HomeMy WebLinkAboutTRC Agenda 4 6 23
Ad Hoc Truth and Reconciliation Commission Agenda
Thursday, April 6, 2023, 7 PM
Emma J. Harvat Hall
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 below link. Please note that the meeting link and ID
for the first Thursday of each month is different than the link and ID for the third Thursday of each
month.
First Thursday Meetings https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_cMIaaV6cTxGwOlWu2-hFHg
ID: 867 2424 8095
Third Thursday Meetings https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_lcIl8llPSRq1u0xPlL-1Ew
ID: 895 3695 0485
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. READING OF NATIVE AMERICAN LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
3. APPROVAL OF MEETING MINUTES FROM MARCH 2, 2023
4. PUBLIC COMMENT ON ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA (TRC MEMBERS SHALL NOT ENGAGE IN
DISCUSSION WITH THE PUBLIC CONCERNING SAID ITEMS)
5. PRESENTATION ON ARPA FUNDS FOR INCLUSIVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
6. FACILITATOR SERVICES PROPOSAL AND CONTRACT
7. CORRESPONDENCE
8. ICCSD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PERFORMANCE INCIDENT UPDATES
9. ANNOUNCEMENTS OF COMMISSIONERS/STAFF (TRC MEMBERS SHALL NOT ENGAGE IN
DISCUSSION WITH ONE ANOTHER CONCERNING SAID ANNOUNCEMENTS)
10. ADJOURNMENT
MEETING PACKET CONTENTS:
1. NATIVE AMERICAN LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT
2. DRAFT MEETING MINUTES (MARCH 2, 2023)
3. RESOLUTION 20-288
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.
March 2, 2023
Draft Ad Hoc Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Minutes
Emma J. Harvat Hall, City Hall
Commissioners present: Chastity Dillard, Sikowis Nobiss (on Zoom), Wangui Gathua, Marie Krebs,
Lauren Merritt, Kevo Rivera, Eric Harris (on Zoom).
Commissioners absent: Mohamed Traore, Clif Johnson.
Staff present: Stefanie Bowers, Eric Goers.
Community members who spoke at the meeting: Representatives from University of Iowa
Student Government including, the city liaison would like the opportunity to talk about the work
of the TRC and just keep conversations going between the two groups.
Recommendation to City Council: No.
Meeting called to order: 7:07 pm.
Reading of Native American Land Acknowledgement: Merritt read the Land Acknowledgement.
Approval of Minutes from February 2, 2023: Merritt moved, and Rivera seconded.
Motion passed 7-0.
ICCSD Elementary School Performance Incident: Krebs met with the Equity Committee on March
1. School staff reported that they will be holding a series of professional development trainings
for educators. School staff also reported that the book “Rethinking Columbus: The Next 500
Years” will be supplied to staff.
As a part of this discussion, TRC members would like to have a talk with the city on how they can
abolish Columbus Day.
Facilitator Services Proposal: City Attorney Eric Goers went over the four draft agreements with
commissioners. The discussion included what information the city still needed from the
facilitators which primarily relates to compensation. The facilitators have been reviewing the
draft agreements and plan to get the financial figures to the city within the next few days. Goers
also spoke briefly on the concern that when persons begin to come forward to tell their “truths”
that there is a possibility of exposure to the city from defamation claims.
Books and Materials Sent by Divided Communities: This item will be discussed at the next
meeting date of the TRC. Gathua has found the materials to be extremely helpful for her service
as a commissioner.
Andre Wright Proposal: The TRC would like to be come up with a formal process by which local
organizations can request financial support from them. Like the grants on racial equity that are
reviewed by the Human Rights Commission. This led to a larger talk on spaces that they could
hold future meetings, spaces that are felt to be safe.
Correspondence: No discussion or activity took place under this agenda item.
Commission Announcements: Krebs mentioned the 29 anti-LGBTQ+ pieces of legislation
currently being considered at the state capital. Dillard invited everyone to the Pheasant Ridge
Women’s History Month Open House being held on March 24 from 6-8 PM. Nobiss and Great
Plains Action Society will be recognized on March 8 at the Night of 1000 Dinners. Rivera noted to
be mindful of the numerous religious and cultural commemorations occurring over the next few
months. Gathua will be traveling to Kenya in the fall of 2023 and is requesting hygiene products
and shoes to take to the youth there.
Adjourned: 9:16 PM.
