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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuman Rights and Diversity - 04/08/2021APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE HUMAN RIGHTS & DIVERSITY COMMISSION THURSDAY, APRIL 8, 2021 7:00 P.M., VIRTUAL MEETING Virtual Participants via Teams COMMISSION MEMBERS: Greg Leeper (Chair), Shahram Missaghi, (Vice Chair), Katherine Lucht, Leslie Philmon, Sana Elassar, Philip Skeie, Asad Aliweyd, Tyler Aman, Anjali Limaye, Samuel Griffin, Michael Mullins, John Urbanski, Susan Weaver STUDENT MEMBERS: Ifrah Edow, Jillian Pearson, Nadiah Johnson, Rashmi Acharya, Sehan Adan, Serena Jain COMMISSION STAFF: Megan Yerks, Staff Liaison Julie Krull, Recording Secretary I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Chair Leeper called the meeting to order at 7:08 p.m. Commission Members Philmon, Aliweyd and Mullins were absent. II. INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS Anna Peters and Christopher Jones of DeYoung Consulting III. INTRODUCTION OF NEW COMMISSIONERS Chair Leeper asked the new commission members to introduce themselves and state why they were interested in joining the commission. Susan Weaver commented she moved to Eden Prairie in 2004. She is now a retired Pastor and is active in PROP. She also is involved in human rights and racial studies at her new church. She joined the commission because she wanted to move past knowledge on racism to do more action. John Urbanski said he has lived in Eden Prairie since 1991 and has been involved in the Rotary Club and Onward Eden Prairie. He joined the commission because he wanted to give back to Eden Prairie and this was the way to do it. Samuel Griffin has lived in Eden Prairie for a little over a year. He is an attorney focusing on the elderly. He said he joined the commission because he loves living in Eden Prairie and this was an opportunity to bring about exclusive growth to Eden Prairie. HUMAN RIGHTS & DIVERSITY MINUTES April 8, 2021 Page 6 of 9 IV. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Skeie moved, seconded by Missaghi, to approve the agenda. Motion carried 10-0. V. APPROVAL OF THE MARCH 11, 2021 MEETING MINUTES MOTION: Weaver moved, seconded by Lucht, to approve the March 11, 2021 minutes. Motion carried 10-0. VI. LOCAL NON-PROFIT PRESENTATION There was no presentation. VII. STAFF REPORT – MEGAN YERKS A. OHCS NEWS Yerks said the City is looking at adding some additional vaccination opportunities focusing on residents with higher vulnerabilities and barriers. Senior, multi- family properties and communities of color were all included in the discussion. The City is partnering with HCPH to provide local access to residents with the focus on transportation, ease of access, no internet needed and no scheduling race. A target date of late April was set for the first event with a focus on independent senior living. Hennepin County has a Vaccine Navigation Line for residents. The telephone navigation is available in English, Spanish, Somali and Hmong. It is designed for those needing language assistance or those without internet access. Navigators conduct a search for appointments on behalf of residents and schedules. It is unclear if it is just government sites or private sites as well. Online information can be obtained at https://www.hennepin.us/residents/health- medical/COVID-19- vaccination or call (612)348-8900. B. HRDC NEWS Yerks stated she and Chair Leeper conducted a presentation at St. Andrew Lutheran Church. The group was there to talk about diversity in Eden Prairie. The presentation included topics on the following: 1. HRDC’s role- great feedback on the LAS. 2. Demographic changes in EP 3. Resident Feedback 4. REI- questions about the delay in the contract and statements by council that Eden Prairie is not racist. 5. Next Steps VIII. NEW BUSINESS HUMAN RIGHTS & DIVERSITY MINUTES April 8, 2021 Page 6 of 9 A. EDEN PRAIRIE RACE EQUITY INITIATIVE: 1. Document Review Update Anna Peters, consultant with the Improve Group, gave an overview of the updates. She said this was done both in-person and virtual. Elassar asked if there is an opportunity to sign up for the pop-up clinics. Yerks said not specifically. Ms. Peters said she will be presenting the results via a PowerPoint presentation this evening. She pointed out the data collection includes documentation review, internal interviews, best practices review and community engagement (World Cafes). The characterization of the documents consists of reviewing 37 Eden Prairie documents that were categorized into 3 inquiry areas. The first area is Recruiting, Hiring