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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuman Rights and Diversity - 09/11/2008 APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2008 7:00 PM, 125 EDEN PRAIRIE CENTER Office of Housing and Community Services COMMISSION MEMBERS: Cari Maguire (Chair), Pam Spera (Vice Chair), Daniel Abraira, Gerry Beckmann, Marcy Harris, Mohamed Duale, and Kelly Brandon STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES: Nelum Madanayake, Adam Liter and Ummul Kathawalla COMMISSION STAFF: Molly Koivumaki, Staff Liaison Katie Hood, Recording Secretary I. ROLL CALL Commissior Spera called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. Cari Maguire was excused. Student Representatives Ummul Kathawalla was absent. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA The group informally approved the updated meeting agenda. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM MAY MEETING MOTION: Harris moved to approve the Agenda, seconded by Beckmann. Motion carried 5-0. IV. NEW BUSINESS None V. REPORTS OF STAFF A. HUMAN SERVICES REVIEW COMMITTEE (HSRC) No Update B. BIAS CRIME ACTIVITY STATUS No Update Human Rights and Diversity Commission Minutes September 11, 2008 Page 2 C. OTHER REPORTS FROM STAFF Koivumaki reported on the outreach sub-committee. Staff is assisting Commissioner Beckmann with Outreach sub-committee events. Hispanic Heritage Month • Aztec Ceremonial Dance at the library on September 13 at 2:30 pm • Cooking demonstrations at Cub Foods September 12 &13, 26 & 27 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm Heading Toward Thankfulness tours • October 11 - Hindu Temple in Maple Grove (9:00 am) • October 17 - Jewish Synagogue in Minnetonka(9:30 am) • October 24 - Islamic Mosque in Columbia Heights (1:00 pm) Black History Month • Mixed Blood Theater production in February, details pending Koivumaki reported on the Hennepin County"Regionalization Plan". Staff is working with Hennepin County Human Services Department on plans to decentralize human services from the Century Plaza location in downtown to "hub" and "satellite" offices in the suburbs. A focus group meeting is scheduled for Friday, September 12 in the Housing & Community Services Office, for Eden Prairie service providers to give opinions on how regional services should be offered. Harris stated her office would be able to provide statistical data on low income people served. This meeting was requested by Staff after a preliminary report was released on July 29, which indicated Eden Prairie was not in much need of social services from the County. Staff along with Commissioners Maguire and Beckmann participated in a telephone conference with County officials to express concern over the misrepresentation of Eden Prairie in the report. The County agreed to hold another focus group meeting. Abraira arrived at 7:14 pm. Koivumaki said Eden Prairie would like a satellite office of four to six people. Spera asked what the procedure would be to have Eden Prairie be a satellite. Koivumaki said that procedure has not yet been determined. . VI. OLD BUSINESS Human Rights and Diversity Commission Minutes September 11, 2008 Page 3 None VII. REPORTS FROM COMMISSION MEMBERS A. SOUTH HENNEPIN IMMIGRANT SERVICES GROUP (SHISG) Beckmann reported on the SHISG. Beckmann said Faisa Aden is the new VISTA worker for Volunteer Connections and Shape. Her office is at Wooddale Church. Shape classes are now being held at Wooddale church. Shape no longer has space at the Educational Center. David Skoog from Wooddale Church told the group about the Wooddale Somali Friendship program. Skoog said, at the meeting, the program has been in existence for three or four years he said. Wooddale has six to eight active volunteers who meet once a week with a Somali immigrant or a Somali immigrant family to mentor, tutor, help with citizenship problems and generally help in any way they can. Soon Wooddale will be working with the World Relief Agency to survey the needs of Somali residents in Eden Prairie. After doing the survey, Wooddale will then see if they can provide some funding to help with these needs or help find funding sources. Beckmann asked the Immigrant Services group be kept informed of their findings and what Wooddale is doing with this group. Wooddale also has provided some Red Cross classes for the Somali group they are helping. Mr. Skoog said there were 5,000 members of Wooddale. He hoped to expand Wooddale volunteers into helping other immigrant groups. Mr. Skoog also spoke about a Job Transition program at Wooddale. Mr. Bob Becker is the contact person for the program. This group meets every Monday morning at 7:30 am. PROP reported 655 children, from 250 families, received school supplies. Family & Children's Services will be adding another therapist soon. They are also seeing more Hispanic people at their agency. Hennepin Technical College Multiple Cultures Department is working on ways their students can do volunteer work in our community, such as snow shoveling this winter. Duale said there is a problem with Somali children having high numbers of cases of autism. Duale said there are 17 percent of Somali preschoolers have autism. There are 25 cases in Minneapolis. Duale said there is a big meeting coming up Human Rights and Diversity Commission Minutes September 11, 2008 Page 4 to address the issue. Duale said it isn't proven yet that vaccines cause autism and the CDC is looking into the issue. For immigrants, they receive vaccinations prior to coming to the United States of America and they then sometimes receive more of the same vaccines once they are in the United States of America. Essentially they are doubling up on the vaccines. Some people wonder if this has any affect on the number of autism cases. Spera said vaccines are not known to cause autism. Beckmann said she spoke with a woman who was a special education teacher and her view was autism is a popular diagnosis. The person Beckmann spoke with said it may be easier to give a diagnosis of autism than ADD or other diagnosis. Harris said there are two issues with the increase in cases in autism. • There are cultural issues. In the 1960's-1970's the black community couldn't score well on"white" tests. The concepts were foreign to the children culturally. • Would it be appropriate for the HRDC to help with the education in the community, in conjunction with public health, to dispel myths of vaccines? This education would be something more than brochures. Duale said generally Somali children are a higher number of special education students. Autism is completely different even though there are a lot of cultural differences. In