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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuman Rights and Diversity - 02/11/2016 APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2016 7:00 P.M., 125 EDEN PRAIRIE CENTER Office of Housing and Human Services COMMISSION MEMBERS: PG Narayanan (Chair), Tonja Bivins, Jenny Buckland, Sana Elassar, Sandra Filardo, Connie Iacovelli, Greg Leeper STAFF: Patricia Fenrick, Staff Heidi Wojahn, Recording Secretary STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES: Tanvi Mehta, Tala Alfoqaha, Sarah Mason, Adrienne Retzlaff, Turner Gunderson GUESTS: Members of the Muslim Student Association at Eden Prairie High School - Saad Abdulkadir, Kamar Abukar, Abdifatah Jama, Sohail Khan, Mohamed Noor I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Chair Narayanan called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. Leeper and Student Representative Mason were absent. Bivins arrived at 7:13 p.m. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Iacovelli moved, seconded by Buckland, to approve the agenda. Motion carried 5-0. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION: Filardo moved, seconded by Elassar, to approve the January 14, 2016 minutes. Motion carried 5-0. IV. GUESTS: MUSLIM STUDENT ASSOCIATION (MSA) Fenrick welcomed guests representing the MSA at Eden Prairie High School (EPHS) and asked them to introduce themselves and share about their organization. Khan said MSA is a student-run club. Abdulkadir said they try to provide a fun, inclusive environment. Though they act as a safety net for Muslim students, all are welcome. Meetings are held bi-weekly. Jama said the group discusses and listens to different perspectives regarding issues going on in world. Abdulkadir noted those present tend to be open-minded. Khan explained their goals are to increase diversity and educate people. Abdulkadir added another goal is to create a safe environment for all students. HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION MINUTES February 11, 2016 Page 2 Bivins arrived at 7:13 p.m. Khan and Abdulkadir went on to cite examples of how Muslim students have been targeted by peers in the form of gaming characters, name calling, and online harassment, as well as for leaving class for prayer. Abdulkadir explained the wall at EPHS where groups are separated and don't mix. Strong differences of opinion discourage student groups from associating with one another. Jama stated students who opt to stand along the wall with a group different than their own have been asked to move by school personnel. Abdulkadir reported while not as prevalent in classes due to assigned seating, some students refrain from registering for higher-level classes because of this division. Abdulkadir and Khan said their parents fear for them if they speak up or get too involved. Although they feel the school is a safe environment, those thoughts are always in the backs of their minds. Fenrick asked if they feel teachers are supportive. Khan and Abdulkadir said some are. Abukar said he is new to Minnesota, but his experience overall at EPHS has been good thus far and he finds staff helpful. Having an instant group of Somali friends has been positive; the negative is the obvious separation at school. Khan gave a summary of an offensive anti-Islamic email distributed surrounding the school board elections. MSA brought the letter to the attention of school administration and didn't initially get the response or action they were hoping for. Khan said he was glad the HRDC sent a letter of support and shared the MSA's views on the matter. Fenrick inquired how MSA creates a safety net. Abdulkadir said students bring issues to them and they help resolve or escalate them. They organize Friday prayer, make people feel welcome, include as many people as possible in everything they do, and try to address topics applicable to the whole group. Buckland thanked the students for taking on a leadership role. Bivins apologized to them for what they've experienced and expressed sadness and shock about the school's existing wall system. It is unacceptable. Abdulkadir said he wants to be clear he isn't trying to paint it as all bad. The school can be very welcoming and there are good activities, teachers, and students at EPHS. Jama reiterated MSA's main goal of education including helping students prepare for life after high school. Narayanan emphasized how important good grades are. Part of MSA's agenda should be to encourage people to take Advanced Placement classes anyway. Abdulkadir said his religion teaches him to lead by example so he takes on every challenge he can. Regardless, other students of color are way ahead of the curve compared to Somalis. They can only do so much and need help from others. Jama concurred. It's not just about education,but social platforms too. They need help from teachers to get the word out and encourage kids. Fenrick asked how HRDC can provide support, and she suggested the Commission work with MSA and collaborate on future projects. Abdulkadir stated they will help publicize HRDC events. HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION MINUTES February 11, 2016 Page 3 Prior to departing at 7:58 p.m., Filardo said she was proud of the students and their strength. Fenrick thanked the students for calling out injustice saying they deserve better. V. REPORTS OF STAFF - Fenrick