and Retention which consists of the hiring process, EEO stats and summary, recruitment partnerships, retention data, trainings, employee handbook, HR work plan, employee survey, action plans relating to employee engagement or DEI, performance evaluation, IDI results, and the Race and Equity plan. The second inquiry area is Connection to Community. This consists of partnerships, communications work plan, social media posts, website, Equity and Inclusion survey, Eden Prairie Promise, and Quality of Life community survey results. The third inquiry area is the Police. This discussed policies, statistics around the use of force and arrests, civilian oversight, training, response to 21st Century Policing Report, and personnel diversity. There are three impact levels. The first one is Emerging. At this stage, DEI efforts are nascent. The organization is beginning to recognize diversity, inclusion and equity as strategic priorities and is building a city- wide constituency for the effort. In organizations in an Emerging stage, representational diversity is low, and awareness may exist for those who have the greatest proximity to BIPOC and diverse communities and/or have a vested interest in the work. Awareness of and accountability for DEI among most leaders is low. The next impact level is Developing. At this stage, the organization is focused on ensuring the development of its institutional and individual capacity to sustain the diversity, inclusion and equity effort. In organizations in the Developing stage, DEI is developing in multiple areas and varies in complexity. A wide range of growth and definition takes place as accountability, representation and ownership for DEI develops HUMAN RIGHTS & DIVERSITY MINUTES April 8, 2021 Page 6 of 9 across the organization. Efforts begin to transition from being compliant and performative to authentic. The third impact level is Transforming. At this stage, an organization has fully institutionalized DEI into the fabric of its institution, and continues to assess its efforts to ensure progress and sustainability. It is at this point that the organization has reached its goals, but recognizing the ever- changing environment it continues to assess its continuing progress and the sustainability of its achievements. DEI efforts produce transformative changes internally and in the communities served. Critical challenges are defined with complexity and faced with dynamic solutions that address sustainability and targeted goals. Ownership and accountability measures for DEI are felt and understood across the organization. In gauging the impact of Recruiting, Hiring and Retention, the following documents are in the emerging stage: -Partners leveraged in recruitment efforts, and purpose of those partnerships. -Retention data, disaggregated by race. -Action plans or other documentation that shows a response to employee survey data, IDI results, and the GARE Strategy & Goals. -Performance Evaluation: Self-Appraisal form and Supervisor Review form. -EP Recruitment & Hiring Process -EEO Summary and Detail Report -Employee Survey (Partnership Survey) -Employee Handbook -HR Work Plan -Training: Respectful Workplace -Training: Interviewing at the City -IDI Results The following document is in the developing stage: -EEO Stats -Training: Foundations of Intercultural Competence -Training: Dr. Omari’s Cultural Intelligence -Training: All Staff Diversity, Race and Equity Workshops -Race and Equity Plan In gauging the impact of Connection to Community, the following documents are in the emerging stage: -Communications partnerships -Communications Work Plan -Life in the Prairie quarterly magazine -Social media posts -Website -Eden Prairie Promise/Performance measurement Dashboard -Latest results of the Eden Prairie community survey (Quality of Life survey) HUMAN RIGHTS & DIVERSITY MINUTES April 8, 2021 Page 6 of 9 The following document is in the developing stage: -Equity and Inclusion Survey In gauging the impact of Police, the following documents are in the emerging stage: -Racial breakdown of police personnel, by level -Police arrest statistics disaggregated by race -Structure of any civilian oversight group -Police Chief Work Plan -Policy regarding community/civilian oversight -Policy regarding racial profiling -Police training plan for 2020 The following documents are in the developing stage: -EPPD responses to President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing -Use of force statistics disaggregated by race -Policy regarding crimes of bias -Policy regarding personal conduct -Policy (or lack thereof) regarding quotas