HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-26-2022 Human Rights CommissionHuman Rights Commission
July 26, 2022
Formal Meeting —5:30 PM
Emma J. Harvat Hall, City Hall
Agenda:
1. Call the meeting to order and roll call
2. Reading of Land Acknowledgement
3. Introduction of Commissioner Kelsey Paul Shantz
4. Approval of May 24, 2022, meeting minutes
S. Approval of July 11, 2022, special meeting minutes
6. 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)
7. Johnson County Direct Assistance Program
8. Funding Request: University of Iowa Center for Human Rights
9. Update on Race -Based Calls Campaign
10. Social Justice & Racial Equity Grant Updates
a. Request for Extension Iowa City Area Chinese Association FY22
b. Request for Extension Labor Center FY21
c. Correspondence South District Neighborhood Association
d. Schedule a time to review the current application for additions and edits
11. Strategic Planning
a. Vote on the "Theme" for the remainder of 2022
b. Vote on the creation of subcommittees along with membership
c. Draft communication to council outlining work
12. Coralville Pride (September 4, 11 AM-8 PM)
13. Climate Fest (September 23 at Wetherby Park, 5 PM — 8 PM)
14. Meetings and Attendance Per the By -Laws
15. Staff/Commission Announcements (Commissioners shall not engage in discussion with one
another concerning said announcements)
16. 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.
Agenda Item 2
Native American land Acknowledgement
Prepared for the City of Iowa City's Ad Hoc Truth and Reconciliation Commission and Human
Rights Commission
PURPOSE
Iowa City owes its existence to the many Indigenous Peoples who were the original stewards of this land
and who were subjected to manipulation and violence by non-native settlers, invaders, and governments
in order to make this moment possible. Acknowledgement of this truth is central to our work toward
reconciliation across all barriers of difference and injustice. Starting with a Native American Land
Acknowledgement, this Commission will bear witness to the legacies of violent displacement, migration,
and settlement that have marginalized those who were the first inhabitants of this land. We must also
address the mistreatment and exclusion that Native Americans continue to face today. The Ad Hoc Truth
and Reconciliation Commission and the Human Rights Commission encourage the community and City of
Iowa City to join us in these efforts through the use of a Native American Land Acknowledgement.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
To be read at all public meetings and events:
"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."
LEARN MORE
Native Governance Center Guide to Indigenous Land Acknowledgement
US Department of Arts and Culture: Honor Native Land Virtual Resources and Guide
Meskwaki Nation - History
Special thanks to the University of Iowa Native American Council for their work and guidance, as well as
members of the public, for their input.
Agenda Item 4
Draft Minutes
Human Rights Commission
May 24, 2022
Emma J. Harvat Hall
Commissioners present: Mark Pries, Jason Glass, Roger Lusala, Ashley Lindley, Bijou Maliabo, Sylvia Jons,
Sid Felker, Ali Ahmed (via Zoom).
Commissioners not present: None.
Staff present: Stefanie Bowers, Daisy Torres.
Others present who spoke: Ivan Rossi, Mike Wayrick, Lexi Kohl, Melvin Herrera, Jeff Briones.
Recommendation to City Council: Yes.
Meeting called to order: 5:30 PM.
Native American Land Acknowledgement: Lusala read the Land Acknowledgement.
Approval of the minutes from April 26, 2022, meeting: moved by Lusala, the motion was seconded
by Jens. Motion passed 7-0. (Maliabo not present for vote).
Public comment of items not on the agenda: None.
Update on Race -Based Calls Campaign: Glass, Maliabo, and Jens will be participating in this video that
includes the Police Chief. The script has been completed and the segments are being recorded. Once all
the taping is completed this public service announcement will run on City Channel 4 and social media. The
Commission hopes to work with Iowa City Community School District to get it played in student
classrooms. Possibly, on local television networks too.
Introduction of New Officers with the Police Department: Four officers who recently graduated the
Academy were introduced to the Commission. They included Officers Briones, Rossi, Kohl, and Herrera
Amnesty International Cedar Rapids Chapter: Mike Wayrick is the Area Coordinator of Amnesty
International. Wayrick is surveying similar -minded organizations to gauge rather there is any interest in
starting an Amnesty International here in Iowa City. Amnesty is the largest grassroots human rights
organization in the world.
