES FROM OCTOBER 26, 2021
AGENDA ITEM #6
• MINUTES FROM STRATEGIC PLANNING SESSION OF JULY 7,
2020
AGENDA ITEM #9
• JOHNSON COUNTY AFFORDABLE HOUSING COALITION
REPORT
• SANKOFA OUTREACH CONNECTION REPORT
• OPEN HEARTLAND REPORT
• IOWA CITY BIKE LIBRARY REPORT
• UNIVERSITY OF IOWA LABOR CENTER REPORT
• UNIVERSITY OF IOWA FOOD PANTRY
Draft Minutes
Human Rights Commission
October 26, 2021
Emma J. Harvat Hall
Commissioners present: Mark Pries, Siri Bruhn, Jessica Andino, Bijou Maliabo, Roger Lusala, Tony
Sivanthaphanith, Adil Adams, Ashley Lindley.
Commissioners not present: Jason Glass.
Staff present: Stefanie Bowers, Daisy Torres.
Recommendation to City Council: Yes, the Human Rights Commission recommends for the City Council
to increase the Social Justice and Racial Equity Grant from $75,000 to $150,000 for fiscal year 2023.
The motion passed 7-0 (Sivanthaphanith not present).
Meeting called to order: 5:30 PM.
Land Acknowledgement: Pries read the land acknowledgement.
Approval of the minutes from the September 28, 2021 meeting: Pries moved; the motion was
seconded by Lindley. Motion passed 7-0. (Maliabo and Adams not present).
Public comment of items not on the agenda: None.
American Rescue Plan & The Excluded Workers Fund: Commissioners briefly discussed the possibility of
some of the ARP funds being used to increase the funding amount of the social justice and racial equity
grant. The Commission could then assist in distributing the funding to organizations in need subject to
Council approval.
Review of Current Commission Subcommittees: Not all subcommittees have been successful in meeting.
The Commission will review its last strategic plan to refresh memories on mission and purpose of each
subcommittee. The last strategic plan was done in July of 2020. Because the Commission will have three
new members as of January 2022, the Commission will wait to define the roles of subcommittees and try
to stagger members to reflect the length of terms for each Commissioner.
Human Rights Awards: The Awards will be presented on Wednesday, October 27 at 7:30AM at the Vue
Rooftop. Commissioners should arrive by 7AM. There are six recipients: Sara Barron, Tracy Jon Sargeant,
Kirkwood Community College Student Services, Iowa City Catholic Worker House, Jama Lidral, Brian
Finley.
Social Justice and Racial Equity Grants: The Commission will hold two informational sessions on the grant
via Zoom on November 9 and November 16. Commissioners Lusala, Pries, Andino, and Bruhn will lead the
discussion on the grants. The Commission also discussed the need to increase the funding amount for the
grant due to the high demand as evidenced by the number of submissions they get each year. Lusala
moved to recommend to the City Council that the amount allocated for the grant increase to $150,000
for fiscal year 2023, the motion was seconded by Bruhn. Motion passed 7-0. (Sivanthaphanith not
present).
Reports of Commissioners: Lindley recently got to spend quality time with her sister. Andino is
expecting a baby girl in January. Bruhn is working on a Masters Degree in Legal Studies.
Staff Reports: Torres mentioned the Police Department will be participating in the Halloween Carnival
that is being sponsored by Parks and Recreation. Torres also mentioned that the deadline to sign up
for Toys for Tots in Johnson and Washington counties is December 4.
Adjourned: 6:32 PM.
To view the video from this meeting visit https://youtu.be/J-mA0T6vo_I
Human Rights Commission
ATTENDANCE RECORD
YEAR 2021
(Meeting Date)
NAME
TERM
EXP.
