Human Rights Commission

Minutes for the October 26, 2023, Regular Meeting of the Morgantown Human Rights Commission Location: Morgantown Public Safety Building, Training Room Commissioners Present: Bonnie Brown, Annie Cronan Yorick, and Danny Trejo Members Absent: Zoey Vilasuso 3 Vacancies Ex Officio Liaisons: Tim Hairston, State of WV Human Rights Commission, Brian Butcher, Morgantown City Council Members of the Public Present: HRC Volunteer, Don Spencer CALL TO ORDER: Annie Cronan Yorick called the meeting to order at 6:41 p.m. PUBLIC PORTION: none (Volunteer’s Comments were reserved for later in the meeting) MINUTES: B o n n i e m o v e d t o a d o p t t h e Minutes for the Regular Meeting of September t 21, t 2023; Danny t seconded it. The Minutes were Adopted. LIAISON UPDATES: None COMMISSIONER UPDATES:  Bonnie reported that The PRIDE Parade was rescheduled for October 27, 2023, Councilman Butcher confirmed this. Bonnie also reported on the great success of the Indigenous Peoples Day celebration; it was well-attended. Mayor Selin and Deputy Mayor Abu-Ghamman read the City’s IDP Proclamation and acknowledged the Native Dignitaries in attendance.  Danny reported that he is working as a Spanish-language interpreter for the Mon County Courts and that we have a significant Latino population in the City whose needs are not being addressed. CHAIR’S REPORT: Annie reported that:  Commissioner Cal Carlson provided Minutes for the September 21, 2023, Regular Meeting, and then gave his resignation to the City Council and City Manager.  She met with City Manager Hawes and Mayor Selin to discuss the need for more HRC Commissioners and the results of the MEI Report. It was also confirmed that Councilman Butcher and Tim Hairston are ex officio Liaisons to the HRC and should be designated as such on the HRC webpage. She also advised that federal law requires municipalities to have an ADA Building/Structure Inspector and an ADA Compliance Officer for city employees; we have neither. Manager Hawes will discuss it with the City Attorney.  She is working with City Clerk, Christine Wade and City Human Resources Director, John Bihun, to update the City’s applications for Commissions/Boards and City Employment. City administration is not currently collecting the information needed to assess compliance with the City’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion guidelines. Without this information, the HRC cannot advise the City Manager on adherence to the policy.  Reported that the Morgantown final score on the Municipal Equality Index raised significantly from last year, but that the Human Rights Campaign had not yet released them to the public.  Will be preparing and presenting the FY 2022/23 Annual Report; it is scheduled to be presented to the Committee of the Whole on October 30, 2023. No items from other members have been received to add to the report but can still be added.  Spoke to the Mon Arts Council manager to confirm the HRC Human Rights Poster & Flag Exhibit can be held there, along with the reception for the awards presentation on December 10, 2023. The NAACP has already reserved the main gallery for its observation of the Anniversary of the 13th Amendment, but the Davis Gallery is available for the HRC exhibit and the auditorium is available for the reception. PRIORITY BUSINESS: Awards for International Human Rights Day: we still have no nominees for this year’s awards. Many possibilities were discussed. All members plan to attend the CCSJ Potluck dinner where we will ask community Social Justice leaders for nominations. Don Spencer discussed protocol used in prior years and urged that the Commission follow precedent and get things done quickly so we don’t miss important deadlines. Annie suggested having a Special Meeting on November 9th to work on event planning. Danny moved that the special meeting be convened; Bonnie seconded it. The Motion passed unanimously. The next meeting will be held on November 9, 2023. ADJOURN: Bonnie moved to adjourn the meeting. The meeting was adjourned at 8:55 pm. Notes by Bonnie BROWN; Minutes by Annie CRONAN YORICK Submitted: January 18, 2024