Human Rights Commission

City of Morgantown Human Rights Commission Meeting Minutes for April 18, 2019 Present: Jan Derry, Chair Marlene Robinson, Vice Chair Kristen Cooper, Secretary Jacob Powers Don Spencer (Program Assistant) Kristen Jones (Volunteer) Judith Wilkinson (Volunteer) Meeting called to order by Jan Derry, Chair, at 6:35 PM. The agenda was distributed and approved with no changes. Public Session: No one from the public was present at the meeting. Minutes: The minutes for March 2019 were distributed and reviewed. No changes were requested. Marlene Robinson moved that the minutes be accepted as written. The motion was seconded by Jacob Powers, and the motion passed unanimously. Communications: Judith Wilkinson spoke and informed the group that she can no longer be in charge of the Compassionate City and Welcome to Morgantown initiatives. She will be focusing her attentions on a variety of other programs that benefit the city and University. She expressed her willingness to assist with the programs but encouraged others to get involved in the two programs she was heading. She suggested someone contact the head of the CVB. Don Spencer said he was willing to help but his involvement would need to begin after the first weekend in May. Don will find specific places where the Welcome signs are wanted and then work on making a list and using $300 in the HRC budget to help fund the program. Jan Derry and Don Spencer attended the local Pride Block Party event on the 13th, where they set up a table and distributed information. Jan reported that was a great event. 1 There were no updates from the Commission’s hot line. Jacob Powers reported that we are getting daily views on our Facebook page. At Jan’s suggestion, Jacob will post information about Fair Housing Month and Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Tim Hairston, representative from the State HRC, was not present to make a report, however it was noted by Don Spencer that the State HRC is accepting nominations for new commissioners. Don drafted a letter that nominates Eve Foulkes for a commissioner position. Priority Items: The DEI Plan was on the agenda; however Drew Bucy was not there to comment on the updated attachment K. It was agreed that another meeting with the city representatives is in order to further the progress of the DEI Plan. The meeting should include the City Clerk, the head of Human Resources, the City Attorney, the City Manager and representatives for our Commission. Jan Derry announced that Jacob Powers has volunteered to serve as the Chair of the HRC when her term expires on July 1. The Vice Chair position still needs to be filled. The Commission’s Project List was reviewed. Jena Martin will create a flow chart and FAQ for the non- discrimination ordinance complaint forms, Jan Derry will take charge of the Housing Authority Awareness initiative, Jacob Powers will head up the Anti-Bullying campaign, Kate Levine-Freedman will handle the “New to Morgantown” website information, Ramsey Kinsella will oversee the Immigration Referral Guide, Jacob will participate with Don on the Land Acknowledgement Resolution, Jacob will also work on adding Human Rights Observances to the website, and Open to All will be headed by Jacob and Drew Bucy with assistance from Don Spencer and Kristen Cooper. The Open to All Campaign was discussed. A meeting of the committee will take place on April 24th. Kristen Cooper will look into the cost of printing stickers as there may be funds available in the budget to cover that expense. Jacob will contact Eve Foulkes and others about designing the logo for the program. It was suggested that brochures about the program be handed out at city events such as the May 17 Art Walk and July 20th Kids Day. In regards to the Land Acknowledgement Resolution, Jan Derry expressed concern that the resolution will not be passed by the City Council in its current form. Marlene Robinson also wondered if the resolution was a realistic request. Don Spencer expressed that inclusivity in the future depends on first respecting the people of the past. Jan Derry suggested that the resolution be something that is on the City’s meeting agendas in written form (instead of being read each time), and Jacob Powers thought that the resolution be “suggested” for use. Don disagreed and stated that the resolution needs to include a reading of it out loud and that it needs to be part of the set script of the City Council meetings. Jacob Powers moved that the Land Acknowledgement Resolution be passed; the motion was seconded by Marlene Robinson. The motion passed with 3 yes votes and one abstention. It was agreed that the resolution would not be introduced to the City Council until an agreed upon time. 2 New Business: Jan Derry announced that the budget for 2019 has been approved. Jan will continue to handle the accounting aspect of the budget and the signing duties will be turned over to Jacob Powers in July. The budget includes some funding for the Welcome to Morgantown signage project as well as funds to boost Facebook views. In regards to the initiative to create a liaison from the LGBTQ community to the City of Morgantown, a resolution was drawn up that proposed a Minority Liaison Coordinating Council with representatives from organizations throughout the city and University. Some changes were agreed upon and an edited version of the resolution will be voted upon by the HRC in May and then submitted to the Committee of the Whole (City Council) for their May meeting. Ongoing Projects: The commission reviewed a sample of an Anti-Bullying ordinance. Jacob will do more research on the subject. The question of who will implement the ordinance (i.e. enforcement) was raised and it was suggested that each city program would individually deal with the consequences. The commission reviewed the revised Inclusionary Zoning resolution and some changes were suggested. It was agreed that a revised version of the resolution will be reviewed and voted upon at the May meeting. It was also suggested that Ron Delaney be invited to the next meeting to take part in that discussion. A Legislative Docket was reviewed and Universal Design was added to the current list. On the calendar year list was the Gun Violence proposal and a Separate Housing Authority (though the in actuality the current Authority needs to be more visible to the public.) The need for the City’s support of a Statewide ordinance for Non-Discrimination be reaffirmed. The Indigenous Peoples Day idea was put on hold to see how the Land Acknowledgement proposal is received. Announcements: The next meeting of the Human Rights Commission will take place on May 16th, 2019. The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 pm. Submitted by Kristen Cooper 3