Human Rights Commission

City of Morgantown Human Rights Commission (HRC) Minutes for the Regular Meeting on January 18, 2024 Location: Morgantown Public Safety Building, First Floor Meeting Room, 300 Spruce St. Present: Commission Chair: Annie CRONAN YORICK, Vice Chair: Bonnie BROWN, Commissioners: Danny TREJO and Bronson HERR, none absent, three vacancies Ex Officio Liaisons: Tim Hairston, WVHRC, and Brian Butcher, Morgantown City Council Volunteers: Don Spencer and Hawa Diawara Commissioner Applicants: Lesley Nash and Andrea Gallagher Call to Order: Called to order by the Chair, Annie Cronan Yorick, at 6:35 pm. She asked Brown to act as Secretary for this meeting; Brown agreed. Introductions: Commissioner Bronson Herr was appointed by the City Council on January 2, 2024; he was introduced and welcomed to the HRC. Minutes: Brown moved to adopt the Minutes for the Regular Meeting of October 26, 2023, as submitted by Cronan Yorick. Trejo seconded the motion. The Minutes were adopted by unanimous vote. Of Note: the Regular Meetings were not held in November or December 2023. Updates from the Chair: Cronan Yorick reported the following: ● Meeting Minutes must be adopted at the next meeting and filed with the City Clerk the day after. The HRC has a poor compliance record due to turnover in membership and an officer who left town with six months’ worth of unfiled meeting minutes. The Chair is working diligently to get us into compliance. ● Former Commissioner Vilasuso vacated her post on the HRC in November 2023. ● We sent a “Thank You” letter to Starbucks Store #29201 for generously donating pastries and coffee for the December HRC Awards Ceremony. ● She plans to write a summary report of the HRC’s International Human Rights Day observance, including how the awardees were determined, the Posters & Flags exhibit at the MAC, approximated fifty guests in attendance at the ceremony, including the Mayor and all City Councilors (except Councilor Michael who had a work commitment), and event sharing with the Kingwood/Morgantown Chapter of the NAACP. ● She represented the HRC at the opening celebration for the Rainbow House LGBTQ+ Shelter; Councilor Butcher was also present at the event. ● She continues to meet with City administrators to advocate for ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) access and compliance, including hiring a building compliance inspector and a Human Resources compliance officer, as required for municipalities and other government entities under Title II of the ADA. All Contractors for City work must sign an  agreement to comply with the City’s human rights protections, including disability-related issues. [WVHRC Liaison Hairston indicated the County does not have an inspector, despite a clause in contractor agreements stating construction must be ADA compliant.] ● We purchased three flags and a poster to mount for HRC displays (United Nations, LGBTQ+ rainbow, and “Equality Hurts No One” flags and the “U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights” poster). She is also mounting some work for the NAACP in the spirit of alliance. ● The City’s final score on the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index (the MEI assesses cities’ factors on LGBTQ+ human rights) was published. Morgantown’s score improved to 110/100 (raw score of 94/100 + 16 FLEX points), putting it in the 98th percentile nationally and in first place among the seven West Virginia cities that are assessed (Huntington:92+8, Charleston:88+4, Wheeling:72+4, Charles Town:45+0, Lewisburg:43+0, and Parkersburg:13+0). Morgantown’s MEI score can be improved with a few amendments to City ordinances to reflect current practice and policy. The State of WV scored 5.5/45 on a similar survey, the “State Equality Profile: West Virginia” conducted by lgbtqmap.org. ● She is assisting City Clerk Wade on her initiative to revise Morgantown’s Boards & Commissions applications to meet the requirements of the “Strategic Plan for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” (adopted by the City on March 20, 2020). She has discussed updating City employment applications with H.R. Director Bihun to make them similarly comply with DEI requirements. ● HRC access to the basement-level storage area of the City Administration building is restricted to commissioners who are to be accompanied by the City Clerk. HRC volunteers are considered members of the public. Public Portion: ● Volunteer Spencer observed a positive reaction to the Human Rights Day Awards event. He also pointed out the upcoming annual “I Belong!” WVU Women’s basketball celebrating DEI and suggested that the HRC once again have an information table. Volunteer Diawara offered to get information for us to register for the event. Commissioner Updates: ● Brown shared that the upcoming Spring 2024 WVU Community Human Rights Film Series is in the planning stages; proposed films will be screened in March and April; more details forthcoming. ● Trejo informed that he is approved to serve as a Spanish language interpreter by the West Virginia Court of Appeals. He has served in many cases in Monongalia County Courts and reiterated the need for this service in more languages. Priority Business: ● Spencer inquired about the absence of annual DEI reports to comply with the DEI Plan. The Chair advised that she has been pushing City administrators to supply the required information, but most of it has not been collected.  ● The HRC committed to support publicity efforts for the Community Coalition for Social Justice (CCSJ) July 2024 commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the 1964 U.S. Civil Rights Act. This will take place at the Morgantown Public Library on Spruce St. ● The HRC needs to seat a new secretary to take meeting notes and prepare the Minutes. ● Butcher updated the Commission on the WV Legislative session. They are considering a bill to remove the tax on period/menstrual products, but there are also many anti-DEI bills afoot. The Legislature is also considering support for harm reduction programs and making test strips available that can detect the presence of fentanyl, xylazine, and other lethal additives that contribute to overdose deaths. Liaison and Volunteer Updates: ● Hairston stated that there are still several vacancies on the West Virginia Human Rights Commission. He commended the Morgantown HRC for its past achievements and ongoing work. He also reported that there will be an all-day “Fair Housing Information Expo” in March. It will be held in Morgantown; he will provide more details as they become available. ● Councilman Butcher referenced the opening of an area LGBTQ+ shelter operating as a nonprofit organization funded by community donations. ● Volunteer Hawa Diawara offered to serve in an internship capacity to provide social media communications support and research assistance. The Chair reiterated that there is no internship position on the HRC, but Ms. Diawara is enthusiastically welcomed to act as an HRC Volunteer. Adjourn: Brown moved to adjourn the meeting; Herr seconded. The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 p.m. [Minutes prepared by Brown and finalized by Cronan Yorick. Submitted for HRC adoption on February 15, 2024.]