HomeMy WebLinkAboutA001 - 2024 Ames Human Relations Commission Annual ReportTo:Mayor and City Council
From:Casandra Eames, Staff Liaison to the Ames Human Relations
Commission
Date:November 18, 2025
Subject:2024 Ames Human Relations Commission Report
Item No. 1
MEMO
Please see the attached 2024 Annual Report, which was approved by the Ames
Human Relations Commission at its meeting on October 23, 2025.
ATTACHMENT(S):
2024 AHRC Annual Report.pdf
City Clerk's Office 515.239.5105 main
515.239.5142 fax
515 Clark Ave. P.O. Box 811
Ames, IA 50010
www.CityofAmes.org
1
2024 ANNUAL
REPORT
AMES HUMAN
RELATIONS COMMISSION
2
AMES HUMAN
RELATIONS COMMISSION
The Ames Human Relations Commission's (AHRC) mission is
to connect and support all communities in Ames by:
• providing opportunities for growth and engagement,
• focusing on building trust, respect, and shared goals for
the future,
• bridging gaps, celebrating differences, and building
unity, and
• championing equity and accessibility
through hosting, attending, and supporting local events.
CITY OF AMES MUNICIPAL CODE, CHAPTER 14:
The purpose of this chapter is to implement the provision of
the Iowa Civil Rights Act and to further provide for the general
welfare of persons in the City of Ames, Iowa, by prohibiting
certain discriminatory practices, and to establish a for the
investigation of complaints of discrimination; and, to undertake
projects of education to prevent discrimination; and, to
establish procedures for the conciliation of such complaints;
and to enforce the provisions hereof.
At an August 2018 City Council workshop, Council members
directed AHRC to not adjudicate cases and instead refer all
cases to the Iowa Office of Civil Rights (IOCR). At this
workshop, City Council directed AHRC to review data
available, interact with community partners, and recommend
action items and changes to the ordinance.
2024 AHRC COMMISSIONERS:
• Chunhui Chen, Chair
• Wayne Clinton
• Marty Martinez
• Angie DeWaard (January – March 2024)
• Brennan Sorkin, Vice Chair (April – November 2024)
• Annabella Marquez (appointed April 2024)
• Pablo Suarez Beltran (appointed April 2024)
• Shawn Kenny (appointed April 2024)
• Casandra Eames, City of Ames Staff Liaison
CONTENTS
Ames Human Relations
Commission (AHRC)
Introduction & Purpose
................................page 1
2024 Activity Highlights
.........................pages 2-3
Ames Civil Rights
Complaints 2024
...........................page 4
2023-25 Strategic Plan
.........................pages 5-7
3
ACTIVITY HIGHLIGHTS:
In addition to adding two new members in 2024, AHRC pursued a wider range of
outreach efforts, finding ways to do the meaningful work set forth by the City Council.
JANUARY 2024
• At the Ames/Story County Martin Luther King Day Celebration at the Ames City
Auditorium on January 15, Wayne Clinton presented the Humanitarian Award to
Cari McPartland. He also served on the organizing committee for the event.
• Began brainstorming for the 50th Anniversary of AHRC in October.
FEBRUARY 2024
• The Quarterly Meet & Greet was held at Wheatsfield Cooperative on February
25. The Commissioners in attendance conversed with 20+ individuals.
MARCH 2024
• Completed development of a “Trailblazers” coloring book featuring significant
individuals in Ames history. The project was spearheaded by Angie DeWaard,
and AHRC planned to distribute copies at community outreach efforts.
• Planned significant revisions to the A Home for Everyone Award nomination
form.
APRIL 2024
• AHRC membership increased from five to seven members. After welcoming new
members, AHRC elected Chunhui Chen as Chair and Brennan Sorkin as Vice
Chair.
• On April 25, AHRC volunteered at the Kate Mitchell Elementary School
Multicultural Night, distributing copies of the coloring book along with crayons.
• Participated in Fair Housing Month activities, including receiving a Mayoral
Proclamation recognizing Fair Housing Month and attending a luncheon on the
topic of fair housing organized by the Iowa Board of Realtors.
MAY 2024
• Published a Call for Artists for the 50th Anniversary T-Shirt Design Contest.
• Sponsored the 3rd Annual AAPI Heritage Month Celebration on May 11. Chunhui
Chen served on the organizing committee.
JUNE 2024
• Joint Meeting with the City Council on June 11 to present the 2023 Annual
Report
• Sponsored and participated in the 3rd Annual Juneteenth Celebration on June 15.
• At the June 27 meeting, IOCR Director Kristin Stiffler gave a virtual presentation
explaining the role and function of the IOCR.
• Held a Strategic Planning Retreat with ISU Extension facilitator on June 29,
discussing AHRC values and goals with an eye toward Strategic Plan revisions.
2
4
JULY 2024
• Selected T-Shirt Design Contest winners Sarah Balvanz and Caitlin Chellew and
ordered t-shirts to be unveiled at the 50th Anniversary Celebration.
AUGUST 2024
• Participated in National Night Out at the Ames Middle School on August 6.
• Held a Quarterly Meet & Greet at the Ames Public Library on August 13 in
conjunction with the Free Summer Meals for Kids and Teens program.
• Finalized plans for the 50th Anniversary Celebration in October, including a
memorial tree planting ceremony.
SEPTEMBER 2024
• Made revisions to the Humanitarian Award nomination form prior to soliciting
nominations.
• At the September meeting, Legal Aid of Story County provided a training on
tenant and landlord rights.
• Sponsored and participated in Pridefest on September 14.
OCTOBER 2024
• Celebrated the 50th Anniversary of AHRC with an event at Moore Memorial Park
on October 20. Commissioners shared remarks, ceremonially completed a tree
planting, and recognized the winners of the t-shirt design contest while unveiling
the final product.