or minimum number of stops/arrests required -Policy regarding use of force Here is a summary of the Eden Prairie documents: Recruiting, Hiring and Retention- While representational diversity is low, there is some recognition of building a diverse pipeline, and some traction may have been gained. While compliance is a primary focus, there is some initial awareness of inclusion- related concepts. Trainings are primary DEI initiatives. Connection to Community- There is little to no recognition of DEI in public-facing communications or in the stated strategic direction of the City. Police- There is recognition of the need for equitable policing in general. While DEI is not prevalent in training and does not appear to be integrated systematically, some racial equity best practices appear in policies. Ms. Peters pointed out in the category Gauging Impact/Police, the responses were very specific in how they responded. What was interesting about the police was more DEI was needed. Yerks asked if the HRDC was in the policy to be notified. Ms. Peters said yes, they were mentioned in the policy. HUMAN RIGHTS & DIVERSITY MINUTES April 8, 2021 Page 6 of 9 Ms. Peters said another best practice was that the officer had to introduce himself. Chair Leeper asked what Ms. Peters needed from the Commission. Ms. Peters said after they have the World Cafes it would be helpful to see what interests peak most and that can be the focus. Elassar asked in Connections to Community, what are we lacking in that area. Ms. Peters said in looking at Facebook and Twitter, there was hardly anything on diversity and commented more could be added on that. There was not a lot of content on the website or social media and she said they are waiting for the HRDC to finish the project and they can go from there. Elassar asked if Eden Prairie uses algorithms for the hiring process. Ms. Peters said in regard to a fixed algorithm, they have learned that there are a certain number of points given to certain groups; an example would be veterans. Urbanski asked Ms. Peters if they will give them a plan once this study is completed. Ms. Peters said they will give the HRDC a plan with best practices and recommendations. Chair Leeper said they asked the same question at St. Andrews the night before when he and Yerks were there giving the presentation. He commented he appreciated the detail given tonight from Ms. Peters and thought the scoring was effective. Griffin asked why there was an increase in hiring diversity in 2010. Ms. Peters said they could not find anything specific. Yerks said she was unaware also. Ms. Peters said means can be not DEI friendly. Elassar was concerned that there was no an option to fill out a paper application because that could be considered a barrier. 2. Community Listening Sessions Yerks said there was a question if we speak with residents as well as non- residents. Chair Leeper said he thinks it should be just residents. He asked if there is a way to prioritize residents. He would be in favor of that with including non-residents. Yerks said a group that would fall into this category would be teachers. Yerks said she would like to discuss the youth section with the student commissioners. Pearson asked Yerks if she could send an email regarding youth meetings. Yerks said she just wanted to make sure they are recruiting or getting help from adults to help with recruiting. HUMAN RIGHTS & DIVERSITY MINUTES April 8, 2021 Page 6 of 9 Acharya said she would like to help with direct recruitment or through organizations or clubs at the high school. Pearson said she has a couple of people she can reach out to. Edow said she has a couple of people in mind and can work through organizations. Yerks said she will send an email out to the student commissioners to set up a meeting to get this going. Yerks said the last session to discuss is Aliweyd’s session. Because of the fact there is a lot going on with this session it was decided to move it to a virtual session. B. NOMINATIONS FOR EDEN PRAIRIE HUMAN RIGHTS AWARDS Chair Leeper said the Commission will need to nominate two awards this evening; the Non-Profit and Youth award. Each nominee will be reviewed and given a brief overview. They are as follows: Non-Profit 1. EP CERT Volunteers Elassar nominated this group. She stated CERT is a group of Eden Prairie residents who volunteer time to partake in emergency preparedness training. They assist with non-emergency projects to improve the safety of the community by conducting home audits, such as installing smoke alarms, distributing disaster education material and providing assistance at special events, such as parades, sporting events and concerts. They have also helped out with food delivery. 