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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuman Rights and Diversity - 04/09/2015 APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION THURSDAY,APRIL 9, 2015 7:00 P.M., 125 EDEN PRAIRIE CENTER Office of Housing and Human Services COMMISSION MEMBERS: Sandra Filardo (Chair), PG Narayanan (Vice Chair), Tonj a Bivins, Jenny Buckland, Sana Elassar, Connie Iacovelli, Greg Leeper STAFF: Patricia Fenrick, Staff Heidi Wojahn, Recording Secretary STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES: Emily Higgins, Karena Lin, Beth Corpuz, Tanvi Mehta, Shreya Venkatesh L CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Vice Chair Narayanan called the meeting to order at 7:06 p.m. Commissioner Filardo and Student Representative Higgins were absent. Commissioner Bivins arrived at 7:22 p.m. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Buckland moved, seconded by Iacovelli, to approve the agenda. Motion carried 5-0. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION: Elassar moved, seconded by Iacovelli, to approve the March 19, 2015 minutes. Motion carried 4-0-1. Leeper abstained as he was not on the commission at the time of the meeting. Fenrick welcomed new Commissioner Greg Leeper. Introductions and an ice-breaker activity followed. Bivins arrived at 7:22 p.m. IV. REPORTS OF STAFF -Fenrick A. BIAS CRIME No update. HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION MINUTES April 9, 2015 Page 2 B. EVENTS UPDATE The Dakota 38 film, shown in conjunction with the opening of Hennepin Technical College's"Why Treaties Matter" exhibit, was well-attended and drew a crowd of about 75 people. Pow Wow Grounds catered the event. Darlene St. Clair, Associate Professor and Director of the Multicultural Resource Center at St. Cloud State University, participated in a panel discussion following the film. Buckland worked on soliciting feedback from local Dakota and Ojibwe youth as well. Fenrick said it was a great event overall. The showing of the film "The Homestretch" about poverty and homelessness among teens was also well-attended. Fenrick facilitated and Buckland served as a panelist for PROP. Other panelists included representatives from Teens Alone and Oasis. Fenrick said some great discussion took place. The front page of the local newspaper featured a photo of HRDC representatives at the event. C. BEST BUY GRANT $5.10 remaining. V. OLD BUSINESS A. HUMAN RIGHTS YOUTH AWARD DECISION An in-depth discussion took place about the two youth nominees and the pros and cons of selecting two recipients for the Human Rights Award in the youth category. Narayanan said granting awards to both would foster encouragement. We want to reward their efforts. Elassar and Lin indicated only one award should be given; to do more diminishes the honor of earning the award. Bivins said the difficulty we face with the making the decision to give one or two awards is this award is different from other awards that acknowledge outstanding performance. She favors two awards as our mission supports and acknowledges humanity. Buckland said the two applicants' areas of interest speak to two very important topics critical to our mission, both of which are worth highlighting. Fenrick said there are no guidelines preventing us from granting two awards, but we want to be cautious about setting a precedent. MOTION: Buckland moved, seconded by Iacovelli, to present two awards in the youth category this year. Motion carried 4-1-1 with Elassar opposed. Student representatives unofficially voted 2-1 with Lin opposed. MOTION: Iacovelli moved, seconded by Bivins, to present Human Rights Awards to Rachelle Johnson and Kifah Mohamed in the youth category. Motion carried 5-0-1. Leeper abstained from both votes as he was not on the commission at the time the nominees were initially presented and discussed last month. HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION MINUTES April 9, 2015 Page 3 An awards ceremony will take place at the May 191h City Council meeting. VI. NEW BUSINESS -Fenrick Commissioners must RSVP to Fenrick for the Town Hall and Council Workshop. Both events need to have commissioner representation. A. TOWN HALL This event is now being referred to as "Coffee with City Council and the Mayor". It will be held Wednesday, April 29, 7 p.m. in the Cambria Room at the Community Center. Childcare provided. Fenrick reviewed a draft of the agenda. She said after introductions and a brief query to get a sense of who is in there, attendees will be seated with an HRDC representative and council member at round tables to help facilitate discussion. Commission representatives will serve as facilitators, and a note