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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - December 17, 2021, AHRC MinutesMinutes AMES HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION Meeting held via Zoom Friday, December 17, 2021 Members of the Commission gathered electronically on Friday, December 17, 2021, to continue the meeting that was abruptly adjourned due to forecasted inclement weather. Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 11:00 a.m. by Chair Jahmai Fisher. Members present were Wayne Clinton, Chunhui Chen, and Jahmai Fisher. City of Ames Staff Liaison Deb Schildroth was also present. Members absent were Lynette Plander and Madesh Samanu. Public Forum: Chair Fisher opened public forum. No one was present to speak, and Chair Fisher closed public forum. Selection of Humanitarian Award recipient and Authorizat ion of Award Production: Moved by Clinton, seconded by Chen to award both nominees, Anneke Mundel and the COVID -19 Emergency Fund for Story County Immigrants, the 2022 Humanitarian Award. Chair Fisher called for discussion. Clinton elaborated that both nominees met all of the criteria and show worthiness for receiving the award. Additionally, Clinton noted that the group nomination paired with the unprecedented pandemic, brings in a collection of individuals who embody the giving spirit and are trying to do a humanitarian effort. Chair Fisher expressed agreement and stated agreement on behalf of Samanu as well, who submitted his thoughts via email as he was not able to join the meeting. Chair Fisher raised the question of how the Commission would move forward with awarding both nominees given budgetary restrictions. Chen agreed that both nominees should be recognized. He noted that the second nominee should be recognized as a group and not one individual from the organization. Assistant City Manager Schildroth noted that funds allocated to the Home for Everyone Award could be reduced from three awards to two awards, allowing the remaining funds to be allocated to increasing the Humanitarian Award from one award to two awards. Chair Fisher stated that she supports the idea of making a line item transfer from the Home for Everyone award. Chair fisher called for a vote on the motion to award both nominees, Anneke Mundel and the COVID-19 Emergency Fund for Story County Immigrants, the 2022 Humanitarian Award. Motion carried unanimously. Moved by Clinton, seconded by Chen to transfer a line item from A Home for Everyone award to fund up to $75 for the costs of the second Humanitarian Award. Motion carried unanimously. Moved by Chair Fisher, seconded by Clinton to authorize the production of the two awards. Motion carried unanimously. Assistant City Manager Schildroth noted that City Staff will place the order, requesting that Chair Fisher will pick up and present the award at the Marin Luther King Jr. Celebration Event. Chair Fisher stated she will communicate with the awardees as to when and where the awards will be presented. Martin Luther King, Jr 2022 Celebration Event Update: Clinton briefed the Commission on the progress of the Committee. The event will be held on Monday, January 17, 2022 at the Ames Middle School Auditorium and will be streamed for virtual attendees. Clinton noted that he would love to see the Commission send a recognition to the MLK committee for their many years of service and making this event available to the community. Chair Fisher thanked Clinton for providing that information and stated agreement in recognizing the planning Committee for their service. Chair Fisher noted that she would like to give verbal recognition by giving a minute long acknowledgement before segueing into the Humanitarian Award Presentation and requested that Clinton provide assistance in putting the acknowledgement together. Moved by Chair Fisher, seconded by Clinton to formally recognize the planning Com mittee for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration Event for their efforts to present the event to the Ames Community. Motion carried unanimously. Discussion of AHRC Involvement with Black History Month and the Ames Public Library: Chair Fisher gave an overview to the Commission noting that typically the Ames Public Library facilitates programming in light of Black History Month. Last year, the Library hosted virtual readings in which community members read children’s books written by Black authors. Chair Fisher stated she was able to participate last year and though that there is an opportunity for the Commission to get involved in this programming. Chair Fisher opened discussion on how to collaborate with the Ames Public Library in this programming. Clinton stated he likes the idea of the Commission being able to collaborate on this type of programming, noting that having a presence is important and appropriate. Clinton stated that he would like to participate in any such way, with a minimum being present at the event and volunteering. Chair Fisher noted she would like to find a way to celebrate Black voices in Ames. She thought the Commission could do this by highlighting and talking about obscure Black experience that aren’t typically celebrated such as Black folks in the arts. Clinton noted that he thinks the concept is a good idea and that it would be important to brainstorm who the Commission would ask to participate. He noted prominent Ames Community members including Anita Rollins and Edna Clinton. Moved by Chair Fisher, seconded by Chen to recognize and honor Black History Month by celebrating Black voices in the Ames community in a social media campaign similar to the one hosted by the Commission for Latinx Heritage Month. The Commission continued the discussion of possible participants while also clarifying the logistics of the project. Postings and Social Media Content: Chair Fisher noted that December and January are typically quieter months and thinks is a good time for the Commi ssion to take a break for social media before ramping back up in February. She noted that a recognition post from the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration Event would be appropriate. Chen noted that the Chinese New Year begins February 1, 2022. He stated that this time would be a good opportunity to recognize local members of the Chinese community. The Commission members discussed the logistics of promoting this content and the timeline to complete it given that the next scheduled AHRC meeting is January 27, 2022. Clinton noted that he sees the importance of recognizing the Chinese New Year. He stated he would desire to have a post to push out prior to or on February 1, 2022 to which the Commission could build on during the duration of celebration. Clinton asked Chen if he would be able to reach out to community members to set this project in motion. Chen noted that he would be able to and would also prepare a statement for the Commission to review. Moved by Clinton, seconded by Chen to authorize moving forward with the planning and preparation of social media content to recognize and celebrate the Chinese New Year, and call a Special Meeting of the Ames Human Relations Commission to meet via Zoom to check in on progress prior to the regularly scheduled meeting. Motion carried unanimously. Chair Fisher tabled discussion of revisions to the AHRC Bookmark and Fact Sheet. Commissioner Announcements: Assistant City Manager noted that discussion on when to have the Bridge Home as a guest at a meeting will be had when more Commission members are present. Next Meeting: January 14, 2022, Special Planning Meeting January 27, 2022, Regular Scheduled Meeting Adjournment: Moved by Chair Fisher to adjourn at 12:04 p.m.