2. Chain Reaction Theater Elassar also nominated this group for re-nomination from last year. This is a theater group that focuses on social justice issues. She commented the performances are educational and it helps to raise awareness to make change. Urbanski commented he has gone to a play and thought they did a very good job and was impressed by the fact they have a discussion after each performance. 3. Free Bikes 4 Kidz This was a nomination by Elassar. She pointed out this organization takes bikes and fixes them up and then donates them to families in need. This is an Eden Prairie Non-Profit organization but they benefit the whole state. 4. The Hope Speaks Project Gretchen Meek nominated this group. Yerks said this group jumped into the need to address racism in the home and community. They started out with in- person classes discussing issues and now are virtual. Classes are offered through Eden Prairie Education Center. This group provides a caring environment to discuss topics of racism. Weaver said she is familiar with this group and is very impressed by them. HUMAN RIGHTS & DIVERSITY MINUTES April 8, 2021 Page 6 of 9 Skeie said he is familiar with CERT but not the other three nominations. He said he has worked with them in the past, under extreme situations, and was impressed with them. Yerks also commented that CERT has delivered food for her in the recent past to senior homes or residents that have barriers for getting food and PROP. Yerks said in regards to Chain Reaction, she had worked with an individual who wrote a play for them and they did an accurate portrayal of what was happening. Chair Leeper asked the Commission to take an initial vote. Chain Reaction and Hope Speaks both received 4 votes and CERT and Free Bikes both received 2 votes. The Commissioners were then asked to vote for either Chain Reaction or Hope Speaks. Hope Speaks was the winner with 8 votes and Chain Reaction receiving 4 votes. Youth 1. Abshir Noor Farrah Osman nominated Abshir. During the pandemic he has helped students make a virtual connection to learning. He has encouraged speaking out against harassment and puts youth’s minds at ease during the pandemic. He truly cares about students 2. Jasmine Garry Dan Garry nominated Jasmine. She has started an online tutoring program that is free to all you. She helps with homework and offers support. Her free tutoring is focused on elementary school aged students and has had a positive impact on them. She also makes everyone feel accepted. Chair Leeper asked the Commission to take a vote. Abshir was the winner with 8 votes and Jasmine receiving 4 votes. Yerks said the award presentation will take place at the City Council meeting on May 18th. The HRDC will give a presentation announcing the winners. There will be a reception on the patio afterwards. Yerks said she would like the Commissioners to attend and to let her know if they can make it. The City Council would also like the Commissioners to come to a workshop prior to this meeting. At that time they can be updated on the status of the Race Equity Initiative. C. STOP THE TRAFFICKING 5K HUMAN RIGHTS & DIVERSITY MINUTES April 8, 2021 Page 6 of 9 Yerks said she is looking for volunteers for packet pick-up which will take place on June 11. Time slots will be 1:30-5, and 5-8. Please contact her if you can volunteer. D. PEOPLEFEST! 2021 Yerks pointed out this year’s PeopleFest! will take place starting on July 30 through the middle of August. If anyone would like to get involved with planning this event contact her. Some of the events this summer will take place in-person at Starting Lake and virtual. Yerks listed numerous groups and events that have already been confirmed. Yerks asked the Commissioners their thoughts on what they would like to participate in this year. Some of her suggestions were to team up with the Native Pride Dancers to promote the Land Acknowledgement Statement. Also to put together a Taste of PeopleFest! in which there would be a scavenger hunt to many local restaurants in Eden Prairie. Kathy Case and Jennifer Prince of the EP Historical Society and Molly Patil, from EP Schools have already started organizing this and the Commission could assist them. This can be discussed at the next meeting. IX. OLD BUSINESS X. UPCOMING MEETING A. MAY 13, 2021 XI. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Skeie moved, seconded by Urbanski, to adjourn the Human Rights & Diversity Commission meeting. Motion carried 10-0. The meeting was adjourned at 9:13 p.m.