Iowa City Pride Vendor: Commissioners Lusala, Lindley, Felker, and possibly Jens will represent the
Commission at this annual event. Lusala has a folding table that can be used, and staff will try to locate a
few chairs.
Strategic Planning Sessions: The Commission met on May 12 and May 17 to work on their strategic plan.
Two subcommittees were formed. The Commission will hold one further planning session in July to review
the strategic plan and to check in on the progress of the subcommittees.
Social Justice and Racial Equity Grant Reports for FY21 and Updates for FY22: City Council added an
additional $25,000 to the grant for FY22. Two organizations responded to the staff inquiry Iowa City
Catholic Worker and Iowa Chapter of American Student Dental Association. The Commission decided to
recommend $19,560.00 (partial funding) to Iowa City Catholic Worker and $5,440.00 (full funding) to the
American Student Dental Association. Pries moved; the motion was seconded by Felker. Motion passed
8-0.
Juneteenth Proclamation: Pries and Felker will accept the proclamation on behalf of the Commission at
the City Council meeting of Monday, June 6.
Staff Announcements: Torres provided an update on the Public Works Open House the previous
Saturday. It is reported that there were over 1300 persons in attendance throughout the day.
Commission Announcements: Glass and his family recently prepared a meal for the Iowa City Catholic
Worker House. Pries visited and toured a home that was part of the Underground Railroad in Salem, Iowa.
The event was convened by the Beloved Community Initiative. Jons had the opportunity to speak with
Tyson Worth of Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) at the Youth Awards. Jons noted that BBBS is interested in
collaborations with the Human Rights Commission. Lindley mentioned both the fun and success of the
Youth Awards and the Public Works Open House. Lusala also spoke on the overall success of the Youth
Awards. In closing, Lusala mentioned that he recently presented on implicit bias to the senior leadership
at Iowa City Ambulatory Surgical Center. Felker was able to speak with the Mayor at the Public Works
Open House and also recently had a great lunch at the Jabez Cafe. The Cafe works with immigrant and
refugee populations to gain economic stability and to help people with disabilities get job experiences.
Adjourned: 7:08 PM.
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Agenda Item 5
Draft Minutes
Human Rights Commission
July 11, 2022 (Special Meeting)
Emma J. Harvat Hall
Commissioners present: Mark Pries, Jason Glass, Roger Lusala, Ashley Lindley, Bijou Maliabo, Sin
Felker.
Commissioners not present: Sylvia Jons, Ali Ahmed.
Staff present: Stefanie Bowers.
Others present who spoke: Amel Ali.
Recommendation to City Council: No
Meeting called to order: 5:31 PM.
Native American Land Acknowledgement: Felker read the Land Acknowledgement
Public comment of items not on the agenda: None.
Discussion on the recent US Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade: Felker drafted the
statement which was then word-smithed by Pries and Lindley.
Ali commented on several passages in the draft statement that should be reworded including but not
limited to 1) removing the national statistics on the disparities of persons of color in seeking healthcare
and replacing those with the Iowa statistics, and 2) examples of organizations helping individuals access
reproductive justice should be named specifically and be local and regional.
"Reproductive Justice" was coined by Black women in 1994 as a rallying cry that called for any health care
reform package to include the concerns of black women.
The Commission decided not to include or discuss when life begins. The statement if passed by a majority
is just the beginning with the next step being education.
Felker moved to approve the statement with the amendments suggested by Ali, Pries seconded. The
motion passed 5-0. (Glass abstained). Staff will work with the Communications Department to release the
statement on the next business day.
The entire meeting can be viewed here
Adjourned: 6:55 PM.
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Agenda Item 9
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 to offset the costs of organizing, planning, and facilitating educational public forums or programs and
activities that are designed to eliminate racial, religious, cultural, and other intergroup tensions.
Please note that this sponsorship is for reimbursement of expenses. If an organization is awarded funding they must:
1. Submit invoices and/or statements of items/services paid prior to receiving reimbursement.
2. Send their W9 to staff prior to receiving reimbursement.
3. 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 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. Sponsorship requests are due by 5PM on the third 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.