A. COMMISSION VACANCIES The City is in the process of gathering and reviewing applications for open commission seats. With three commissioners vacating and a previously open seat, HRDC could potentially be getting four new commissioners in April. B. BEST BUY GRANT $5.10 remaining. VI. OLD AND NEW BUSINESS A. HUMAN RIGHTS AWARDS Fenrick stated more nominations are needed for the Human Rights Awards. The deadline is the end of February. She will send a link to the MSA guests. Mehta has created a flyer with a QR code for distribution through the school system,but the $250 cost is high. Alfoqaha suggested printing 40 flyers and having the student commissioners post them in school themselves. They could also run an ad in the school paper with a full page ad running $100. Fenrick thanked both students for their passion and taking initiative. She will look into extending the deadline a bit. Narayanan suggested submitting an article about student commissioners to the student newspaper to include information about the Human Rights Awards. B. ARTS IN THE PARK ARTIST REQUEST Fenrick announced Parks and Rec is looking for tactile artists interested in hosting a booth at Arts in the Park in May. Commissioners are encouraged to spread the word. C. STUDENT BAND FUNDRAISER The student commissioners are working on planning a benefit concert. Mehta said they are leaning towards donating the proceeds to Immanuel Lutheran Church for its youth homeless center project. They hope to hold the event at the church. Buckland gave them a church contact. She said she has connections to a community collaborative preparing emergency packs for police and local agencies to distribute as needed if the HRDC students are interested in incorporating that into their event. Attendees can be asked to bring donations of personal care items to make the hidden issue of homelessness more tangible. HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION MINUTES February 11, 2016 Page 4 Gunderson said they want to recruit student bands from Eden Prairie and surrounding communities who are willing to play for free. Fenrick said she will check with a City employee who plays with a band to see if he can possibly mentor them with concert set-up. Mehta said dates are under consideration, probably a Friday night in April. Fenrick agreed to work on getting them an interview with the paper for next month and suggested they publicize the concert when they are interviewed for a television spotlight on HRDC student commissioners. Discussion of ticket prices ensued. Iacovelli suggested $10 or$5 plus a personal care item. It is not about seeing a concert,but rather helping teens. The student reps should be aware of the quality of the bands so they can be placed in the proper order. Buckland suggested open mic time if there is a gap they need to fill. Bivins advised allowing sufficient time to set up and strike between bands. Iacovelli also recommended someone serve as MC in between acts. D. COMMUNITY COLLABORATIVE INIATIATIVE—TAPESTRY PROJECT E. 5K UPDATE Buckland stated she will email HRDC members resources they are hoping to include on their information list as well as organizations willing to fight issues surrounding vulnerable youth and human trafficking. She asked commissioners to indicate preferences for who to give the event proceeds to as well as add names to the resource list. Fenrick announced Eden Prairie police blogged this week about human trafficking being a primary focus and initiative for 2015-16. HRDC helped bring that to the forefront. Buckland said one officer is dedicated to working full time on this issue in Eden Prairie. F. PEOPLE FEST UPDATE —Narayanan/Leeper Narayanan admitted difficulty in getting a core group of people to kick start the planning process. Fenrick distributed a list of groups of people to possibly tap into for planning. Bivins emphasized the length of time required to put together a quality event. Subcommittees of others outside the commission are needed to help. She suggested working on branding and building up the event this summer in preparation for a sponsoring a quality event in the future. There may not be sufficient time between now and July to put in the time and thought necessary for this to be successful. Narayanan said he prefers to attempt recruiting passionate people and then see how things play out before making a decision. Fenrick recommended advertising an informational meeting broadly and drawing a task force from that. Commissioners who have contacts to add to the list she circulated should forward them to her. A letter can be sent once a date is set. HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION MINUTES February 11, 2016 Page 5 Narayanan said Elassar reworked the logo. Commissioners voted for their preferred of two concepts with the understanding refinement is still needed. Iacovelli said she could work on sizing and tracing as needed. Fenrick said she will send it to Communications for input. Elassar said some have expressed interest in mugs or t-shirts with the design. G. HRDC BROCHURE UPDATE VII. FUTURE MEETINGS/EVENTS The next HRDC meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 10, 2016, 7 p.m. at Eden Prairie Center, Room 125. VIII. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Buckland moved, seconded by Elassar, to adjourn. Motion carried 5-0. Chair Narayanan adjourned the meeting at 8:59 p.m.