Citizens' Unity Commission

Citizens’ Unity Commission Monthly Meeting Minutes Thursday, November 18, 2021~ 6:00 pm-8:00pm Community Development Conference Room, City Hall, 5th Floor 22 Lincoln Street, Hampton, Virginia Attendance:, Alice Capehart, Justin Carolina, Jennifer Evans, Chris Grady, Tamika Lett, Malik Perry, Luretta Ray, Erica Spencer, Mei Stukes, Ellen Velissarios, Mary Wallace, Absent: Katrina Bailey (Absent Notified), Trevor Hudson, Joiecel Riviera, Whalan McDew (Absent Notified), Barbara Washer (Resigned), Steven Wendell (Absent Notified) Staff: Imara Gabe Diaz (Interim Director), Hugo J. Morrison (Education Manager) Call to Order – Jennifer Evans, Chairperson @ 6:04 pm Roll Call – Imara Gabe Diaz, Interim Executive Director Action Items Item 1: Welcome and Introductions – Roll Call • Imara Gabe Diaz, CUC Interim Director, asked all Commissioners to sign in on the attendance sheet and called rolled. He also listed the Commissioners who were absent with notice. Item 2: Approve Electronic Participation of Commissioners • A brief recap and review of the electronic participation of Commissioners was given by Executive Director Gabe Diaz. Commissioners asked several questions about needing a physical quorum, the number of meetings that one can attend electronically, and qualifying reasons for needing to participate electronically. All questions were satisfied with answers directly provided by Interim Executive Director Gabe Diaz. Chairperson Jennifer Evans ended the discussion by calling for the question. A motioned was made to adopt the electronic meeting policy by Erica Spencer and seconded by Jennifer Evans. The electronic meeting policy was adopted by a unanimous vote of commissioners’ present. Item 2: Review and Approval of Meeting Minutes • Interim Director Gabe Diaz informed the commission they have several sets of minutes to approve, due to the fact that no quorum being met. After reaching a quorum on 11/18/2021 which consisted of 11commisoners action was taken on each set of minutes; ▪ The First Set of minutes were from 11/16/2020: motion made by Malik Perry and seconded by Tamika Lett. 1  ▪ The 4/8/2021 set of minutes were adopted. Motion made by Chris Grady and second by Mary Wallace. ▪ The 9/20/21 set of minutes were adopted. Motion made by Ellen Velissarios and second by Jennifer Evans. ▪ The 10/08/21 set of minutes were adopted. Motion made by Erica Spencer and second by Mei Stukes. • All minutes were unanimous approved by the commissioners present with no necessary corrections. Old Business Item #1: Bylaws • Interim Executive Director Gabe Diaz, highlighted the importance of the attendance policy of commissioners to be able to transact business and provide City Council with accurate reporting. • He furthered explained that the bylaws were created by CUC and we need to adhere to them as much as possible. City Council does the approving of the council members and our bylaws will govern our day-to-day operations. • Interim Executive Director stated we are still awaiting to hear the final word from our City Attorneys’ Office on the reduction of the quorum and what the best advise would be to approach this matter. In the meantime, he is asking that you look over the bylaws and submit any desired changes or proposed amendments for consideration to the Unity Office. Item #2: Commitment & Attendance • City Council held a meeting this summer for our commitment to excellence. All commissioners were invited to the meeting and some were not able to make it. During this meeting the City Managers’ s Office, City Attorney office, and City Council thanked citizens for the willingness to serve and challenged citizens to take their appointments seriously. Those desiring to serve, was asked to complete the acknowledgment page to the commitment of excellence and they were collected. Team Building Exercise: • Hugo Morrison, Education Manager facilitated a team building exercise, Unity Survivor, Hampton’s Editions. Two teams stuck on an island with little supplies, could only carry one thing on the island with them. All other items had to discarded. Teams reported out and was judged by one of their peers. New Business Item 1: Volunteer Opportunities • A sign-up sheet was passed around for members to volunteer with the event held at YH Thomas Community Center on November 20th, 2021, Put the Guns down, Pick the Mic Up. CUC was a partnering organization and needs help with the information table. 2  • Saturday, December 11 we have another volunteer opportunity for the 5Th Annual 249 Ninja Toy Drive. CUC and the Office of Diversity are co-sponsors of the event. • We had about 5 commissioners sign up to volunteer for various events. In the event you are still able to volunteer you can contact the office. Item #2: Community Plan-Hampton 2040 • This item was deferred to our next meeting due to the Thursday evening Sanitization & Disinfecting of City Hall. Our time was shortened due to a scheduling conflict. Interim Executive Director Gabe Diaz is checking on the scheduled to ensure there are no conflicts going forward. Go-Backs Announcements • Department name change was approved this week to Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion: The Home of the Citizens’ Unity Commission. Adjourned 7:53pm by Co-Chairperson Mei Stukes Next Meeting Date and Time: Thursday, December 9th, 2021 6:00 pm-8:00 pm 3