City Board and Commission meetings are recorded and can be viewed in their entirety by
visiting this link.
AD HOC TRUTH & RECONCILIATION COMMISSION
ATTENDANCE RECORD
YEAR 2023
(Meeting Date)
NAME
TERM
EXP.
1/5 1/19 2/2 3/2 3/16 4/6 4/20 5/4 5/18 6/1 6/15
Dillard 6/23 P P P P
Gathua 6/23 A P P P
Harris 6/23 P P P P
Johnson 6/23 P A P A
Krebs 6/23 P P P P
Merritt 6/23 P P P P
Nobiss 6/23 P A P P
Rivera 6/23 P A P P
Traore 6/23 P P P A
KEY: P = Present
A = Absent
Prepared by: Council members Janice Weiner and Laura Bergus
Resolution No. 20-228
Resolution establishing Ad Hoc Truth and Reconciliation Commission
Whereas, in Resolution No. 20-159 (Initial Commitments addressing the Black Lives Matter
Movement and Systemic Racism in the wake of the murder of George Floyd by the Minneapolis Police and calls for action from protesters and residents), the Iowa City City Council resolved as
follows:
By October 1, 2020, create an ad hoc Truth and Reconciliation Commission to bear
witness to the truth of racial injustice in Iowa City and to carry out restorative justice,
through the collection of testimony and public hearings, with such work to include a recommendation to the Council of a plan for dedicating and/or renaming public spaces
and/or rights of way in honor of the Black Lives Matter movement; and,
Whereas, the City Council committed to allocate City funds of $1,000,000 during the present Fiscal Year to support Resolution 20-159, which includes a variety of initiatives, among them the
Truth and Reconciliation Commission; and,
Whereas, truth and reconciliation underscores the imperative that confronting and reckoning with the past is necessary for successful transitions from conflict, injustice, resentment and
tension to peace, equality and connectedness; and,
Whereas, while we acknowledge that other forms of injustice and challenges have occurred over the course of the history of the city of Iowa City, the focus of this Commission is on race;
and,
Whereas, the City Council acknowledges the existence of painful, systemic, persistent, and varied forms of racial injustice in Iowa City, and acknowledges that such injustice persists
despite past efforts to address it, consistent with observations that systemic racism and white privilege are deeply resistant to change; and,
Whereas, the Iowa City community must look comprehensively into its past and bear witness to
the truth of racial injustice in order to provide the best possible foundation for moving into a future of equity based on healing and hope; and,
Whereas, the City Council recognizes that, for a Truth and Reconciliation process to be
meaningful, it must include bold action to confront privilege, stimulate difficult conversations, and reach and engage a full cross-section of the community, including those in the community not inclined to engage or resistant to engagement; and,
Whereas, a comprehensive process will require that City of Iowa City departments and the City Council itself participate, including individual councilors, in good faith, in the process and to
actively encourage broad participation throughout the community, and the City Council hereby
commits to such participation and encouragement; and,
Whereas, creation of an Ad Hoc Truth and Reconciliation Commission is in the best interests of
the City and its residents.
Now, Therefore, Be It Resolved by the City Council of the City of Iowa City, that:
1.The Ad Hoc Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) is hereby established.
Resolution No. 20-228
Page 2
2. The TRC shall have nine members who are representative of the City's BIPOC
communities and organizations, including those who have direct lived experience with
systemic racism, as well as experts who support those communities. To the extent
possible, as determined by the City Council, the TRC shall include representation from
groups such as the Iowa Freedom Riders, the Black Voices Project, the South District
Neighborhood Association, the Iowa City Human Rights Commission, and the
Community Police Review Board. Johnson County residency is required. Iowa City
residency is preferred but not required if an applicant offers expertise or representation
not available from applicants who reside in Iowa City. Members of other City boards and
commissions are eligible to serve on the TRC.
3. Applications for membership on the TRC shall be announced, advertised, and available in
the same manner as those for all City boards and commissions.
4. The TRC shall select the Chair, who when present will preside over all meetings, and the
Vice -Chair, who will serve as chair in the absence of the Chair.
5. Within the charges of the TRC set forth herein, the TRC is not required to seek approval
from the City Council, mayor, or city manager to set its own agenda and prioritize its
activities.
6. The TRC shall be facilitated by an independent consultant, funded by the City, with
expertise in group facilitation and human rights, and to the extent possible, experience
with diversity, implicit bias, mediation and conflict resolution, until such time as the TRC
concludes by the favorable vote of at least three-fourths of all the members of the TRC
7/9) that facilitation is no longer needed.
7. To conform with the requirements of laws pertaining to open meetings and public records
and to facilitate transparency and public education and participation, administrative/clerical
assistance and media/event assistance shall be provided by City staff as determined by
the City Manager and City Clerk. Media assistance may be supplemented by outside
expertise on a case-by-case basis if the Commission believes it will substantially expand
outreach.
8. The TRC shall determine the frequency and conduct of its meetings. The meetings will
be open to the public and conducted in accordance with Chapter 21 of the Iowa Code.
Records, documentation, and communications of the TRC will be public records under
Chapter 22 of the Iowa Code.
9. The TRC shall serve from the date of appointment of all members to June 30, 2022. The
TRC shall have an organizational meeting no later than 30 days after the appointment of
all members.
10. Within 90 days of its organizational meeting, the TRC shall recommend to City Council a
preliminary budget for funds needed to carry out the charges of the TRC beyond what
existing City staff, programs, and services can provide.
11. The charges of the TRC are as follows:
A. Fact -Finding The TRC shall collect evidence, including first-hand testimony, of
discrimination and racial injustice in multiple settings and compile a complete
record of racial injustices that will inform and support the fundamental institutional
and policy reforms necessary to address systemic racism.
Resolution No. 20-228
Page 3
B. Truth -Telling The TRC shall: 1) Provide multiple fora and creative opportunities
for persons impacted and traumatized by racial injustice to share their stories of
racial injustice and experience to be heard by: (a) fellow communities of color; (b) a
broad cross section of the entire Iowa City community; and (c) key decision -
makers in city government, the business community and the University; 2) Explore
ways to provide such opportunities through art, music, theater, workshops, rallies
and other forms of congregation, multimedia and listening designed to reveal truths
that cannot be fully expressed in traditional fora; and, 3) Create a repository for
community stories expressed in multiple media (written, video, audio, art) that can
be catalogued and used to educate and inform members of the community.
C. Reconciliation The TRC shall: 1) Provide opportunity for and facilitate direct
conversation among and between community members of color, white community
members and representatives of various sectors in which people of color
experience discrimination and injustice (e.g. police and protesters, landlords and
tenants, students and teachers, patients and health care providers, business
owners and staff); 2) Create a replicable model that provides a structure for
enabling these conversations throughout the city; 3) Make available opportunities
for a broad cross section of the community to learn about discrimination and racial
injustice in our community; and, 4) Identify and recommend to the City Council
institutional and policy reforms, new social practices, expectations, protocols,
habits, rituals, conversations and celebrations that will move Iowa City toward a
shared experience of race and difference, justice and equity and community and
harmony.
12. The TRC shall strive to provide a safe and supportive space for its work, premised on
mutual respect, and shall conduct its work so as to promote healing and justice. The TRC
shall consider the possibility of adverse actions against those who participate in its work.
The TRC shall carefully consider mechanisms to protect participants, and shall work to
support those who allege harm due to their participation in the TRC process.
13. The TRC shall submit periodic updates to City Council to include, but not be limited to: its
plans for community education; recommendations for Council action; requests for
resources the TRC needs to carry out its work; and recommendations to dedicate and/or
rename public spaces and/or rights of way in honor of the Black Lives Matter movement.
14. By May 1, 2022 the TRC shall submit to City Council:
A. A report summarizing the work of the TRC.
B. A repository of community stories expressed in multiple media (written, video,
audio, art).
C. Recommendations to the City Council for: 1) Institutional and policy reforms to end
systemic racism; 2) Opportunities to create new social practices, expectations,
protocols, habits, rituals and celebrations that will move Iowa City toward a shared
experience of race and difference, justice and equity and community and
harmony; 3) Measures to enhance the autonomy/security/sovereignty of
communities of color and mitigate disparities in social and economic power; and 4)
A recommendation on whether and in what form the work of the Commission
should continue.
15. At any time in its work, and no later than June 30, 2022, the TRC shall strive to submit to
City Council a replicable model and structure for conversations between people of color
Resolution No. 20-228
Page 4
and white community members and representatives of various sectors in which people of
color experience discrimination and injustice.
16. Absent further action by the City Council, the TRC will dissolve on June 30, 2022.
Passed and approved this 15 day of September, 2020.
ted by
City Attorney's Office - 09/10/2020