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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - June 28, 2021, AHRC MinutesMinutes AMES HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION Conference Room 235 City Hall, 515 Clark Avenue Monday, June 28, 2021 Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 5:34pm by Chair Jahmai Fisher. Members Present: Wayne Clinton, Jahmai Fisher, Lynette Plander, Madesh Samanu Member(s) Absent: Leslie Ginder Staff Liaison: Deb Schildroth Welcome New AHRC Member, Lynette Plander: Introductions were made. Approval of Minutes: Moved by Samanu, seconded by Clinton to approve the minutes of the May 27th, 2021 meeting. Public Forum: There was no one present for public forum. Follow Up/Comments to Participation in the June 8th See Yourself in Ames Program: Chair Fisher gave an overview of the event noting the overall success of the Commission’s participation. There was great discussion with lots of knowledge shared and many well represented stake holders. Fisher stated that she believes this event was definitely a step in the right direction for Commission involvement in the community. Clinton noted he was overall very proud and was glad to have the opportunity to be a part of such a great program. Samanu stated agreement with Clinton noting that he is looking forward to the Commission participating in more similar events. Clinton shared a suggestion for future events stating that the Commission would have better outreach if they were able to have pamphlets to hand out in advance as he observed students being reluctant to approach the table after the panel discussion. Joint Meeting with City Council and Presentation of the 2020 Annual Report: Chair Fisher reviewed the date, time, and location of the meeting before shifting to discussing the structure of the meeting and the logistics of the Commission’s presentation. Repainting of Inclusive Crosswalk: Assistant City Manager Schildroth gave an overview of the process the City went through in 2019 to paint the inclusive crosswalk and requested the Commission’s involvement in the repainting event that will take place later this year. All Commission members present expressed great interest in being a participant in the repainting noting that they would like to help with the actual painting as well. Assistant City Manager Schildroth stated that she would provide the Commission with updates as the planning for the event progressed . Postings and Social Media Content: The Commission reviewed the content that had been posted since the last meeting. All members present agreed that a formal post welcoming Plander to the Commission and introducing her to community members would serve as the social media item for July. Time was taken to discuss the basis of developing content and ideas for future content. After many ideas were discussed, Commission members agreed to think about the logistics of bringing their ideas to life. Chair Fisher requested to continue this discussion next meeting with the intent to get more plans in place. Commissioner Announcements: Time was dedicated to discussing the new Iowa Legislation concerning Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity training with Commission members noting the interest to stay informed on this topic. Clinton shared that activities are being planned to celebrate and honor Jack Trice on the 100th anniversary noting that Commission involvement would be appreciated at the event. Clinton will provide updates to the Commission as he knows more. With more in-person events being available for the Commission to attend, attendance expectations were reviewed. At this time, Assistant City Manager Schildroth shared that Commissioner Leslie Ginder resigned from the Commission effective immediately. City staff will begin looking for someone to fill her role. Commission members agreed that advertising this vacancy would serve as another social media item for July. Next Meeting: July 22nd, 2021 at 5:30 pm. Adjournment: Moved by Chair Fisher to adjourn the meeting at 6:45 pm.