taker from HRDC is needed to capture themes. This is meant to serve as a space for listening and learning, so we want to ask questions in a setting that allows community members to feel comfortable expressing themselves. Fenrick asked for feedback on the list of proposed questions. For question 2, "What is something from your culture that has shaped who you are and that is important to you?", Iacovelli recommended removing `that has shaped who you are'. Buckland suggested creating a list of things to define culture since there are many layers to culture. Iacovelli said it would be helpful for each facilitator to provide an example first. Narayanan supported Buckland's idea and suggested changing the last word from `you' to `share'. Leeper noted white people often wrongly think they do not have a culture or background. In order not to stump those people, it may be beneficial to expand the list to include family traditions, heritage, or even geographical location within the state. Bivins said she was stuck on the word `culture' and understanding it. Fenrick said there are different types of culture. More descriptors would be helpful. Bivins indicated it would be a difficult question for her to answer. Because she does not identify with any one culture more than another, it would be hard for her to choose. She has had the opportunity to experience and be influenced by many ethnicities. Buckland said she could explain her culture as multi-faceted. Fenrick said this is why it is important to refine the questions. We want to know ahead of time how to respond since we will be answering the questions first. Iacovelli suggested asking a different question: "If you were asked where you are from and how you arrived here, how would you answer?"Narayanan asked why that is important to us. Fenrick said it is part of one's identity. Iacovelli said it serves as an ice-breaker and gives people an easy question to answer. It also gives others around the table a better feel for who people are because of where they say they are from. Narayanan said maybe it is better to do away with the word `culture' altogether. Iacovelli said she prefers the less-direct version over asking HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION MINUTES April 9, 2015 Page 4 "Where are you from?" It allows for a more comprehensive answer. Buckland agreed saying we all have unique life experiences. Iacovelli said despite coming from different areas, what we all have in common is working, living, or going to school in Eden Prairie. Leeper said he liked Iacovelli's image of diversity and unity. Fenrick agreed with Iacovelli's nuanced question. Asking"Where are you from?" can be perceived as threatening. Fenrick removed `culturally' in question 3, "What are ways the city can become more culturally knowledgeable to embrace the new perspectives and values of our changing residents?". Iacovelli recommended removing `become more knowledgeable to'. Karena inquired about using the ice-breaker method employed earlier in tonight's meeting as a conversation opener. Leeper suggested flipping the order of questions 3 and 4 and changing question 4, "What are ways the city makes you feel like an insider/outsider—like you belong/don't belong?", to"What makes you feel at home?" Fenrick asked for feedback on `at home', `insider', and `belong'. Iacovelli, Elassar, and Buckland said they liked the sense `at home' provided. Bivins said she thought `welcome' might provide a better connection than `belong'. Iacovelli said she associates `welcome' more with coming from the outside whereas `belonging' sounds inclusive. Leeper said he identifies `guest' with welcome versus `belong' which he associates with permanancy. Bivins said `belong' establishes a metric of belonging or not. Iacovelli, Buckland, and Mehta indicated they preferred `at home' best. Fenrick asked how commissioners would phrase a brainstorm question around `home'. Bivins recounted a story of visiting a local business in Eden Prairie prior to moving to Minnesota. The employee was rude and unwelcoming. First impressions newcomers form are based on interactions with people conducting business in local establishments. Employees need to have an awareness of diversity and understand it is a value. She explained how such interactions can affect sense of safety. Leeper suggested asking"What are ways the City makes you feel at home and what are ways the City does not make you feel at home?" Iacovelli said this can refer to interactions with police, at city hall, and with city employees on the street. Narayanan questioned why we have to specify `city' at all. Iacovelli said the question would be too broad otherwise. Iacovelli asked what the city is hoping to