1/26 2/23 3/23 4/27 5/25 6/22 7/27 8/24 9/28 10/26 11/23 12/28
Adil Adams 2021 X X E X X X E E E X
Jessica Andino 2021 X X X X X X X X X X
Siri Bruhn 2021 - - - - - - - X X X
Jason Glass 2022 X X X X X O/E X X X E
Ashley Lindley 2022 X X X X X X X E X X
Roger Lusala 2023 X X E X X X X X X X
Bijou Maliabo 2023 X X X X X X X X X X
Mark Pries 2022 X X X X X O/E X X X X
Tony Sivanthaphanith 2023 - - - X X X X X X X
KEY: X = Present
O = Absent
O/E = Absent/Excused
NM = No meeting
--- = Not a Member
1
Iowa City Bike Library
Social Justice Racial Equity
Progress Report for the Raise It Up Ride Project
November 1, 2021
The concept for the Raise It Up Ride conceived in the Summer of 2020; the idea developed into a
collaboration with students from Humanity in Action, and came to life because of the $4,000 awarded to
the Iowa City Bike Library. In the Spring of 2021, we began talking with local artists, community partners,
and community members; in the Summer we began construction and producing the podcast-style audio.
The first ride is launched, and in addition to reporting on the goals stated in our application, we will give
a snapshot of the unanticipated positive outcomes as well as some pitfalls.
We worked with Hannah Givler and Tracy Jon Sargeant to design and build apparatuses that house mini
computers that played the audio-guide, batteries to power them, and speakers. At the same time, we
researched, conducted interviews, and compiled previously recorded interviews and talks that related to
the subject matter. We worked with sound engineer Nicholas Naioti, and local musicians James Tutson
and Blake Shaw, and weaved together history, art, and interviews. The audio-guide to the ride also
focused on Black African Americans who are making history now (!), and what we all can do to fight
against the systemic oppression and current inequities that persist here in Iowa City. The final look and
design of the apparatuses was done in collaboration with Maurice Nurse of Creative Printing Plus and
Devale Gates of Victory Over Odds. A list of core team members can be found here:
***********.icbikelibrary.org/raise-it-up-team.html
On October 1st the first route in the series was complete and we launched just in time for Fall biking.
Although we had anticipated releasing the first route much earlier in the Summer, we are glad to have
completed this first round. There was hold-up due mostly to the scope of the project: history and facts
vs. storytelling and interviews; audio accessible 24/7 vs. on a smart phone; apparatuses that were
weatherproof vs. weather resistant. We will be bringing in the apparatus in for the winter, and it will
give us time to trouble shoot and simplify.
Listed below are links to the audio narration produced for corresponding checkpoints on the first Raise It
Up Ride.
Iowa City Bike Library: https://www.icbikelibrary.org/blaudio.html
Tate Arms House: https://www.icbikelibrary.org/tatearms.html
Our Children Spoke Mural: https://www.icbikelibrary.org/tatearms.html
Neighborhood of Seasons Mosaic: https://www.icbikelibrary.org/mosaic.html
Dream City: https://www.icbikelibrary.org/dreamcity.html
2
One of five apparatuses at the Iowa City Bike Library
3
Goals as stated in the application:
1. Construct physical apparatus that will be placed at checkpoints, and that house audio
equipment that educates cyclists on the history of systematic oppression in their own
backyards, as well as the current inequities that unfortunately continue to oppress.
2. Honor historically significant locations, locations significant to the Black community and the
Iowa City community as a whole, and highlight Black-owned businesses.
3. Develop four routes, each with three to five sites woven into an approximately 10-mile bike
ride.
4. Produce audio-guided narration that is to be housed in each apparatus that can be accesses
with or without a smartphone on a self-guided route 24/7, and is also accessed by volunteer-led
rides.
5. Create an accompanying playlist of Black artists, musicians, and poets that can be listened to
while en-route via a speaker or after the ride while refueling at one of the Black-owned
restaurants highlighted.
The apparatuses are complete, the audio is produced, and we are just wrapping up the first self-guided
bicycle tour in the series. The first route featured Tate Arms, 1101 Kirkwood, “Our Children Spoke”
Mural, Neighborhood of Seasons Mosaic, and Dream City. The route was inspired by the 2020 Broadway
neighborhood youth who would ride the Sycamore Greenway during the Bike Library & NCJC’s Summer
Bike Club.