Please sign here to verify you have read the cover letter to this form. *
Application
Date"
6/14/2022
Group/Organizaton Name*
University of Iowa Center for Human Rights
Contact person'
Erika Christiansen
Phone number*
319-335-3900
Email*
erika-christiansen@uiowa.edu
Date of activity/event/program*
10/7/2022
If your event occurs on multiple dates, list here
Event location and address*
W10 PBB
Is the event wheelchair accessible?*
• Yes
No
Is the event accessible to individuals with visual impairments?*
• Yes
U No
Describe the activity/event/program and how it contributes to Human Rights. x
UICHR is hosting the 2022 One Community, One Book program in fall. "An American
Summer: Love and Death in Chicago" by best-selling author, journalist, and documentary
filmmaker Alex Koflowitz will bring the author to Iowa City for a keynote lecture. This is a
captivating collection of stories that will transform the way readers think about gun violence
in America. Additional book clubs and programming are being scheduled with One
Community, One Book.
Amount of funds requested. Attach an itemized budget (field below).
$ 2,000.00
Attach itemized budget.'
Budget for OCOB.xlsx 14.14KB
List other funders below:
City of Literature $1000 co-sponsorship, currently seeking
donations from other UI departments and community
organizations.
Has this organization applied for any other City of Iowa City funding for this activity/event/program?
Yes
•, No
If yes, what department were the funds requested through?
How much funding was requested?
Was this request granted?
U Yes
O No
Has the organization received any funding from the City of Iowa City in the last year?*
O Yes
O No
If yes, what department were the funds requested through?
How much funding was requested?
How will this activity/evenUprogram be marketed?
We will make and distribute posters for community boards around Iowa City, electronic
flyers to distribute to stakeholders and partners, emailing list -serves, posting through UI
digital signage and UI social media.
Will sponsors be mentioned and/or logos be used in the marketing of the activity/event/program?
• Yes
No
Is the activity/event/program a fundraiser?"
Yes
•, No
Budget line item
Author Contract for Keynote Lecture
Travel for author
Pre -lecture reception
Books for community use
Cost
10,000
1,500
500
1000
13,000
Agenda Item 11a
Stefanie Bowers
From: na li <naliiowa@gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, June 13, 2022 3:20 PM
To: Stefanie Bowers
A
Dear Members of the Human Rights Commission
Our original plan was to celebrate Lunar New Year at Hancher in 2023 but it turns out that the Hancher is not available
during LNY. So our current plan is to postpone the celebration at Hancher till the February of 2024, therefore we humbly
request an extension of the terms of the grant $3,000.00 till 2024, If that doesn't work out, we will do whatever the
commission decides to do. Thank you!
Nina Na Li
President
shd. hrr. herc
Iowa Citv Area Chinese Association
319-331-7487
1"111I AD"
CH
I'll ASSODAM
Agenda Item 1lb
IOWA Labor Center
Stefanie Bowers
Equity Director & Human Rights Coordinator
Office of Equity & Human Rights, City of Iowa City
June 30, 2022
Dear Director Bowers:
We at the Labor Center are proud to partner with your office and the Iowa City Human Rights
Commission as part of the FY 2022 Social Justice and Racial Equity Initiative.
We are pleased to report that, together with our labor and community partners, we have made
significant progress during the FY22 grant period in strengthening pathways to construction careers for
area residents. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, we had to postpone one of our 5-week
Quality Pre -Apprenticeship Courses (QPP) until October 2022. 1 write to request a 6-month no -cost
extension that would allow us to use our unspent FY22 funding to complete our QPP programming and
prepare dozens more residents to enter apprenticeships by the next construction season.
As a reminder, our FY 2022 application proposed to: 1) Conduct community outreach among members
of underrepresented groups about apprenticeship training and careers in construction, 2) Hold two
sessions of a 5-week QPP course, with lost -wage stipends and language support so that low -wage Iowa
City residents can attend, 3) Help graduates apply for jobs and apprenticeship training, 4) Provide access
to peer support and leadership development to ensure the success of women and people of color.