• Began discussing revisions to the AHRC mission statement and ordinance.
NOVEMBER 2024
• Participated again in the Kate Mitchell Elementary School Multicultural Night on
November 12, helping as volunteers and distributing coloring books and t -shirts.
DECEMBER 2024
• Sponsored and attended the Building Inclusion Breakfast (formerly Symposium
on Building Inclusive Organizations) at Reiman Gardens on December 13.
• Elected Annabella Marquez as Vice Chair to replace Brennan Sorkin, who had
resigned from AHRC.
• Selected Latifah Faisal as the recipient of the 2025 Humanitarian Award.
3
5
AMES CIVIL RIGHTS COMPLAINTS
TO THE IOWA OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS 2024
Residents can initiate complaints to the City via the City Manager’s Office or make
them directly to the Iowa Office of Civil Rights (IOCR). As a matter of procedure,
reports made to the City are sent to the IOCR for investigation and are tracked by the
IOCR. Reports are also made to IOCR involving Ames of which the Ames Human
Relations Commission is not notified. The Commission requested aggregate
summaries of the Ames complaints made to the IOCR to understand the areas of
complaints and concerns identified. Despite repeated efforts on the part of staff to
follow up on this routine request, the IOCR has refused to provide the data and has
not provided a clear reason for its refusal. If the data is released in the future, the
Commission will share the data with the City Council at that time.
4
6
AMES HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION
2023-25 STRATEGIC PLAN
Strategic Goal A – Advocacy
The Ames Human Relations Commission (AHRC) values a diverse and inclusive
community and will function as an advocacy group for the citizens of the City of
Ames. The Commission will undertake activities to discover, conduct analysis on,
and circumvent instances that may lead to prohibited discrimination so that the
community can be educated and assisted in preventing it. Commission members
will be active participants in the city and will develop and follow a protocol to handle
discriminatory incidents in the Ames community and will report and make
recommendations directly to the City Council to ensure all voices are heard.
Strategic Goal B – Information & Analysis
The Ames Human Relations Commission (AHRC) will study the existence,
character, causes and extent of discriminatory practices in the community while
using resources to gain information and work with community partners, leaders, and
report directly to the City Council.
OBJECTIVE 1: AHRC will maintain objective knowledge related to claims of
discrimination.
• AHRC will work directly with the Iowa Civil Right Commission and will
collaborate annually with a representative to better understand the complaint
process.
• AHRC will obtain and review reports from the Iowa Civil Rights Commission
on claims of discrimination in relation to types and probable cause.
• AHRC will obtain and review reports from the City on types of claims made
locally in writing, or on the website and report of Discriminatory Claims to the
City, and any concerns expressed through AHRC@cityofames.org.
• AHRC will obtain and review formal and informal reports that will be used to
determine priority areas of focus and will share with City Council and
community stakeholders annually and as needed.
OBJECTIVE 2: AHRC will partner with the City and community members to learn
about discrimination and how to decrease the risk.
• AHRC will partner with community employers and human resource specialists
to identify concerns and opportunities for non-discriminatory workplace
cultures as needed.
• AHRC will summarize and share qualitative and quantitative findings with City
Council relating to claims of discrimination.
5
7
• AHRC will work with the City to identify public reporting related to inclusion
and anti-discriminatory practices.
OBJECTIVE 3: AHRC will identify opportunities for obtaining information related to
community member perceptions and experiences in relation to housing,
employment, public accommodation, race and ethnicity, gender identity, religion,
age, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, or familial status.
• AHRC will reach out to community partners or populations to identify
concerns or successes in the areas mentioned above.
• AHRC will collect and summarize findings to be used for future planning, i.e.,
Community Demographics, CyRide or City Surveys.
OBJECTIVE 4: AHRC will be an active presence in providing community education
and deterring discrimination.
• AHRC will increase engagement and community interactions.
• AHRC will monitor and report contacts or participation in relation to social
media and public engagement activities.
Strategic Goal C – Public Awareness & Effective Communication
AHRC strives to be a central location for the citizens of the City of Ames to advocate
for, build awareness of, and communicate with. Commission members will connect
with their community through public awareness and effective communication.
OBJECTIVE 1: Help improve communication effectiveness with the general public
through media outlets and active presence in the Ames community. The following
are examples of possible actions:
• Provide materials for educational press releases or social media on topics
related to diversity, housing, employment, public accommodations, or
services, etc.
• Co-sponsor and have commissioners attend community events with aligned
organizations and individuals throughout the City, such as but not limited to
the annual awarding of the Humanitarian award (January-Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. Day Holiday), Fair Housing Award (April at City Council), AAPI
Heritage Month Celebration event (May), Juneteenth (June).
• Help provide information on community events for Ames City’s online event
calendar and have commissioners attend the events.
Strategic Goal D – Management Excellence
AHRC will work towards this strategic plan for the betterment of our community in
an ethical and fiscally responsible way.
6
8
OBJECTIVE 1: AHRC will strive to keep this strategic plan at the forefront of all its
decisions and activities and within our areas of focus and expertise.
• Commission Members will work with community partners who specialize in
areas of expertise.
• Commission Members will represent AHRC with respect, recognize and
celebrate the strength of the City of Ames’ greatest asset, the value of all
people, via diversity and inclusion. They will be respectful of opinions,
customs, and individual preferences to help build strong relationships.
OBJECTIVE 2: AHRC will manage the annual budget in a fiscally responsible
manner.
• AHRC will strive to effectively spend the budgeted monies from the Ames City
Council responsibly. Monies allocated for the Commission should only be
used in ways that advance these strategic goals.
• AHRC will describe the ways in which its monies were used and in what ways
its use advanced the goals described above in the annual report.
7
9