preschool children know 10,000 words. Children with autism do not know 10,000 words, they don't respond when people are talking to them. Harris said there have been problems in the past with diagnosis happening in a racially charged way. Duale said students are placed in ESL automatically if English isn't the language spoken at home. Duale said he had to sign papers for his children to not be in ESL. His children are fine and did not need to be in ESL. Beckmann said autism is a different diagnosis and usually autistic children don't look at people in the eyes. Harris said Native American children had similar issues. Generations were labeled as mentally retarded and denied benefits. Harris asked if parents know they have the right to sign a release to not have their children in ESL classes. Duale said he doesn't think the parents know they can sign a release. There are some children who need ESL even if they were born in the United States of America. Beckmann said she believe students who have complained about being in ESL for too long can't test out. These children may speak very well, but aren't as good at reading and writing. Spera said it sounds like there are blanket rules. Duale said this isn't just in Eden Prairie; it is in the whole state of Minnesota. Duale said many immigrants live in small apartments and the questions may be part of cultural ways of living. It also appears like the decisions are already made when the testing is done. Koivumaki said someone from ESL could come in to speak Human Rights and Diversity Commission Minutes September 11, 2008 Page 5 with the Commission. This would be an opportunity for the HRDC to ask questions. Duale said once children are in ESL it is very hard to get out. Harris inquired why there was no agenda item regarding the letter she wrote to the State League of Human Rights Commissions concerning the date of the State conference. Koivumaki responded that Commission Chair Maguire would need to be present to discuss the letter. And since she was not able to be present at the meeting, it was not put on the agenda. Koivumaki reported that Judy Reinhr did follow up with her shortly after the June 2008 meeting when the issue of the conference date was discussed. Reinhr stated she took the concerns forward to the League Board. She said that members of the Board who are of the Jewish faith did not express concern at the time the Board selected the date for the conference. Harris reported that she will send a letter on her own behalf, representing herself, to the League Board. Spera said Harris will send a letter independently and a HRDC Commission letter will be sent after the conference. Beckmann said on the HRDC Commission's agenda for October, action could be taken on the letter. The letter could help address concerns for the date of the conference for next year. Abraira said he has concerns of a business in a strip mall adjacent to his place of employment. A few months ago a new tenant arrived. The new tent offers Asian massage. The website says there is a location in Eden Prairie and they offer escort services and give massage. Abraira said the police have been notified and they said they will look into it. There has been some graffiti in the strip mall. The graffiti has been in bathroom stalls and on the windows in the back of the building. Abraira said the police have been notified of the graffiti and was told a gang task force will be involved. Koivumaki said she will follow up with the police and report back to the HRDC Commission. Spera said there was lots of the HRDC Commission at the International Festival and it was a very successful event. According to the surveys,people actually preferred the new locations. The comments were very positive. There was more food this year. The idea to have a soccer tournament at the same time was a very good idea. Duale said the festival went very well and a lot of people from the immigrant population were involved. Harris inquired if there was any attempt to get members from HRDC involved in the International Festival. Koivumaki said it is not formal as to who are going to do what. Harris said she worked her schedule around the International Festival and wasn't informed of the details. Spera said she thought Werts came to a meeting to ask for people to get involved. Spera said everyone in the Commission will be emailed about getting involved next year. Abraira said he Human Rights and Diversity Commission Minutes September 11, 2008 Page 6 was under the impression the event was at another lake. Spera said there was some discussion to have the festival at another lake. Beckmann said there will be a food demonstration at Cub on Friday and Saturday for Hispanic Heritage month. On Saturday, September 13 at 2:30 pm, there will be an Aztec ceremonial dance at the Eden Prairie Library. The dance will be explained in English and Spanish. Qdoba Mexican Grill will have coupons handed out. Beckmann said the Eden Prairie Presbyterian Church will have a picnic on September 20, and the community has been invited to attend the picnic and the Rey de Reyes service. Beckmann said Moving Toward Thankfulness project continues to move ahead with three selected faith community leaders (Muslim, Hindu & Jewish) preparing information for articles which will be featured in upcoming issues of the Eden Prairie News. The Outreach Committee is working with Community Ed to provide tours to three sites, a Mosque, a Temple and a Synagogue this fall. In addition, there will be an event on February 7, 2009 at 7 pm at a place to be determined. Daughter of Africa is available from the Mixed Blood Theatre. It is a one woman musical. The woman will be portraying a number of different women. The musical is a great educational piece. A venue for the show is still being looked for and $1800 and some dollars needs to be raised for the event. Harris asked if any of the work is being done in conjunction with the HRDC Commission. Beckmann said all of the events are being done in conjunction with the HRDC Commission. Beckmann said she believes Harris was at the meeting when Beckmann asked for people to help serve on the Outreach Committee. Duale was the only Commissioner who volunteered at that time. Koivumaki stated that updates about the Outreach Committee have been given at subsequent meetings. Koivumaki said she sent a general email to the HRDC Commission to give members a heads up on upcoming events. VIII. FUTURE MEETINGS/EVENTS The next HRDC Meeting will be on Thursday, October 9, 2008, 7:00 p.m. at the Eden Prairie Center room 125. Harris asked to be excused from the October 9 and November 13 meetings. IX. ADJOURNMENT Spera adjourned the meeting at 9:07 p.m.