achieve by having the Town Hall. Fenrick said it gives council members an opportunity to dialogue with people they represent in making decisions. Buckland said access to resources in terms of community interactions and being able to navigate the system are barriers. Leeper suggested asking "What challenges prevent you from feeling more at home in Eden Prairie?" and then countering that with the opposite question in order to champion what we are doing well. Buckland recommended making that question 4 and then asking"What ideas/changes as a group can we suggest to HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION MINUTES April 9, 2015 Page 5 make the City more of a home for everyone?" Iacovelli said replacing `included' in question 5, "What are ideas and responses for change that we can brainstorm to help people feel more included in this community?" with `at home' accomplishes the task. Elassar said she needs more time to reflect on the questions outside of the meeting before she can provide feedback. Fenrick said stories are important as they will resonate with the council members. The bottom line is to get suggestions for overcoming barriers and making this a great community. Main thoughts and themes will be recorded and put into a report for the upcoming Council Workshop. B. COUNCIL WORKSHOP PREPARATION HRDC has a designated time to meet with council members at the Council workshop on Tuesday, May 5, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Fenrick said this will be a good time to process what happens during the Town Hall event and ask council members what questions they have. Narayanan asked if each table's themes would be shared with everyone at the Town Hall. Fenrick said there would likely not be time to do so in the large group setting. One idea is to post sticky notes with themes around the room and allow people to circulate to see them. Fenrick stated it is critical we get people to come to Coffee with the Mayor. She will resend the information electronically to commissioners so they can share it and encourage others to attend. Iacovelli said she plans to be intentional in who she invites. Fenrick said posting in public places is fine, but personal contact is most effective. Commissioners brainstormed locations, networks, and venues for posting or distributing event information. Iacovelli inquired if there was an age range for childcare at the Town Hall or if kids need to be potty-trained. Fenrick said she will find out. Fenrick will send a list of tweaked questions to commissioners for further feedback. VIIL FUTURE MEETINGS/EVENTS The next HRDC meeting is scheduled for Thursday, May 14, 2015, 7 p.m. at Eden Prairie Center, Room 125. A. TOWN HALL Fenrick encouraged commissioners to spread the word for this April 29th event. HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION MINUTES April 9, 2015 Page 6 B. "THE MASK YOU LIVE IN" FILM—April 24—Bivins This item was discussed out of order before Item VT A TOWN HALL. The pre-screening for commissioners and panelists will be Saturday, April 18, 1-3 p.m. at The Bluffs apartment complex. The general screening is 5:30-8:30 p.m. on April 24 at Normandale Community College in Bloomington. Bivins has a set number of complimentary tickets set aside. There are three confirmed panelists: a professor emeritus in African American studies at Macalester College, a counselor from Eden Prairie Schools, and a representative from Ujamaa Place, an organization serving young African American men who may suffer multiple barriers to becoming stable. She is waiting for confirmation from three others. Fox News wants to interview panelists about the film for one of their morning segments the week after the pre-screening. This would require a 20-minute commitment sometime between 9 and 9:40 a.m. for a four-minute interview. Fenrick took an initial poll of those who could attend the pre-screening and commit to being interviewed the week of April 20th. Bivins will follow-up with an electronic invite for official RSVPs. Bivins said she needs people to help on the 24 . Buckland and Fenrick volunteered. C. GIRL SCOUT EVENT World Thinking Day will take place Friday, April 10 beginning at 6 pm at St. Andrew's Lutheran Church. D. "TRACKS IN THE SNOW" EXHIBIT The"Tracks in the Snow" exhibit opens November 12 and runs through December 3. Elassar reported there is no group registration available this year for the 5K trafficking run/walk. The early bird registration deadline for individuals is April 15. Fenrick said the event is June 13. IX. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Elassar moved, seconded by Iacovelli, to adjourn. Motion carried 6-0. Vice Chair Narayanan adjourned the meeting at 9:10 p.m.