Human Relations Committee

Laconia Human Relations Committee Monthly Meeting January 14, 2025 – 3:00 pm City Hall Rm 200A & Zoom Agenda Welcome and Roll Call Review and Acceptance of December 10 , 2024, Meeting Minutes Work Groups  MLK Event Committee (Facebook presence)  Banners/flags on City Property Committee  Rally/Sign Committee Old Business  Multicultural Festival  Financial update – attached  Endowment for Health  Mingle Café  Yom HaShoah New Business  Black Heritage Month  Mental Health program  Homelessness  Public Input  Next Meeting Room 200A, February 11, 2025, at 3:30 pm also via Zoom Public Comment – The public is invited to offer their opinions. Initially, they will be limited to four minutes until all have had an opportunity to speak. Each person is constrained to their time period or to ask questions of the committee. Everyone is expected to speak respectfully. If on Zoom, the public will be visible but muted until unmuted by the chair. Members of the public wishing to speak will use the “raise hand” option. ------------------------------------------------------ Note: The meeting will also be held online through Zoom and will begin at 3:30pm although people are encouraged to check in early. You are invited to a Zoom webinar. Topic: Human Relations Commission Please click the link below to join the webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81922296874?pwd=M0E4a1pES0VGV0Rsa1hmT0ZDU3Bmdz09 Passcode: 793636 Or One tap mobile: US: +16465588656,81922296874#,,,*793636# or +13017158592,,81922296874#,,,,*793636# Or Telephone: Dial (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location): US: +1 646 558 8656 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 669 900 9128 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799 Webinar ID: 819 2229 6874 Passcode: 793636 International numbers available: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/k661pCha  Laconia Human Relations Committee December 10, 2024 Meeting Minutes I. CALL TO ORDER Chair Patrick Wood welcomed everyone to the meeting of the Laconia Human Relations Committee (LHRC). Committee member roll call was taken, a quorum was established, and the meeting was called to order at 3:38 pm. II. ATTENDANC E Present – Chair Patrick Wood, Carol Pierce, Matt Soza, David Osman, Heather Stanley, Kay Anderson, Patricia Okinedo, Carrie Chandler Excused – Mayor Andrew Hosmer, Rev. Judith Wright, Richard Littlefield, Scott Riger, Seifu Ragassa, Faith Pakasuk Zoom Guest – Donna McAdam, Mingle Café Organizer, Dover NH III. OLD BUSINESS Minutes Approval – Motion was made by David Osman , seconded by Heather Stanley, to accept the minutes of the November 12 th, 2024 Laconia Human Relations Committee meeting; with no further discussion, the motion passed unanimously. Sub-Committee Work: Martin Luther King Jr Celebration (Pat reported for Judith)  Event is scheduled for Sunday, January 19th, 2-4p at the Colonial Theatre  Rev. Judith provided an email regarding event status  Question regarding $500 for police – Pat will clarify  Request for volunteers to help facilitate movie viewing at Laconia Library  More information needed regarding “raffle” o Is this a raffle asking for money or is it a give-away raffle? o Who would purchase or donate the books – committee is not prepared to authorize o Suggestions for flyer requested Endowment for Health Grant (Heather reported)  No committee update.  Set up meeting with Beth Vachon (LRMH), Heather and Pat.  Racism - Carol is working on this; would like to talk with Beth Vachon at LRMH for agency involvement. o NAACP – invite a representative to a future meeting via zoom.  Housing Concerns – Pat is working with the Housing Authority on a program idea at the Community College  Seacoast Outright – LGBTQ+ youth effort in Portsmouth; Pat will further research.  Banner Proposal (Patrick reported)  No updates – City Council has taken no further action.  Perhaps a petition? Pat will speak with a member of city council. Vigil/Signage  No updates Multicultural Festival (Pat reported for Rev. Judith) Board Meeting discussion included:  Hiring a New Director o Explored Becky’s interest in remaining Director, co-Directing, taking a piece of the role, mentoring or being finished completely with the festival. Becky would very much like to stay on and assist/coach whomever takes the position. o Discussed pay and timing of payments – nothing was decided. There was the suggestion to spread payments out if monies support this versus pay at the end. o There is one person interested. She and Becky had a discussion following the meeting. The big question remains payment. o It was suggested that whoever is hired – be invited to a LHRC meeting.  