We have met or exceeded most of these goals. We developed outreach materials and contacted area
nonprofits, high school counselors, and families via email, social media, phone calls, Zoom events,
school Peachjar notices, and a workshop at Tate High School. We hosted a 5-week pre -apprenticeship
course in February -March 2022 and helped place graduates in jobs and apprenticeship positions. We
organized monthly peer support meetings and held the first Iowa Women in Trades Leadership Summit.
However, the resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic and unforeseen staffing changes contributed to the
need to postpone our second 5-week course to October 2022. We currently have unspent funds for
stipends for low -wage Iowa City residents ($10K), language support ($3K), and printing and publicity
($896). We request permission to use these unspent FY2022 funds through December 31, 2022 for their
approved purposes, to support participation of low -wage Iowa City residents in our October cohort.
Thank you for your consideration. Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have.
Best regards,
Robin Clark -Bennett
Director, University of Iowa Labor Center
Summary of expenditures/adjusted project budget:
Expended
Notes/explanation of
Budgeted
to date
expenses
Total Revenue
$20,000.00
Expenses
Professional Services
Language services not requested in
N/A
our February -March cohort we are
Interpreters
currently translating promotional
/translators/ESL tutoring
materials and purchasing
construction terminology dictionaries
support
$3,000.00
in Spanish, French, and Arabic
Salary costs for Labor Center staff
person responsible for administering
the OPP program as well as serving
as the primary instructor; funds were
internally transferred as part of the
Operational costs
$5,000.00
$5,000.00
Ul end-cf-FY close
$1,160 = $145 x 8 participants
(waiver of MC3, OSHA 10, and First
Aid/CPR curriculum and certification
Educational Materials
$1,000.00
$1,160.00
fees)
N/A
Expense item was covered by other
grants for our February -March cohort
but will be needed for our October-
Marketing/Advertising
$500.00
November 2022 cohort
Costs of printing materials for Feb -
March 2022 course participants; will
have more printing costs for October
Outside Printing
$500.00
$103.14
cohort
Miscellaneous Supplies
Stipends not needed for Feb -March
N/A
2022 cohort, they will be awarded to
Lost wage stipends
$10,000.00
eligible participants in October cohort
Total Expenses to date
$6,263.14
Funds remaining
$13,736.86
Agenda Item I I c
Report & Pictures:
The Human Rights Commission's sponsorship of the
June 25, 2022 South District Diversity Market free
2-hour face painting served over 20 youth and families
in the neighborhood and beyond. Face Art By Brandi, a
women -owned and operated face painting business,
was contracted through the South District
Neighborhood Association to once again provide
services in the second year of our market season. She
employs several face painters, and we were fortunate
enough to have the returning staff, a woman of color,
come and paint beautiful art onto the faces of children.
This face painting effort spans the entire market season
funding dependent. This year, the Diversity Market
expanded from 5 markets to 10 and currently, out of the
6 markets so far we have been able to provide 5 days
of free face painting.
The South District Diversity Market is a 10-week
(5/28-7/30), pop-up opportunity to shop locally and from
entrepreneurs from underestimated populations
including, but not limited to: Women, Black, Latino,
Indigenous, Asian, Immigrant, Refugee,
Returning -Citizens, LGBTQ+ and Youth. This market is
to elevate these small businesses and connect them to
business resources beyond the market season as well
as building a community of vendors who support and mentor each other. Furthermore, this 2nd
annual event takes place in the South District Neighborhood
which is known for its grassroots efforts to revitalize and
increase resilience factors that bring other partners and allies
into the initiatives. This 2nd annual event also included
community resources into the market so that these entities
had more opportunity to increase awareness of their services
while also authentically connecting to residents in the
community. Some of those nonprofit organizations include:
League of Women Voters, CommUnity Crisis Center, Big
Brothers Big Sisters of Johnson County, Iowa Children's
Museum, Domestic Violence Intervention Program, Antelope
Lending Library Bookmobile, UI Mobile Health Clinic, The
James Gang, The Bike Library, Iowa City Fire Department
and others. Finally, it is important to note that the market this
year (and hopefully for years to come) takes place in Pepperwood Plaza parking lot —the heart of
our newly formed South District Self -Supported Municipal Improvement District (SSMID). The
SD SSMID, like the Iowa City Downtown District (SSMID) is a tool for commercial property
owners and residents in the area to come around and work together
to bring about relevant and sustainable change in the South District.