Sometimes more options aren’t necessarily better. For this ride we had hoped to capture the number of
people biking the ride as well as their reaction to the project—however they interacted with it. It was
pointed out early on that there were too many options for how people could engage with the project,
and we should have gone for simplicity over maximum function on various platforms. For the first ride
we had five google forms that riders could fill out—one for checking-in, and the rest were to opt-in to
answer discussion questions prompts that were on the back of each of the spoke cards. At each
checkpoint riders and people passing by are encouraged to take the spoke cards. We know that folks
have been going on the ride, and the batteries for the computers only die when they have been used,
and we’ve have been replacing them on a bi-weekly basis. However, we’ve had little to no responses
submitted on the forms. The spoke cards themselves have been taken, and it was our hope that folks
would take these home, think about their responses, and discuss them with their families. All that being
said, all the options for ways to engage didn’t give us accurate numbers for how many people did
engage.
Spoke Card for Tate Arms Discussion
4
There were a lot of positive unanticipated outcomes—the major one being a deepened connection with
partner organization and main collaborator on this project, the Multicultural Development Center of
Iowa (MDCIowa). We are thrilled to say that we now share a physical space with MCDIowa as they have
moved into the same building at 1222 South Gilbert Court. They are currently in the process of building
a STEM Factory, and they have invited the Bike Library to be part of the newly formed Racial Equity
Collective.
Without the help of MDCIowa, the dream of bringing the apparatuses to life and giving people the
option to learn more about each site at any time day or night, never would have happened. We were
able to connect with other Black-owned business in our neighborhood that elevated the standard of the
project higher than we had hoped for as well. Maurice Nurse owns Creative Printing Plus and help us
figure out the best way to display the art on each of the units. Victory Over Odds designer and Black
business owner Devale Gates installed the art that Maurice printed. This project has brought a lot of
people together might not have otherwise met.
One negative aspect of the project was that, athough we did have a team of five volunteers doing a lot
of the research and backend work, we went over budget on materials and didn’t do a good job
budgeting for additional labor.
We are looking forward to brainstorming the next phase of the project which we intent to launch in
Spring 2022. We have the units built and equipped them with the tech, and we’ve done an initial run of
the first ride. One of our lead organizers for the project is no longer working for the Bike Library, so we
will be looking for other leaders and organization for which to work alongside in the development of the
Raise It Up Ride 2.0. We took a workshop with The Brown Bike Girl, a NYC-based bicycle advocacy
project launched by community organizer and certified cycling instructor, Courtney Williams, to help
people and organizations build their capacity to make cycling more accessible to communities of color.
We would like to consult with Courtney for advice on moving forward throughout the winter months.
TO: Iowa City Human Rights Commission
FROM: Robin Clark-Bennett, Director, University of Iowa Labor Center
DATE: November 1, 2021
RE: June-October, 2021 Progress Report: University of Iowa Labor Center Corridor Apprenticeship
Opportunity Network
The University of Iowa Labor Center’s Corridor Apprenticeship Opportunity Network links unemployed
or underemployed Iowa City residents from underrepresented groups with opportunities to prepare for
and enroll in Iowa Registered Apprentice programs in skilled construction trades.
While the resurgence of the Delta variant of COVID-19 has caused us to postpone our fall cohort and
some of the other in-person orientation and leadership events we had planned, we are pleased to report
that we have continued to make significant progress and have a number of exciting events planned this
fall and in the New Year.
Each month in 2021, we have held an Iowa Women in Trades online meeting for the purpose of
networking, learning from guest speakers, exchanging ideas, and building mentoring relationships.
Participants have included women at every stage in construction employment: women contemplating a
career in the trades, recent graduates of our preapprenticeship program, women apprentices,
journeywomen in the construction trades, women who are local and national leaders in their trades, and
women who have retired from a career in construction. Meetings have featured state and national leaders,
such as Vicki O’Leary from the Ironworkers who helped establish paid maternity leave benefits in the
craft and launched a “Be That One Guy” bystander intervention program. We were also recently joined
by Tonette Harris, Civil Rights Bureau Director for the IA Department of Transportation, who presented
materials on combatting harassment and promoting respectful jobsites. The network now reaches over
100 women across Iowa, including several tradeswoman leaders and co-facilitators from the Corridor.