Festival Name Change Suggestion o LHRC is not in favor of eliminating the word “multicultural.” IV. NEW BUSINESS Donna McAdams joined the meeting at 4:20p via zoom. Donna facilitates the “Mingle Café” located in Dover. Donna started the “café” in 2017 in an effort to “make the world a little less divisive.” This gathering people are asked to sit at small tables with people they don’t know to discuss issues – some serious and some not. Four people sit to a table for 45 minutes; when the bell rings, they switch to a different table for 45 minutes. During discussions, they drink coffee and share a morning sweet. Since 2017, approximately 140 people have participated; never more than 30 at a time. It is held on Saturday mornings from 9 until 10:30 am and they have 5 or 6 events a year. She started by sending invites to 30 people and asked them to invite someone. About ¼ came from the church where held. She then started to collect emails. Donna also developed a flyer to post around the city. Guests brainstorm and make suggestions for topics: What are your hopes for the New Year? What is your favorite book and why? Why are you living in Dover – what brought you here? What kind of city do you want to live in? What does democracy mean to you?  Carrie and David will approach the Belknap Mill to see if there is interest in starting a Laconia “Mingle Café.” Yom HaShoah – Rabbi Katz and Pat met; the temple is planning a holocaust remembrance event at the end of April. V. PUBLIC COMMENTS There was opportunity but no public comments. VI. ADJOURNMENT The Meeting was adjourned by the chair at 5:03 pm. Next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 14 , 2025, room 200A, at 3:30 pm also via Zoom. Happy Holidays! Respectfully Submitted, Carrie Chandler, Secretary Notes from the Planning Committee for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration 2025 January 2 , 2025 Present : Trish Weatherbee, Matt Soza, Faith Pakasuk, Rev. Judith Wright Unable to be present : Richard Littlefield The committee discussed and approved two flyers for these events on January 18th, 19th, and 25th. A Press release was edited and approved and later sent to The Laconia Daily Sun by Rev. Judith. How to connect with social media was discussed. Everyone on the committee has specific groups they each will be sending information about these events and do so right away. A discussion of the Program for the event occurred and the Program will be the main topic of our next meeting. An addition to the panel discussion on the 19th is Maria Mutesi, recommended by Faith Pakasuk. Richard has withdrawn as moderator and we are looking for a new moderator. Trish discussed technical issues which she will continue to pursue over the next week. Trish will provide us with the songs for the Power Chords as well. We discussed how best to distribute the audience on the 19th for a wider representation of the Laconia community on the issue of the legacy of Dr. King. Heather Stanley has agreed to be one of our two needed discussion leaders for the events at the library, thanks to Faith asking her. This was a fruitful working session of our committee for which I am truly grateful. Our next meeting will be on January 10, 2025 at The Unitarian Universalist Society of Laconia . Respectfully submitted by Rev. Judith Wright, Chair of this subcommittee of the LHRC.  News Release about Rev. Dr. King , Jr. Celebrations This year ’s celebration of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. has the theme of “What does the legacy of Dr. King mean to you? ” The celebration will be held at the Colonial Theater on January 19, 2025 from 2-4 pm. Doors open at 1:30 pm. The first half of the program will feature a showing of a TV documentary about Dr. Albert C. Johnston, an African American, and his family who lived in Keene, NH in the 1940s. The medical establishment in Keene at that time found out about Dr. Johnston ’s race and then took away his right to practice medicine at the local hospital. The TV documentary that will be shown on January 19 th reveals a formal apology to the Johnston family for the racial prejudice and discrimination the family had endured. Dr. Larry Benaquist , film producer from Keene, NH helped to create a movie about what happened to the Johnstons. Dr. Benaquist will be present at the Colonial to talk about the creation of this film, which is called Lost Boundaries . Lost Boundaries was first screened in 1949 and the film was shocking to people at that time. There will be two showings of this movie, one on Saturday January 18 