Community Relations Commission

Wednesday, July 6, 2022 7:00 to 8:30 pm Gamon Room, Wheaton City Hall I. Call to Order Erica mo oned that Rachel serve as pro tempore chair for the mee ng Laura seconded Rachel called the mee ng to order at 7:02 pm. II. Welcome III. Roll Call In a endance were Rachel Bau sta, Meg Beasley, Saleha Jawaid, Erica Nelson, Laura Peccarelli and Marco Scola as well as prospec ve member Mike Hodel. IV. Approval of Minutes The minutes from the 4/6/22 mee ng were distributed. Rachel suggested that the minutes, (E-2) be amended to clarify the criteria for future Women in Wheaton and Good Ci zens awards by adding “currently in o ce, current government employees, re red (current, elected ,or running for o ce)” Rachel mo on for approval of minutes with changes Laura seconded the mo on; unanimously approved as amended V. Old Business a. Non-regulatory boards and commission provisions and WCRC purpose statements recap S ll awai ng revised documents and templates; will revisit during August mee ng VI. New Business a. Prospec ve commissioner introduc ons Three candidates have been recommended to serve as commissioners by Mayor Phil Suess. Michael Hodel a ended the mee ng. Along with Michael, Angela Welker, and Ben Waterman will be appointed as commissioners during the July 18 City Council mee ng. b. Fes val of Cultures Status With the void of the former commissioner who organized the fes val through his personal connec ons, the commission determined that there is not enough me or collec ve knowledge to plan and carry out the fes val in 2022. Erica mo oned that the Fes val of Cultures be postponed un l 2023; Meg seconded The event will be postponed un l 2023, with the likely date being September 24. c. Good Ci zen Awards Will take place in May 2023 d. 2022 Budget Update Commission is wai ng to hear back about budget Will readdress during August mee ng ti ti ti ti ffi ffi ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti tt ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti tt ti ti ti ti  COMMUNITY RELATIONS COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES Month Date, Year e. La n X/Hispanic Heritage Month Celebrates the 20-25 countries of LatinX/Hispanic heritage within the Wheaton community from September 15 through October 15. The commission is in discussions with the Wheaton Public Library, League of Women Voters of Wheaton, and Cantigny on 2 events: • "La nX, Hispanic, La no, La ne: History of Terminology & How Each is Embraced Today" Presenta on & Panel Discussion: The Wheaton Public Library, in partnership with the commission and League of Women Voters of Wheaton, will host a panel discussion on September 21. Panelists will include Dr. Limaris Pueyo, Director of Mul lingual Learners & Equity at CUSD 200, Dr Catalina Maria Johnson, Ph.D., a Chicago-based journalist, and two Wheaton residents. As a partner in the program, the commission was asked to provide an honorarium for the speakers. Saleha mo oned that the commission provide an honorarium of $200 for the panel par cipants; Laura seconded. The mo on was unanimously approved for the $200 honorarium. • “Roots of DuPage's LatinX Community” - Cantigny is offering this program on September 15th to kick-off LatinX/Hispanic Heritage Month as part of their monthly Lunch n' Learn series. The commission and the Wheaton Public Library are in discussions with Cantigny to see if this event can be repeated in the evening (same day). Erica suggested seeing if there can be greater emphasis on Wheaton in this discussion to make it more relevant to Wheaton residents. f. Ida B. Wells program This program, discussed earlier this year with the Wheaton Public Library and League of Women Voters of Wheaton, is being revisited. Author Michelle Duster would present a program about her great-grandmother, Ida B. Wells on October 24th at the Wheaton Public Library. There is a request for a speaking fee of $1300 for Michelle Duster. Erica mo oned to support a budget request of $1300; Laura seconded the mo on. The request for the speaking fee was unanimously approved. g. Rock the Vote The Wheaton Public Library asked if the commission would be a partner along with other organiza ons (Wheaton Chamber of Commerice, Downtown Wheaton Associa on, and League of Women Voters of Wheaton) to host a "Rock the Vote" concert in Wheaton. The concert es in with the library’s Beatle’s exhibit. If this happens, the library will share addi onal details. h. Make a Di erence a Day Because the Commission’s agship programs are postponed, the Make a Di erence Day program will be expanded to include mul ple weekends in October 2022. • Ideas include a Student Excellence Founda on event; con nuing to partner with the People’s Resource Center for its Stu -a-Truck event, and a new e ort to collect hats, gloves, and mi ens for Wheaton residents; working with the Environmental Commission to organize a fall Prairie Path clean up. • Another idea is to gather stories from residents about how they have made a di erence and share those stories via a link on the city website. • Will research ideas including a link to Giving DuPage on WCRC page. VII. Public Comment VIII. Adjournment Mo on to adjourn was made by Rachel; Marco seconded The mee ng was adjourned at 8:34 pm. 2 tt ti ti ti ff ti ff ti ff ti ti ti ti ti fl ff ti ti ff ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti