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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - October 24, 2024, AHRC MinutesMinutes AMES HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION Conference Room 235 City Hall, 515 Clark Avenue Thursday, October 24, 2024 Call to Order: Commissioner Wayne Clinton called the meeting to order at 5:36 p.m. Commissioners Annabella Marquez, Pablo Suarez Beltran, and Marty Martinez and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Coordinator Casandra Eames were also present. Commissioners Shawn Kenny and Brennan Sorkin were absent. Public Forum: Chair Chen opened and closed the Public Forum when no one came to speak. Walking Tours of Black History in Ames: Coordinator Eames introduced Charles Pearson, Trail Manager for the Iowa African American Heritage Trail. Manager Pearson shared about Black history in Iowa and his plan for including Ames in a multi-modal trail highlighting Black history in central Iowa. Chair Chunhui Chen entered the meeting at approximately 5:45 p.m. Commissioners Clinton and Beltran expressed interest in helping to organize an opening event for the trail. Coordinator Eames planned to share Manager Pearson’s contact information with the group. Feedback from 50th Anniversary Celebration: Commissioner Marquez expressed disappointment with low attendance at the event. Commissioner Clinton emphasized that personal invitations are more effective than City announcements and encouraged the commissioners to step up their individual outreach. Chair Chen concurred. Commissioner Beltran noted that the location was not conducive to much drop-in traffic. Coordinator Eames encouraged the commissioners that this was a good learning experience as their first independently organized event. Commissioner Beltran suggested tracking event planning for future reference and developing a guest list to send out direct invitations. Humanitarian Award Advertising: Coordinator Eames reviewed what was already being done to promote the award. The commissioners discussed sending out a direct email advertising the award and developed a contact list. Chair Chen planned to draft the message for staff to send out and encouraged each commissioner to share the award with their personal networks. Kate Mitchell Multicultural Night: The Commission will have a table at the event on November 12 from 5:30-7:00 p.m. Commissioner Beltran volunteered to be the secondary point person, as Commissioner Marquez would be out of town. Symposium on Building Inclusive Organizations: Coordinator Eames explained that this event is co-sponsored by the City of Ames, Iowa State University, and the Chamber of Commerce each November. Two of the primary organizers are no longer with the organizations, so the event is changing from a symposium to an inclusive breakfast, expected to be held in December. Discussion of AHRC Mission Statement: Coordinator Eames shared the examples of past handouts that had been discontinued because the commissioners did not feel that the description matched the mission of the commission. She also noted the mismatch between some parts of the ordinance governing the commission and the current activities and priorities of the commission. It was decided to continue discussing and developing a new mission statement at future meetings, along with review of the ordinance. Commissioner Martinez volunteered to be the point person for reviewing the ordinance, planning to bring back suggested changes at the December meeting. Commissioner Announcements: None. Next Meeting: Thursday, November 14, 2024 Adjournment: Commissioner Clinton adjourned the meeting at 7:37 p.m.