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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - August 26, 2021, AHRC MinutesMinutes AMES HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION Conference Room 235 City Hall, 515 Clark Avenue Thursday, August 26, 2021 Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 5:30pm by Chair Jahmai Fisher. Members Present: Chunhui Chen, Jahmai Fisher, Lynette Plander, Wayne Clinton Member(s) Absent: Madesh Samanu Staff Liaison: Deb Schildroth Guests: Grayden Wilson, City of Ames Media Productions Approval of Minutes: Moved by Chen, seconded by Clinton to approve the minutes of the July 22, 2021 meeting. Motion carried unanimously. Public Forum: There was no one present for public forum. Grayden Wilson, City of Ames Media Production Services, attended the meeting to film portions of the meeting for promotional material. Discussion About New Date/Time of AHRC Meetings: Chair Fisher shared that she has stepped into a new professional role that does not conflict with the current meeting time. She stated that as long as no other Commissioners have a conflict, the meeting times will remain as scheduled. Review FY 2021-22 Budget and Determine Potential Purchases: As a follow-up to the Commission’s desire to increase participation at community events, Assistant City Manager Schildroth presented a vertical banner stand to the Commission. Clinton started the discussion by stating a favorable opinion of the banner. He noted that the banner would help to draw immediate attention from passersby while also being convenient to carry and set up. His concerns revolved around what would be included on the banner in terms of pictures and text. Assistant City Manager Schildroth stated that it would be best to stick to a design that would be long-lasting. Chen stated agreement to the long-lasting design, also noting that it would be his preference to keep the banner design as simple as possible. He stated that this could be done with the addition of a concise description of the Commission followed by the website link. Chair Fisher expressed the desire for the photos to properly capture the Ames Community with the themes of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in mind. Chair Fisher also noted that the Commission’s email address may also be a beneficial item to include on the banner. Circling back, Chair Fisher also noted that she agrees with Clinton in terms of convenience. She stated that one thing she really enjoys about this option is that the Commission would not need a table at an event to have it on display. Assistant City Manager Schildroth noted that the banner would stick to the City branded color scheme and that mockups could be made for the Commission to review. Moved by Chair Fisher, seconded by Plander to pursue the creation of a banner that encapsulates the mission of the Ames Human Relations Commission. Motion carried unanimously. Chair Fisher shifted the discussion to swag items that the Commission may be interested in purchasing to hand out at community even ts. She would prefer that these items serve a purpose, like magnetic chip clips, pens, or a large ticket raffle item. Chen expressed favor towards pens stating that they are always a popular item that can be branded with the Commission’s mission statement and email or website. Plander mentioned fold up frisbees as a fun item for younger students. Chen inquired if one item would be used across events, or if the Commission would purchase different items to tailor to the audience of each event. Assistant City Manager Schildroth said that the Commission has the option of how they want to move forward with their purchases; however, she noted that the City has been working toward distributing more sustainable items as to avoid th ings going straight to the Resource Recovery Plant or the landfill. She stated that items including chip clips, pens, reusable bags, and t-shirts are all popular items that people generally use. With this though, Chair Fisher, elaborated on a large ticket raffle item. She walked the Commission through her thought process stating that the Commission could establish a slogan, such as “Exceptional quality of life for everyone”, a piggyback off of the City’s slogan. They could then use this slogan to promote discussion questions, such as “What does quality of life mean to you?”. In order to be entered into the raffle, the event attendee would have to answer this question, which would also help get peop le to engage with the Commission. Clinton stated that he liked this idea because the Commission needs to test the market before making a financial investment and needs to get people to come to the table to start a discussion. Chen commented that the topics the Commission coverers are sometimes difficult to talk about. He stated that it would be advantageous to have an updated brochure that helped cover such topics in a more positive manner. He thought that topics such as the history of diversity in Iowa or fact sheets that include the contributions different ethnic backgrounds have made would be a way to make these topics easier to discuss. The Commission took time to review the print materials they have to inform the community about the Commission and what revisions they may want to make moving forward. The Commission rounded out their discussion on potential purchases with agreement that they have a shared vision of the direction they want to go. The conversation shifted to the next community event they would like to participate in. All agreed that the Ames Downtown Farmers’ Market would be a good venue. Moved by Clinton, seconded by Plander to explore attending the Ames Downtown Farmers’ Market on October 16, 2021. Motion carried unanimously. Potential Changes to Iowa Code Regarding Gender Identity: Clinton received communication from Senator Herman C. Quirmbach regarding potential changes to the Iowa Code regarding Gender Identity. Clinton briefed the Commission about the changes and what this means for Ames. Commission members agreed to research these changes to determine what they can do to support the members of the community who would potentially be affected. Postings and Social Media Content: Chair Fisher briefly reviewed the discussion from the previous meeting regarding social engagement before shifting the conversation to future planning. • Plan the Welcome Back Video for ISU Students (September): Chair Fisher stated that she will being working on adapting a script for the video. She is estimating that each Commission member will recite four to five sentences. She would like the Commission to appear casual and inviting, thus everyday clothes would be appropriate. Chair Fisher noted that this video will be posted by the end of the month . Assistant City Manager Schildroth stated that a scheduled can be arranged with the Media Production Services team so the Commission would be able to sign up for a time to record their portion of the video. • Plan for Latinx Heritage Month (September 15 – October 15): Chair Fisher commented that Latinx Heritage Month is September 15 – October 15. With the time frame approaching quickly, she expressed the desire to have the project be realistic and doable of the Commission members. Chen stated that the Commission could showcase local individuals who identify as part of the Latinx community. The Commission discussed ideas on how to make this possible. After much discussion, it was decided that the Commission members would reach out to individuals they know who might be interested in participating. They will request that the individual provides a photo of themselves along with a statement that answers the question “What do you love most about your culture?”. Commissioner Announcements: Assistant City Manager Schildroth informed the Commission that City Council voted at their last meeting to paint an inclusive crosswalk in Campustown at Chamberlain and Welch. The timeline of when this project will be completed is still being discussed. Schildroth noted that she will provide updates to the Commission as she knows more. Next Meeting: September 23, 2021 at 5:30 pm. Adjournment: Moved by Chair Fisher, seconded by Plander to adjourn the meeting at 6:47 pm.