In addition to the Iowa Women in Trades meetings, we have also held monthly follow-up Zoom support
sessions open to all course graduates with a focus on providing support for first-generation immigrants,
women, or BIPOC graduates who are in the process of submitting apprenticeship applications to training
programs or preparing for interviews with contractors or training programs.
As more construction jobsites reopened this year, we have been in regular contact with Registered
Apprenticeship training coordinators, contractors, union leaders, and our preapprentice course graduates.
We have helped 9 additional graduates from the Corridor gain entry to Registered Apprenticeships and/or
paid preapprentice classifications this year with the Laborers, Carpenters, Painters, Electricians, and
Plumbers. About 10 graduates from the Corridor are currently in the final stages of completing
application materials, testing requirements, or interviews with apprenticeship training programs. We still
have a significant number of graduates whose entry into construction has been postponed because they
have additional childcare responsibilities due to the coronavirus or have expressed health concerns about
beginning their work before the pandemic subsides. About 1/5 of our graduates have moved or decided to
pursue other career paths, but the overwhelming majority remained interested in careers in the trades.
After our experience with placements this past summer, we are now able to more precisely target our
employer outreach – for example, we have identified several contractors that have been particularly
inclined to hire and retain our graduates. We are in the process of planning follow-up meetings with them
and the apprenticeship coordinators to discuss the best ways of building on that success in 2022.
This month, we are excited about several initiatives to expand our publicity about the program to reach
more service providers, school staff, and nonprofit organizations. Particularly in light of the ongoing
challenges with holding large in-person meetings, we are planning to produce a short video about the
program, featuring interview excerpts with some of our graduates, training coordinators, and contractors.
We expect to complete the video by mid-December and share it with our network of nonprofit leaders and
via social media through the spring. We are also producing new print materials that feature pictures and
quotes from our graduates, rather than stock photos, to inspire confidence among potential applicants
from communities that are underrepresented in construction occupations. Our colleague Guillermo
Morales will conduct a workshop about the program for the 2021 Latinx Youth Summit on November 3rd
on the University of Iowa campus, and an apprentice from the Iowa Women in Trades Network will co-
present with leaders of the Iowa State Building and Construction Trades Council at the Iowa School
Counselor Association conference later this month.
As of today, we are planning to begin our next 5-week apprenticeship readiness course cohort on
Tuesday, November 9th. It is possible that we may need to postpone it due to low enrollment from the
limited number of in-person outreach and orientation events we have been able to conduct this fall. We
may be able to move forward with a slightly smaller cohort this month, or numbers may increase this
week to allow for a full cohort. Either way, we are confident that with additional digital and print outreach
tools, combined with increased access to in-person events as a result of the expansion of vaccine
eligibility and booster shots this month, we will meet or exceed our apprenticeship readiness class goals
in the remaining months of the grant period.
Revised calendar:
November-December: 5-week apprenticeship readiness cohort, completion of new outreach video and
print materials featuring members of our network who have entered building and construction trades
careers, ongoing monthly Zoom-based Iowa Women in Trades and graduate support meetings, and
meetings with contractors and apprenticeship programs that placed the largest number of our participants.
December-January: Outreach and orientation events to recruit for winter apprenticeship readiness course
February: Winter session of apprenticeship readiness course, launch the new Iowans of Color in Trades
network with a meeting in Coralville.
March-April: Placement of course graduates in registered apprenticeship training programs and follow-up
support activities to ensure success of graduates in apprenticeship training; include new graduates in
monthly meetings of Iowa Women in Trades and Iowans of Color in Trades network meetings
Note on finances to date:
We have not yet expended SJRE funds from Iowa City for this year because remaining funds from other
grants were available to fund program activities through October 31 and we had to postpone several
outreach events and the fall apprenticeship readiness class cohort due to the resurgence of COVID-19. We
will be relying on Iowa City SJRE funding to support program activities from November 1 onward and
will provide a summary with invoices/receipts in our next report.