As a neighborhood association, we believe it is important for all
children to experience face painting by a professional regardless of
their family's income level and ability to access fun, arts and
entertainment in the Iowa City area. For some children, this was their
first time experiencing face painting. This aspect of our market allows
for more families to enjoy the new tradition of the market in the
neighborhood even if they are not able or interested in shopping or
eating. This family -friendly activity also brings more people together
to stay and engage each other at the market developing relationships.
Families throughout the Iowa City area come and return to the market
for different reasons, and one of those reasons is the free face
painting. We continue to build our family -friend parts of the
market each year and currently it includes: musical
entertainment, yard -games, free youth bike raffles, face
painting, and the family activities nonprofit vendors bring to
engage too (e.g. Children's Museum and Antelope Lending
Library Bookmobile). Furthermore, the face painting aspect
of the market allows for more children and families the
opportunity to be included in arts and entertainment. The
free face painting is a very important part of our South
District Diversity Market because it is such a small thing that
_tea
has a huge impact in so many ways!
Thank you Iowa City Human Rights Commission for sponsoring one of our market days' 2-hour
free face painting in the South District Diversity Market this season.
For more pictures of this year's Diversity Market, please check out
our Facebook Page: @South District Diversity Market
Agenda Item 12b
Breaking Bread Subcommittee Meeting 6/1/22 7:30PM
Members Present. Jason Glass, Ashley Lindley, Mark Pries, and Bijou Maliabo
Agenda
• Summary of purpose from strategic planning sessions
• Discussion of goals/purpose
• Next steps
• Adjourn
Minutes
• Ashley shared a summary of the vision/purpose of this subcommittee from strategic
planning session notes. The Breaking Bread Subcommittee is about "people coming
together to learn and practice being better humans." There were two main goals: 41 —
Increase the Human Rights Commissions' engagement activities with the community
and #2 — Increase community members' knowledge of local ordinances, discrimination,
and human rights.
• Mark shared his thoughts about the Braver Angels project (people come together over
meals — 4 made by one group and 4 made by the other group — to "get to know each
other as eo oole rather than as an `other"')
o Other subcommittee members agree that food could be a good way to bring
people together in conversation
• The group agrees that Goals 1 & 2, as outlined in the strategic planning session, make
sense. Discussion around what activities might best help meet these goals.
• Activity ideas for Goal 1 — Increasing engagement activities with the community:
o Coffee with the Commission (similar to Coffee with a Cop events)
o Tabling at public events (ideas included University of Iowa Freshman Orientation,
Iowa City Farmer's Market)
o Listening posts at the park
o "Checkout" a human (a.k.a. the human library) —where individuals can learn
more about others' diverse experiences and backgrounds
Activity ideas for Goal 2 — Increasing knowledge of local ordinances, discrimination, and
human rights:
o Dedicated brochure for the human rights ordinance (do we have one of these
already?)
o Leverage previous activities (from Goal 1) to educate on local ordinances,
discrimination, and human rights
• Several members wonder if commissioners could have more casual t-shirts to represent
the HRC at events/activities in the community (less formal, more approachable)
• Adjourned at 8:45PM
Breaking Bread Subcommittee Meeting 6/16/22 2:10PM
Members Present. Jason Glass, Ashley Lindley, and Mark Pries
Agenda:
• Summary of last meeting's discussion
• Further discussion to clarify subcommittee goals/purpose
• Adjourn
Minutes:
• Members continued discussion on activities to achieve Goal #1 and what that might look
like.
• Tabling at the Farmer's Market (May -Oct)
■ Wouldn't have to be every market or even for the whole time. Could table
as commissioners are available. Might be able to set up a table in the
park area adjacent to the market.
■ Downsides: Not a lot of diversity at the downtown location. Wednesday
night market discontinued.
■ Would the Diversity Market on Saturdays be a better option (in order to
reach folks we don't usually reach)?
• Tabling - Capacity/Scheduling
■ Jason suggested we reach out to former commissioners to see if they
would be willing to help table at events and inform community members
about human rights issues, etc.
