Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Ames Human Relations Commission - AHRC Minutes 6-23-2016 M I N U T E S HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION June 23, 2016 The regular meeting of the Ames Human Relations Commission was called to order by Chair Amy Juhnke at 6:06 p.m. in Conference Room 235 of Ames City Hall. Members present were Amy Harris-Tehan and Heidi Thompson. Raghul Ethiraj and John Klaus were absent. Staff member Brian Phillips was also present. PUBLIC FORUM There was no one present for Public Forum. OLD BUSINESS A. APPROVAL OF THE MAY 26, 2016 MINUTES: It was moved by Thompson, seconded by Harris-Tehan to approve the minutes. The motion carried unanimously. B. COMMISSION ACTIVITIES AT AMES FARMER’S MARKET: Amy Harris- Tehan indicated there is no charge for non-profits to participate in the Farmer’s Market. There is a charge of $20 for a table. She suggested it would be ideal to determine the dates the Commission would participate. Heidi indicated in her conversations with other Commissions, some produce kids games and activities. Amy Harris-Tehan indicated she would be willing to look up case studies or situations that could be turned into activities where people are asked to identify whether discrimination occurred. The group will email Amy Harris-Tehan with dates they will be available in the later part of the summer to participate in the Market. Amy Juhnke will put together a single-page handout regarding what the laws are. C. PLANNING FOR FOCUS GROUPS AND BROWN BAG WORKSHOPS: Amy Juhnke indicated the Commission did not get what it wanted from the focus groups, but that we are approaching the time for a brown bag session. D. ADDITIONAL COMMISSION ACTIVITIES: Heidi reported that Iowa City does a lot of work with other organizations. They meet with the Iowa City School District on issues such as equity and safety of school kids. The Commission also reviews free and reduced lunches and the equity of bus service. They conduct a breakfast awards ceremony and youth awards. They work with the Center for Human Rights at the University of Iowa. There are many conversations on diversity. They conduct training for other boards and commissions regarding racial equity. In Davenport, Heidi reported there are community events they parti cipate in. They also meet with unions and provide information regarding discrimination. Davenport also watches for rent- to-own activities that are generally discriminatory, and things such as landlords requiring a review of weekly paystubs and increasing rent as wages increase, and wrongful retention of deposits among minority tenants. In Cedar Rapids, Amy Juhnke reported that there are several paid staff members who conduct activities. There are “know your rights” educational efforts that are provided to the community. There is a mascot that is sent out to neighborhoods in response to reports of discrimination. Amy Juhnke continued with a review of Sioux City’s Commission. There is a FACES event in Sioux City, as well as other activities. Amy Harris-Tehan had not heard back from Des Moines. She reviewed the activities in Dubuque. There are three full-time staff members. There are a variety of partnerships with community organizations. Inclusive Dubuque is an effort with 50 organizational partners committed to advancing justice and social equity. She indicated her observation is that the Ames Commission’s biggest challenge is identifying those in the community we should be talking to, and then reaching out and engaging diverse residents. She would like to propose researching this further, identifying communities that are reaching out to their citizens, and compiling this information into a report that the Commission could pull ideas from. Amy Juhnke stated she felt the big hump to get over was in reaching out to the appropriate community stakeholders. This takes building relationships. Amy Harris-Tehan suggested it might be worth it to host an event in the University Village area, since there are a higher proportion of diverse residents. Amy Juhnke pointed out that Raghul is working to get the Commission on the syllabus for the international student orientation. Heidi suggested the Commission should take that on now because Raghul will not be back until August. Amy Juhnke noted that the Commission had not been able to effectively partner with the NAACP, and she was not sure why that had been the case. Amy Harris-Tehan asked whether it would be worth engaging ISU’s new Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion. Amy Harris-Tehan volunteered to reach out to ISU’s Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion to ask him to come speak with the Commission about how it could identify who it needs to engage in the community and determine how it can do so. Amy Juhnke will send out the list of contacts, so Heidi can identify ways the Commission can partner with each organization. Amy Juhnke described how previous brown bag seminars have worked. She suggested using the Iowa Civil Rights Commission to provide the training. Amy will reach out to identify resources for a brown bag seminar. It was decided that this would be planned for September or October. The Library is the preferred space for this event. Amy Juhnke will contact the Gym about availability as an alternative. NEW BUSINESS A. REPORT FROM CITY COUNCIL MEETING: The comments from Council Member Betcher were discussed and Amy Harris-Tehan indicated the Commission should perhaps focus on doing a few things really well. The calendar was discussed. TIME AND DATE OF NEXT REGULAR MEETING: July 28, 2016 at 5:30. COMMISSIONER COMMENTS: There were no Commissioner Comments. ADJOURN: Commissioner Harris-Tehan moved to adjourn the meeting. The meeting adjourned at 7:19 p.m.