Human Rights Commission Meeting

NORMAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION MINUTES CITY OF NORMAN March 22, 2021 The Human Rights Commission of the City of Norman, Cleveland County, State of Oklahoma, met via video conference and in the Municipal Complex located at 201 West Gray Street on March 22, 2021, at 5:30 p.m., and notice and agenda of the meeting were duly posted 24 hours prior to the beginning of the meeting. Item 1, being: ROLL CALL PRESENT: Commissioners Sage Mauldin (Chair), Jackie Farley, Chris Nanny, Samuel Woodfork, Cathy Billings ABSENT: Marjaneh Seirafi-Pour (Vice-Chair), Ellen Kraft, Christina Owen STAFF PRESENT: Chief Diversity and Equity Officer Cinthya Allen, Assistant City Attorney Anthony Purinton, Officer Ali Jaffrey, Legal Admin Tech Sarah Encinias Sarah Encinias called roll and announced a quorum. Item 2, being: APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF THE FEBRUARY 22, 2021, HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION MEETING Chair Mauldin motioned to correct today’s meeting Agenda to approve minutes of February 22 of “2021” instead of “2020”. Commissioner Farley motioned to approve the Minutes of the February 22, 2021, meeting, and the motion was duly seconded by Commissioner Nanny. Roll was called for a vote with the following results: all approved, and none opposed. The Minutes for the February 22, 2021, meeting were approved by unanimous vote. Item 3, being: UPDATE ON AND DISCUSSION OF ADA/TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE WORK Commissioner Nanny said recent activities by the committee include a recently conducted public online survey. Also, a consultant working with the City’s Public Works Department will complete a proposal for a new bus route, which will go to City Council for approval. The ADA Transportation Plan is still updating City curbs and the curbs around City Building B have just been updated. Signage will be updated at various City parks and the City Council Chambers are in line to be updated to be more accessible as well. Also, the Central and East Libraries will receive assistive listening abilities. Norman Human Rights Commission March 22, 2021 Page 2 Cinthya Allen said she was able to meet with the City ADA Technician, Jesse Hill, and Director of Public Works, Shawn O’Leary, to become more familiar with the City’s work toward being a more ADA friendly community. Item 4, being: DISCUSSION OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH WEBPAGE METRIC Ms. Allen displayed the analytics for the City’s Black History Month webpage from February to show the number of times the page was visited and how long visitors looked at the page. She also had a banner created to display on the top of the City’s website homepage to help draw more visitors. The page drew approximately 400 views so her next goal is to create a more permanent page for each topic as opposed to maintaining a page that changes monthly and only focuses on one topic at a time. The ultimate goal is to have a “Diversity & Equity” link with pages dedicated to different topics at the same time. Item 5, being: DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON APPROVAL OF BYLAWS Anthony Purinton asked members to refer to their meeting packet for the proposed HRC Bylaws. He explained that a large part of the bylaws basically recap the City Code but also includes examples and details not otherwise found in the code. Examples include details on what a meeting agenda should look like and how public comment should be received during a meeting. Commissioners held group discussion and Mr. Purinton asked members to let him know if there are questions or comments after the meeting. He said would draft a final copy for vote at the next meeting. Item 6, being: DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING IMPLEMENTATION OF INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY SUBCOMMITTEE’S RECOMMENDATIONS Ms. Allen asked Commissioners for an update regarding the implementation of the Inclusive Community Subcommittee’s Recommendations since the time they were presented to City Council. Chair Mauldin said completed items include the Sundown Town Apology and Reconciliation Proclamation, and the hiring of the Diversity and Equity Officer. Ms. Allen also mentioned progress in regards to the formation of the ADA Advisory Committee and the ADA Transportation Subcommittee. Officer Jaffrey said progress on items such as increased SRO engagement has been hindered due to pandemic restrictions however SRO’s are still in schools and they are presently looking to complete research analysis and study stages of contact. Commissioners would like to begin discussions about implementation of the other recommendations and it was suggested that a plan of action be made. Ms. Allen said she would consult with Chair Mauldin to organize a plan and she would also reach out to specialists from organizations that could offer valuable insight to the Commission. Item 7, being: DISCUSSION AND ACTION ON RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL FOR PROCLAMATIONS FOR MAY 2021 AND JUNE 2021 Norman Human Rights Commission March 22, 2021 Page 3 Commissioners discussed possible proclamations and the following were unanimously approved by roll call vote: -Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (May) -Mental Health Awareness Month (May) -Tulsa Race Massacre, 100th Anniversary (May 31) -LGBTQ Pride Month (June) -Juneteenth (June 19) Item 8, being: DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING SUBSTANTIVE FOCUS OF FUTURE PROCLAMATIONS FOR EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR Commissioners discussed possible proclamations for July and August, and the following were unanimously approved by roll call vote: -International Day of Friendship and Sister City (July) -French American Heritage Month (July) -Women’s Equality Day (August) Item 9, being: DISCUSSION AND REFLECTION ON THE COMMISSION’S ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW OF HUMAN RIGHTS COMPLAINTS, INCLUDING POSSIBLITY OF A FUTURE TRAINING SESSION Commissioners held group discussions on their thoughts and concerns regarding the Administrative Review process when a Human Rights Complaint is received. Commissioners then requested that they receive training so they can be better prepared when future complaints are received. Item 10, being: MISCELLANEOUS DISCUSSION For Volunteer Appreciation Month, Commissioner Nanny suggested honoring the county health department and the United Way for their work during the pandemic. She also requested advance email notice be sent to the HRC regarding any proclamations so she can have enough time to plan on attending the council meetings. Commissioner Farley said former HRC member, Kay Ham, would be at tomorrow’s council meeting to accept her Human Rights Award. Mr. Purinton said meetings by video conference will continue until the governor ends the state of emergency but that he would keep commissioners appraised of changes. Item 11, being: ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 7:30 p.m.