Human Rights Commission

MORGANTOWN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION February 20, 2025, Minutes for the Regular Meeting At the Morgantown Public Safety Building, 300 Spruce Street, Morgantown, WV ATTENDANCE: Commissioners: Chair, Annie CRONAN YORICK; Vice Chair, Danny TREJO; Secretary, Ashley SWANSON; Commissioner, Laura FLETCHER Liaisons: Tim Hairston, West Virginia Human Rights Commission; Brian Butcher via Zoom, Morgantown City Council (he had to leave before the meeting ended) Absent: None (3 Vacancies) Members of the Public: Don Spencer; Mimi Ferguson, WVU SGA Local Governance Liaison CALL TO ORDER: A quorum was present the Chair called the meeting to order at 6:40 pm. MINUTES: SWANSON moved to accept the Minutes as Amended for the Regular Meeting of January 16, 2025, and FLETCHER seconded: Unanimously approved. PUBLIC PORTION: N/A COMMUNICATIONS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS: • The CCSJ donated a copy of its “West Virginians’ Experiences in Civil Rights: How We Have Been Connected All Along” graphic novel to each Commissioner and Liaison. The 2024 HRC’s Human Rights Award winner, Eve Faulkes, is the author. • NOW’s 2025 Legislative Update, Update on WV Trans cases in the Courts, and a synopsis of the WV Open Public Meetings Act. • No new candidates applied for HRC vacancies. • The Communications Department has updated the City’s website to correct errors about the MLLC. • The HRC is registered to table at the WVU Women’s Gymnastics “Women’s Empowerment” meet on February 28th. PRIORITY BUSINESS ADDRESSED: • The Chair drafted an HRC Bylaws Quorum Amendment to require a minimum attendance of three commissioners to constitute a quorum. The Amendment is necessary for us to comply with Robert’s Rules. SWANSON motioned to adopt the Amendment; FLETCHER seconded: Unanimously approved. • Voted to confirm Mimi Ferguson as the HRC’s WVU SGA Liaison. TREJO motioned; SWANSON seconded: Unanimously confirmed. 1 • Reviewed the possible Proclamations for 2025 and updates for the HRC Calendar of Observances: January: Slavery & Human Trafficking Awareness; Poverty Awareness in America; Jan 15th: Martin Luther King Jr. Day (observed on the 3rd Monday); February: Black History; Feb 4th: Rosa Parks Day; March: Women’s History; Gender Equity; Mar 8th: Int’l Women’s Day; April: Fair Housing; Arab American Heritage; Nat’l Child Abuse Prevention; Apr 1: Youth Homelessness Matters Day; May: Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage; Nat’l Military Appreciation; June: LGBTQIA+ Pride; Jun 19th: Juneteenth; July 26th: ADA Day (Americans With Disabilities Act); Sep 15 – Oct 15th: Nat’l Hispanic Heritage Month; October: Domestic Violence Awareness; Bullying Prevention; Oct 10th: Indigenous Peoples’ Day; Nov. 11th: Veterans’ Day; December: Universal Human Rights; Dec 10th: Universal Human Rights Day UPDATES: Chair, Annie CRONAN YORICK: • She attended the February 18th City Council meeting, where she accepted the Black History Month proclamation and spoke about the importance of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. • She sent a memorandum to the City Council and Administration about the City Employee Health Insurance plan; it specifically excluded gender-affirming care, surgery, and services. She advised that the City is not complying with its ordinances. • She sent a memorandum to the City Council and Administration about required addendums for City contracts currently excluded from bid proposals. All City Services contracts must include an Addendum attached wherein the contractor explicitly agrees to abide by Morgantown's anti-discrimination ordinances. • She is working with Communications to overhaul the HRC flier; it should be ready for distribution at the February 28th WVU Gymnastics tabling event. Vice Chair, Danny TREJO: • He advised the Commission of many reports, confirmed and unconfirmed, of ICE Raids in West Virginia - Huntington, Fairmont, Buckhannon, Teays Valley, Wheeling, and others. • He will start canvassing for Families in Crisis and sending emails to request donations for the program. Secretary, Ashley SWANSON: • She proposed some proclamations we can make this year: Youth Homelessness Matters Day, International Women’s Day & History Month, etc. We want to update the HRC’s Annual Human Rights Observances Calendar. Current Calendar of Annual Human Rights Observances • Many concerning bills are pending in the WV legislature. She wants to go to Charleston to lobby, canvass, and/or protest the proposed harmful legislation; she invites others to join her. Important Dates and Contacts for Lobbying: Black Policy Day: March 10, 2025; WV ACLU - Rusty Williams; WV CAC Group Mind; and Center for Budget and Policy • She tabled at the WVU I Belong WVU Women’s Basketball Game on February 5th with the Chair and the SGA Liaison. They had a positive reception from the public. Commissioner, Laura Fletcher: • She continues to work with Blessing Boxes and has mapped the sixteen sites around Monongalia County She plans to get a list of which are well-maintained versus dilapidated. It would be great to add refrigerators to Morgantown’s venues. • She hosted a women’s Dance-Dance-Party-Party. She wants to reinvigorate this project to fundraise for community advocacy groups and social justice forums. 2 City Council Liaison, Brian BUTCHER: • A group of advocates has been working to get daytime operations for a warming shelter. A City Council candidate had opened a vacant property. From 8 am-10 pm and 3 pm-8 pm, there is nowhere for anyone to take shelter. Project Rainbow assumed operations for the Day Center at Hazel’s House of Hope during its non-operating hours. The Day Center does not open on the weekend. Volunteers can register to take a shift; it is light work and will be open until mid-March. • Chicago, New Orleans, Atlanta, and Philadelphia have refrigerators to keep perishable items for projects like Blessing Boxes; Morgantown’s project could enlist volunteer host homeowners or businesses to provide electricity. WVHRC Liaison, Tim HAIRSTON • WVHRC has proposed a motion to meet only once a year. They will vote on the motion at the end-of- March meeting. The proposal does not bode well for the work of the Commission. WVU SGA Liaison, Mimi FERGUSON: • She and other SGA representatives had a productive meeting with WVU Vice President Poore about the dissolution of the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion department. Its replacement will be the Office of Campus Engagement and Compliance and will comply with Title XI and the Americans with Disabilities Act. TO-DO LIST: • Review Annie’s memorandum about the Open Governmental Proceedings Act • Annie: gather content for an HRC ‘Immigrants’ Know Your Rights’ brochure • Ashley: draft a brochure from Annie’s collection of Immigrants’ Rights • Laura: provide members with a map link for her Blessing Boxes project • Everyone must read the proposed Source of Income ordinance and report feedback to Annie; we cannot schedule public forums until we agree on the ordinance language. ADJOURNMENT: There was no further business. SWANSON moved to adjourn the meeting, and TREJO seconded. The Chair adjourned at 9:30 pm. NEXT REGULAR MEETING: March 20, 2025 TODAY’S MINUTES: Written by Ashley SWANSON, Secretary, and edited by Annie CRONAN YORICK for approval at the March 20, 2025, Regular Meeting. 3