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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - October 28, 2021, AHRC MinutesMinutes AMES HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION Conference Room 235 City Hall, 515 Clark Avenue Thursday, October 28, 2021 Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 5:30pm by Chair Jahmai Fisher. Members Present: Wayne Clinton, Chunhui Chen, Jahmai Fisher, Lynette Plander, Madesh Samanu Member(s) Absent: None Staff Liaison: Deb Schildroth Guest: Yiqi Liang Approval of Minutes: Moved by Plander, seconded by Chen to approve the minutes of the September 23, 2021 meeting with a spelling change. Public Forum: Richard Deyo spoke with the Commission members to follow-up on the concerns he brought to their attention at the last meeting. He provided an update and received feedback from the Commission on how to best move forward before Chair Fisher closed Public Forum. YWCA International Friendship Fair Request: Assistant City Manager Schildroth introduced Yiqi Liang, Global Outreach Coordinator with YWCA Ames-ISU. Liang explained that the International Friendship Fair (IFF) is an event hosted by YWCA where international students dispel stereotypes and gain intercultural understanding of one another. These events are typically in-person, but YWCA is pursuing a virtual platform. YWCA is requested to partner with AHRC to promote IFF and spread the knowledge of international cultures. Clinton inquired about the logistics of the virtual platform . After discussion with Liang, Clinton stated that he believes this partnership fits into the overarching mission of AHRC and will have a positive outcome. Chair Fisher clarified the Commission’s role while Samanu commented on other available platforms to promote IFF. Moved by Clinton, seconded by Samanu to enter into a collaborative relationship with YWCA to promote the International Friendship Fair and provide access to the City’s Media Production Services resources. Motion carried unanimously. 2021 Symposium on Building Inclusive Organizations Update: Chair Fisher noted that the 2021 Symposium on Building Inclusive Organizations will be hosted at Gateway Conference Center and Hotel on Wednesday, November 10. Registration and breakfast are scheduled to begin at 7:00 am with the Symposium running from 7:30 am to 12:00 pm. Clinton stated that he has attended the event in the past, noting that it is a tremendous event with great speakers and is worthy of attending. Assistant City Manager Schildroth took the names of the Commission members who would like to attend and stated that she will forward the names to Vanessa Baker Latimer to register them. Martin Luther King, Jr 2022 Celebration Event Update: Assistant City Manager Schildroth reviewed the Commission’s normal involvement in the event and what additional items are being asked of the Commission for the 2022 celebration, including promoting the essay contest of the AHRC webpage and funding the prizes to award the contest winners. Clinton, as part of the planning committee for the event, discussed the logistics. The event is planned for the evening of January 17, 2022. The location is the Ames City Auditorium so that it may be televised on Channel 12. More details are to come. Moved by Chair Fisher, seconded by Samanu to work in collaboration with the Martin Luther King Jr. 2022 Celebration Event planning committee to utilize the AHRC webpage to advertise and promote the essay contest and utilize the AHRC email for submissions, as well as, set aside up to $300 to award prizes for the essay contest and up to $500 for the purchase of a cake for the event. Motion carried unanimously. Update on Banner Purchase: Assistant City Manager Schildroth gave a live demonstration of the banner. The Commission members expressed their excitement surrounding the purchase and Clinton inquired about having it on display at the 2021 Symposium on Building Inclusive Organizations. All Commission members agreed that it would be prefect to have at the event. Continued Discussion on Potential Changes to Iowa Code Regarding Gender Identity: Chair Fisher tabled this discussion for a future meeting and Assistant City Manager Schildroth provided an explanation, stating that she will be monitoring the legislative session and will notify the Commission if action needs to be taken. Postings and Social Media Content: Chair Fisher noted that September and November went really well for social media content. The Commission did a good job of being visible with active posts that provided open discourse. • Ideas: Chair Fisher stated that she would like to recognize two important items in November, Native American Heritage Month and Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. For Native American Heritage Month, Chair Fisher discussed doing a respective recognition by creating a post similar to the post the Commission put together for ISU Homecoming. For Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, Chair Fisher discussed putting together a series of graphics or videos, similar to what the Commission posted for Latinx Heritage Month, to educate on and destigmatize hunger and homeless. The Commission discussed the logistics of gathering and posting the content along with discussing the most effective way to achieve their strategic goal. Chen left the meeting at 6:46 pm. Moved by Chair Fisher, seconded by Clinton that via social media AHRC will acknowledge Native American Heritage Month and provide education and resources for Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. Motion carried unanimously. • AHRC Bookmark Revisions: Tabled discussion. • Fact Sheet: Tabled discussion. Commissioner Announcements: No announcements. Discuss Meeting Dates for November and December 2021: The Commission discussed possible meeting times for November and December with the considerations of upcoming holidays and the application deadline for the annual Humanitarian Award. Next Meeting: No meeting in November and December 15, 2021 at 5:30 pm. Adjournment: Moved by Samanu, seconded by Clinton to adjourn the meeting at 6:59 pm.