• Suggestion that we do a gathering/event with HRC alums first,
and then unveil the idea for the collaboration at that event and
recruit on -site
o Mark offered to track down a list of former HRC
commissioners from Stefanie
o Jason offered to host the event
■ Discussion about how many events it is appropriate to table, given
commissioners' full schedules and current obligations
• The group settled on 5 events per year as a good number to
propose to the whole commission, with the following proposed
event distribution:
0 1x Iowa City Farmer's Market
0 1x Diversity Market
0 1x University of Iowa Freshman Orientation
0 1x Party at the Park
0 1x Coffee with the Commision and/or Check Out a Human
(Human Library)
Clarified initial proposal to attend and/or host -1 event each month
July through October to see how that workload feels before
settling on a committed annual number of events
• Adjourned at 3:10PM
Late Handout(s)
Agenda Item 7
In August 2021, the Iowa City Human Rights Commission unanimously passed a resolution urging the
Iowa City Council to provide American Rescue Plan funds to provide direct payments to those who did
not receive federal stimulus payments during the pandemic.
Nearly one year later, much of that goal has been accomplished. Through funds provided primarily by
Johnson County and Iowa City, over 1,900 payments of $1,400 have been approved for distribution this
month. While that should certainly be celebrated, the work is not done. Due to expanding the eligibility
for payments to those who had received previous stimulus payments who were still in need (a laudable
goal) and guidelines limiting certain funds be spent in specific ways, 319 applicants deemed eligible
were notified they would not be receiving a payment. This includes people who did not receive previous
federal payments as well, making this news particularly difficult.
We urge all entities, the county and city councils within Johnson County, to come together to rectify this
gap. We know that each entity can articulate reasons that they have done enough or that others have
not, but that line of thinking does not solve the problem. The people who were not selected should be
the priority. They are people that contribute to our communities in total, not just the city limits they
reside in or out of. Where they work, where their children go to school, and where they spend their
money all cross city boundaries. They make Johnson County and all its municipalities a more vibrant
place to live. They are our neighbors.
We hope that all communities of Johnson County can find a funding solution, which can be
accomplished with under $500K. This is less than 1% of the total ARPA funds allocated to Johnson
County entities in total. We, the members of the Iowa City Human Rights Commission offer any
assistance we can in finding that solution.
Sent from Mail for Windows
Agenda Item 11c
City Councilors,
On behalf of the Iowa City Human Rights Commission, I'm pleased to share with you that we have
recently completed a strategic planning process to guide our future work. The following is a summary of
that work and how it directly relates to yours.
Commission members spent over 8 hours together in 3 sessions outside of our regular monthly
meetings to discuss our priorities and goals. These sessions were facilitated by Jennifer Horn -Frasier and
were preceded by community input regarding the commission, it's effectiveness and community
perceptions. We also reviewed our charter to assure we were staying true to the direction given to us by
current and past city councils.
Though there were several positive outcomes of that work, I will focus on the three strategic areas we
decided on going forward. These will become our permanent committees and drive what we do.
1. Breaking Bread- Bringing people together to learn from one another and practice creating
community across previous lines of tension, focusing on individuals.
2. Regular Reciprocal Relationships- Developing deeper relationships with other community
organizations, including human rights nonprofits, other government commissions, and schools
to more effectively advance human rights in our community.
3. Bridging the Gap- Developing stronger individual and collective relationships with the city
council.
We believe these strategic areas match well with our charter and will guide the work we do going
forward. I know I speak for the commission that we are very proud of what we've established through
this process.
I will specifically draw your attention to the third area, as it most directly involves you. We all look
forward to furthering this goal through regular communication with you. You can look forward to
hearing from individual commission members periodically to schedule time to chat. We hope you are
open to getting to know us and discussing issues important to Iowa City. Conversely, we hope you see us
as a resource for your work and reach out to discuss current events and issues you are addressing.
You can find additional detail and background info in the attached report. If you have questions or wish
to discuss any part of our work, please don't hesitate to contact any member of the commission.
Thank you for your time in reading this, your support for the commission and your future engagement
with us.
Sincerely,
Jason Glass
Chair, Iowa City Human Rights Commission
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