Human Rights Commission

City of Morgantown Human Rights Commission Meeting Minutes for November 19, 2020 Present: Jacob Powers, Chair Ash Orr, Vice Chair Kristen Cooper, Secretary Jan Derry Jena Martin Don Spencer, Volunteer Dee Dee McIntosh, PFLAG Liaison Meeting called to order by Jacob Powers, Chair, at 6:35 P.M. The meeting took place online due to pandemic restrictions. The agenda was distributed and approved with no changes. Public Session: Several guests were present at the meeting including two law students (Duane Ruggier and Ben Vanston) and Morgantown Police officer Marshall Foster who is the LGBTQ liaison between the police force and the city. The commissioners and the guests introduced themselves. Minutes: The September 2020 minutes were reviewed. Jan Derry moved that the minutes be approved as written; Ash Orr seconded the motion. The minutes where approved unanimously (with one abstention). Communications: Jacob Powers had no updates regarding the social media or phone calls. There has been no progress getting the 24/7 phone line reestablished. Tim Hairston was not present to make a report about the State HRC. Priority Items: Ash Orr discussed the possibility of creating a mental health hotline that would be manned by trained volunteers. The hotline would service people with substance abuse issues (and other concerns). Ash asked if the commission could present the idea to the city and/or sponsor the phone line. Don Spencer 1 suggested that another entity should sponsor this endeavor because the commission isn’t set up to be a service provider. It was suggested that the Valley Community Health center be contacted. Another suggestion was looking at the program established in Eugene, OR and working towards a similar program for Morgantown. As will continue to pursue this initiative and keep the HRC involved. The Annual Human Rights Awards were discussed. Voting for the recipients will take place online with an additional vote taking place at this meeting. The recipients will be Mavis Grant-Lilley from PFLAG and Empty Bowls, and the First Presbyterian Church. Both recipients have been informed and are looking forward to accepting the awards. Logistics for the awards were discussed. Danielle Walker has agreed to be the keynote speaker. A tentative date of December 10th has been established. This is the same evening as the First Presbyterian Church’s Blue Christmas event, and we will inquire about having our award ceremony at the same location (outdoors at the Morgantown Farmers Market pavilion) prior to the church event. Ash Orr will do a video/live feed of the event on social media. Jacob Powers and Ash Orr will work on getting the details of the awards (exact time, date, location) confirmed. An alternate date for the ceremony will be December 17th. In conjunction with the Human Rights Awards and National Human Rights Day, the HRC will be working with the Morgantown Arts Center (MAC) to create a display of the HRC’s collection of human rights posters. It was suggested that the poster exhibit run from December 7th until the end of December. Jan Derry will coordinate with the MAC. Jena Martin moved to approve a budget of up to $250 to fund the MAC poster exhibit; Ash Orr seconded the motion. The motion was approved unanimously. Officer Foster said a few words about his new LGBTQ liaison position with the City. He is looking forward to resolving issues and exploring what can be done to increase communication. The Community Police Review and Advisory Board was discussed. Amy Chandler was not present to give any update regarding recent committee meetings. It was noted that the committee will not be meeting again until December 7th. Additionally, Rachel Fetty has taken over as Chairman of the committee. Progress Reports: In regards to “Open to All”, Don Spencer had a discussion with Eve Faulkes who expressed concern that our program would overlap the existing program entitle “All Kinds are Welcome Here.” That organization distributes stickers, and they are sponsored by the ACLU (and are a force behind Lobby Day). It was suggested that we consider a program that is centered more on Morgantown (as opposed to the entire state). It was suggested that we start a social media campaign around it to get people invested in naming the program and building it. The two law students present at the meeting volunteered to work on this project. 2 Jacob Powers reported that The Bartlett House gave permission to the Mon Arts to use their building for a mural which leaves the HRC without a canvas again. A search will continue to find an available location. New Business: An interactive Orientation Packet has been created by Don Spencer and distributed to the commissioners. It is designed to be read and explored by each individual (as opposed to having a set meeting time to review the information). It was suggested that all commissioners review the Packet and be prepared to discuss it at the December HRC meeting. Don Spencer recommended that the HRC write a letter of appreciation to Morgantown Pride for completing the Black Lives Matter crosswalk. Jan Derry moved that the appreciation letter be written to Morgantown Pride; Jena Martin seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Regarding the DEI program, Don Spencer pointed out that the policies need the element of compliance. The ordinance passed in March and there hasn’t been any elements put into action. Jacob Powers will write an email to the Mayor and the City Attorney to set up a meeting to discuss the DEI. Jan Derry, Don Spencer and Dee Dee McIntosh volunteered to work on this project. Ongoing Projects: There has been some movement on the WVU about the Community Film Series. Amanda Wood who works in development at the Eberly College at WVU is looking for a home for the film festival and will be reporting back to Don Spencer on her progress. The Indigenous Peoples Day idea will be worked on in January. The HRC Annual Report needs to be written in December. The HRC Calendar was reviewed. The LGBTQ Center at WVU will recognize Transgender Remembrance Day on November 20th with more information available on the PFLAG Facebook page. There was a brief discussion about the WVU basketball player, Ron Williams, being recognized by the University and having his jersey retired. Don Spencer asked that the HRC write a letter to the University in support of that. Announcements: The next meeting will take place on December 17, 2020 and will be via video conference. The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 pm. 3 Submitted by Kristen Cooper 4