Human Rights Commission Meeting

CITY OF NORMAN, OK HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION MEETING Municipal Building, Executive Conference Room 201 West Gray, Norman, OK 73069 Monday, February 23, 2026 at 5:30 PM MINUTES The Human Rights Commission of the City of Norman, Cleveland County, State of Oklahoma, will meet in Regular Session in the Executive Conference Room at the Municipal Building, on Monday, February 23, 2026 at 5:30 PM and notice of the agenda of the meeting was posted at the Norman Municipal Building at 201 West Gray, and on the City website at least 24 hours prior to the beginning of the meeting. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT Aisha Ali, Chair (Ward 3) Jackie Farley (Ward 8) Romina Navarro Vega (Ward 6) Jessica Schwager (Ward 4) Rachel Wyatt-Swanson (Ward 8) COMMISSIONERS ABSENT Phillip Moss (Ward 2) Brandon Clark (Ward 5) STAFF PRESENT Grace Holloman, Accessibility and Culture Coordinator Jeanne Snider, Assistant City Attorney Sarah Encinias, Admin Legal Tech ROLL CALL A quorum was present. Chair Ali called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. MINUTES 1. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FOR THE NOVEMBER 24, 2025, REGULAR MEETING Motion was made by Commissioner Schwager to approve the Minutes for the November 24, 2025, regular meeting and motion was duly seconded by Commissioner Farley. A vote was taken with the following results: all approved and none opposed. The Minutes were approved by unanimous vote. 2. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FOR THE JANUARY 19, 2026, INTERFAITH BREAKFAST Motion was made by Commissioner Schwager to approve the Minutes for the January 19, 2026, Interfaith Breakfast and motion was duly seconded by Commissioner Farley. HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION MEETING - Monday, February 23, 2026 Page |1  A vote was taken with the following results: all approved and none opposed. The Minutes were approved by unanimous vote. ACTION ITEMS 3. DISCUSSION REGARDING APPROVAL OF ACTIVITIES REPRESENTING THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION Chair Ali asks Commissioners to get approval of the HRC before implementing their own ideas on behalf of the HRC. Ms. Snider also advises that Commissioners must be mindful that items given away by the HRC must not be valued over $250 or it must be approved by Council as a donation. Ms. Holloman asks that she be notified with anything having to do with the HRC so she can make sure it goes through the proper channels to be approved. Commissioners may freely attend community events but they should not speak on behalf of the HRC without prior approval at a meeting of the Commission. 4. ELECTION OF CHAIR AND VICE-CHAIR FOR CALENDAR YEAR 2026 The current Chair, Commissioner Ali, volunteered to remain as Chair for this year and Commissioner Schwager volunteered to serve as Vice-Chair. Motion was made by Commissioner Wyatt-Swanson to approve these appointments and motion was duly seconded by Commissioner Farley. A vote was taken with the following results: all approved and none opposed. The motion was approved by unanimous vote. 5. DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING PROCLAMATIONS FOR CALENDAR YEAR 2026 Ms. Holloman reminded Commissioners they can recommend 1-2 proclamations per month to allow the Mayor time during Council meetings to issue proclamations requested by other groups. Once a recipient is chosen, Ms. Holloman sends an email to them advising what to expect when receiving the proclamation. Commissioners then unanimously approved the following proclamations for the remainder of 2026 (not barring changes):  March – Women’s History Month  April – Child Abuse Prevention Month, Arab American Heritage Month  May – AANHPI Heritage Month, Mental Health Awareness Month  June – Juneteenth Day, LGBTQ+ Pride Month  July – Disability Pride Month  August – Purple Heart Day, World Humanitarian Day  September – Hispanic Heritage Month, Suicide Prevention Month  October – Domestic Violence Awareness Month, National Bullying Prevention Month, Breast Cancer Awareness Month  November – American Indian/Indigenous Peoples’ Heritage Month, World Kindness Day  December – Human Rights Day, World AIDS/HIV Awareness Month HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION MEETING - Monday, February 23, 2026 Page |2  6. DISCUSSION AND REVIEW OF THE 2026 INTERFAITH BREAKFAST Chair Ali handed out survey responses to the 2026 Interfaith Breakfast and a punch list she used as a guide when preparing for the breakfast. Omitting pork from the food was discussed along with getting a written copy of everyone’s speech prior to the event. Ms. Holloman would like to change the program to include more of a mix of prayers, songs and videos. 7. DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING 2026 GOALS Ms. Holloman asked Commissioners to think about defining their goals and taking part in a mission or vision that can be accomplished by the HRC, and to bring these ideas to the next HRC meeting to share. 8. DISCUSSION REGARDING THE RECEIPT OF A HUMAN RIGHTS COMPLAINT Ms. Snider discussed a human rights complaint that was recently received and reviewed before it was determined it didn’t qualify for a review before the HRC. Disqualifying factors were the complaint was not filed timely; it claimed employer retaliation which is an issue that should be brought up with the EEOC; and the incident occurred on state property which is outside of City jurisdiction. Ms. Snider then answered questions from Commissioners about the complaint process in general. ANNOUNCEMENTS Commissioner Schwager mentioned events taking place at The Well (Cleveland County Wellness Center, 210 James Garner Ave.) and at the AWE (Norman Adult Wellness and Education Center, 602 N. Findlay Ave.) and encouraged those interested to attend. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 6:43 p.m. HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION MEETING - Monday, February 23, 2026 Page |3