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Home My WebLink About02-28-2023 Human Rights CommissionHuman Rights Commission February 28, 2023 Formal 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 Acknowledgment 3. Approval of January 24, 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. Racial Equity & Social Justice Grant (Link to submissions for 2023) a. Recommendation & Vote 6. Commission Committee Overview, Assignments, Updates, Proclamations a. Building Bridges b. Reciprocal Relationships c. Breaking Bread 7. Staff Announcements 8. Commissioner Announcements (Commissioners shall not engage in discussion with one another concerning said announcements) 9. Adjournment IiT4��IR�l17Sy:1�(d�7�114�16� 1. AGENDA: TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2023 2. NATIVE AMERICAN LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT 4. DRAFT MINUTES: JANUARY 24, 2023 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.ora. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your access needs. 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. Draft Minutes Human Rights Commission January 24, 2023 Helling Conference Room Commissioners present: Sylvia Jons, Bijou Maliabo, Jahnavi Pandya, Roger Lusala, Ahmed Ismail, Doug Kollasch, Badri Kuku, Kelsey Paul Shantz, Suyun Channon. Staff present: Stefanie Bowers, Veronica May. Recommendation to City Council: No. Meeting called to order: 5:32 PM. Native American Land Acknowledgement: Kollasch read the Land Acknowledgement. Public comment of items not on the agenda: None. Approval of meeting minutes of November 22, 2022: Paul Shantz noted some grammatical errors that staff updated. Lusala moved, and Jons seconded. Motion passed 9-0. Elections for Chair and Vice Chair for 2023: Maliabo nominated Lusala, Kollasch seconded. Lusala accepted the nomination. Motion passed 9-0. Lusala nominated Jons, Paul Shantz seconded. Jons accepted the nomination. Motion passed 9-0. Correspondence Letter from Indigenous Community Members of Iowa City: The commission wants to be part of the solution and prevent incidents like this from reoccurring. Kollasch serves on the School District's Equity Committee and will follow up with them on the letter. Commissioners will actively seek to get information from the authors as to how the School Board responded. Letter from Coalition to Abolish Prison Slavery & Change U-Iowa English: Commissioners decided to take it under advisement. The correspondence was received a few hours prior to the meeting time and as a result, the commission has not had the opportunity to read it. Racial Equity and Social Justice Grant: Lusala went over the history of the grant and the process for evaluation. Four commissioners have conflicts and will not be participating. Kuku-Sudanese Center of Iowa City (member) Ismail -Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County (on the board) Pandya-United Action for Youth and IC Compassion (doing practicum and programming) Maliabo-Center for Worker Justice (on the board) Committee Updates: Breaking Bread —Kollasch Reciprocal Relationships — Lusala and Jons Building Bridges— Maliabo and Paul Shantz Lusala, Paul Shantz, and Kollasch went over the role of each committee. Staff noted that the facilitator for the strategic plan will be reaching out to members newly appointed to provide the context of the plan and the resulting committees. The commission will make appointments on the vacancies for the committees at its February meeting date. In the meantime, Kuku, Ismail, Channon, and Pandya will send staff their preferred committee appointment. Per direction from Mayor Teague, the commission will invite members of a specific community to come to accept proclamations with them at Council meetings. For example, for Black History Month, Lusala will reach out to the Black Voices Project. Ismail and Pandya volunteered to accept the proclamation alongside the Black Voices Project representatives. Announcements of commissioners: Lusala accepted the proclamation for Martin Luther King Day for the city and for Johnson County. Lusala also participated in the MILK march on January 16. Lusala, Jons, and Channon attended the Lunar New Year celebration held at The Englert Theatre. Jons has begun the second session of the Executive MBA program. Channon spoke on a Dragon & Lion Dance presented by the Iowa City Area Chinese Association at the Iowa City Public Library held on January 23. Kollasch attended a candlelight vigil for those who lost their lives in the LGBTQ nightclub shooting in November. Kollasch also mentioned two bills currently being considered by the Iowa legislature, House Files 8 & 9, related to gay and transgender youth. Kollasch attended Iowa's Justice Summit & Disparities held in Ankeny in December. Paul Shantz reminded commissioners that International Holocaust Remembrance Day is this Friday and that the First Cities Summit of the Americas will be held in April in Denver. Maliabo spoke on one of the world's longest wars occurring in DR Congo and the haunting effect that the war has had not only on persons still there but also on persons who have immigrated to the United States, specifically, to Iowa City to relocate. Announcements of staff: May highlighted the tour done by her with consumers of Caring Hands, participating in the MILK march and celebration held on January 16, and the new 988 suicide & crisis lifeline. She ended her comments by providing notice of upcoming EDI training for first responders. Bowers asked commissioners who have not yet signed up for orientation to contact her to schedule a time and provided the dates for the youth human rights commission awards, May 10, and the human rights awards breakfast, October 25. Adjourned: 8:05 PM. The meeting can be viewed at https://citychannel4.com/video.html?series=Local%20Government. N e N O N P N N a N r r N �L M N N N K x N M OC N N R o N