th and the other on Saturday January 25 th at the Laconia Public Library. Both will be shown from 1 pm to 4 pm and will include refreshments and discussion about the film. The second half of our celebration for Dr. King at the Colonial will include a panel discussion about what the legacy of Dr. King means to each of the panelists, and then the discussion will open up to the wider audience. At the end of the program the Power Chords will sing under the direction of Lorraine Barrows. You will need to get a free ticket at the Colonial for the celebration on the 19 th Everyone is welcome to attend all three of these events which are sponsored by the Laconia Human Relations Committee. m At Laconia Public Library io Hi Patrick, We’re looking forward to your video interview on Monday, January 13 at 2:00 p.m. at the Endowment offices (One Pillsbury St., Suite 301, Concord). Below are some questions we’d like you to discuss in the interview: Laconia Trustmaking Project  Describe the trustmaking project generally. What cities are involved and what is the project trying to accomplish?  What are some of Laconia’s biggest challenges regarding civic (and civil) engagement?  What are some of Laconia’s strengths and assets?  What did your trustmaking event uncover? How did it bring the community together?  Tell us about the upcoming MLK event on January 19 th.  How does the Laconia Human Relations Committee approach challenges and what makes you successful in the face of obstacles?  Personally, what keeps you going in this work? What advice or strategies would you recommend to other people doing this work? Regarding the January 19th MLK event, we do have a videographer available to get ancillary b- roll footage to be used as part of your interview segment. Could you please let us know if this is a seated event with on-stage speakers? Also, who are the speakers and how will the program run? If you have an agenda we’d appreciate getting a copy of that as soon as possible. Many thanks in advance and let us know if you have any questions in the meantime. Warmly, Karen Karen Ager (she/her) Communications Director Endowment for Health One Pillsbury Street Concord, NH 03301 603-228-2448 x2 www.endowmentforhealth.org  Human Relations Committee FY 25 Actvity as of: 12/31/2024 Budgeted YTD Expended Balance Annual Allocation $ $ $ 01-489-480-0022 2,000.00 1,500.00 500.00 Accrued Funds $ $ $ 84-401-200-0000 2,469.94 332.00 2,137.94 Endowment for Health Grant $ $ $ 84-401-200-0001 19,500.00 500.00 19,000.00  n Presentation Proposal: Laconia Human Relations Committee Session Information : 90-minute session where multiple speakers from Lakes Region Mental Health Center present information related to mental health. Suggested Audience : the public, city officials, community agencies and nonprofits, Key session takeaways include : discussion of mental health as a common, treatable condition; mental health statistics (prevalence, treatment, how mental illnesses vary by sex, age, race, and ethnicity); mental health statistics specific to Laconia and surrounding communities; mental illness as a disability protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act; mental health stigma related to homelessness and housing; Community Mental Health Centers: available services, programs, and resources. Session Title : Building Trust in our Community Mental Health Center: A Guide to Mental Health and Available Services and Resources. Speakers (4): Maggie Pritchard, President and CEO; Senia LaForte, Residential Administrative Coordinator; Beth Vachon, Chief Development and Public Relations Officer; Steven Walker, Acute Services. (Speakers may be substituted due to availability on the presentation day). Program Type: A combination of information presentation and critical conversation through question and answer. Fees: $100 per hour x 20 hours= $2,000 Breakdown:  $100/hr. x 4 staff x 2.5 (30-minute setup, 90-minute presentation, and follow-up after presentation) = $1000  $100/hr. x 10 hours for presentation preparation = $1000 s CALL FOR FREE TICKETS MPRESENTATION LOST BOUNDARIES Celebrate Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr legacy Saturday Jan. 18 202 Laconia Public Library refreshments & discussions CALL FOR FREE TICKETSLL ARE WELCOME ADDITIONAL MLK EVENT: SUNDAY JAN. 19, 2025 2PM @ THE COLONIAL THEATER FILM DOCUMENTARY PANEL DISCUSSION & REFRESHMENTS FREEFILMPRESENTATION LOST BOUNDARIES Celebrate Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr legacy Saturday Jan. 18 2025 Saturday Jan. 25, 2025 both showings @ 1pm At Laconia Public Library refreshments & discussions CALL FOR FREE TICKETS