Human Relations Commission

MINUTES CITY OF DEKALB HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION May 3, 2016 The Human Relations Commission held a Meeting on May 3, 2016 in the Executive Conference Room at City Hall. Chair Larry Apperson called the meeting to order at 6:33 p.m. A. ROLL CALL The following members of the HRC were present: Larry Apperson (Chair), Joe Gastiger, Norden Gilbert, Lisa King and Ellingsworth Webb. Commissioner Robert Williams was absent. Dr. Katrina Caldwell from NIU was present. The following City staff members were present: Management Analyst Lauren Stott. Notes were taken by Analyst Stott. B. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA – ADDITIONS / DELETIONS Commissioners requested removal of the following items: - Discussion and Review of Models for Re-Entry of Ex-Offenders - Update and Discussion on HRC Brochure Commissioner Gastiger requested to add Youth Outlook to new business. The Commissioners also voted to add discussion regarding the Commission’s vacancy and the summer meeting schedule to the agenda. C. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Analyst Stott indicated that the Minutes document from the Commission’s April meeting were lost in a technology error. Analyst Stott indicated that a replacement Minutes draft would be created and distributed to the Commission members for their comments. Analyst Stott also noted an update to the March 1, 2016 minutes document that was requested by Commissioner Gastiger. The Commission members reviewed the updated document. The March 1, 2016 minutes were approved. D. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION No members of the public were present. Regular Meeting May 3, 2016 Page 2 of 4 E. OLD BUSINESS 1. Diversity Dialogue Meetings Chair Apperson said he was disappointed with the low turnout of the April Diversity Dialogue meeting hosted by the Commission at the DeKalb Public Library. Commissioner Gilbert said he believes the community may have been saturated with discussion regarding the First Amendment. The Commissioners reviewed the April Diversity Dialogue meeting hosted by NIU on interfaith issues. They said that each table at the event was assigned a different case study to discuss, which kept attendees interested and engaged. Chair Apperson indicated that the next Diversity Dialogue meeting will occur after the Fall 2016 semester begins. 2. Next Steps on Training Proposal(s) with Special Guest: Katrina Caldwell (NIU) The Commissioners introduced themselves to Dr. Caldwell, and Chair Apperson introduced Dr. Caldwell. He told the Commission that Dr. Caldwell has been involved in a number of diversity-related programs. Dr. Caldwell provided information about the recently started diversity training at the DeKalb School District. She said she has been working on diversity and equity programs for 25 years. Dr. Caldwell told the Commissioners that diversity can be applied to any audience, but it is important for the group to identify what they want to learn about as it relates to diversity. Dr. Caldwell said she uses a training outline of social justice. She said she brought a training proposal for the group to review. She said that the Commission can call the training whatever they would like, but that the title of the training is important for educating people about what the training is going to cover. Commissioner Gilbert asked whether the proposal is similar to the training that is occurring at the School District. Dr. Caldwell said it is, but it is customized for local governments. She provided an overview of the training document provided. She said that she talked with Chair Apperson about train the trainer opportunities, and said this model is currently being utilized by the school district. Dr. Caldwell said the group can customize the training based on needs. She said the School District is considering a swap in sessions to ensure transgender needs are addressed. The group discussed the train the trainer concept. Chair Apperson said he believes the train the trainer model might not be appropriate at the City level, and that more in-depth training is probably required. Dr. Caldwell said the trainers request some pre-work to occur so participants have an opportunity for self-reflection prior to the training. Commissioner Gastiger asked whether certifications are available as a result of the training, and Dr. Caldwell indicated there are. The group discussed the potential for expanding the training to other agencies within the community. Chair Apperson asked what Dr. Caldwell hopes to accomplish with two 3-hour training sessions. Dr. Caldwell said the training hour breakdown is flexible, but six hours is ideal for the City staff group. Dr. Caldwell said one important focus area is the transition of different populations into the City. The group discussed whether a mixture of different levels and departments would be beneficial, or if it is best for departments or employees with like jobs to be trained together. Dr. Caldwell said there is value in having a variety of employee levels/departments in training together, and they are also able to break out people by department or level within the training. Chair Apperson recalled a conversation with Dr. Vernese Edghill-Walden about encouraging further conversations among trained staff after the training is complete. Commissioner Gastiger brought up his Youth Outlook item (proposed as New Business), and described Youth Outlook as a support service for LGBTQ+ youth in the community. Commissioner Gastiger said that the training proposed by Dr. Caldwell seems supportive of Youth Outlook concepts. Commissioner Webb said he would like to vote on the training option from Dr. Caldwell. He made a motion to vote to recommend to the City staff that Dr. Caldwell be the trainer and her training design be used for cultural competency training to with City staff. Chair Apperson said before voting, he would like to update the group on Dr. Cohen’s latest communication about his proposal. Chair Apperson said Dr. Cohen had recently responded to the HRC’s request to know how he conducts a training session. Dr. Cohen indicated that he uses small group interactions over topical assignments. He indicated that his Regular Meeting May 3, 2016 Page 4 of 4 approach is not a lecture nor does he use Powerpoints. He can also shorten the number of sessions from his original eleven. The group discussed that while Dr. Cohen had provided these clarifications, they still favored the content and presentation format of Dr. Caldwell’s proposal. They also appreciated Dr. Caldwell’s flexibility in programming that used a pre-assessment questionnaire that determines the final focus of the training to more closely match the needs of the trainees. The group discussed its appreciation for Dr. Cohen’s proposal and his work to share his cultural competency training expertise. The Commissioners voted unanimously to recommend Dr. Caldwell and her training design to the City staff. Finally, Chair Apperson reviewed the next steps for the HRC’s training recommendation that the City will now take up. E. NEW BUSINESS 1. Vacancy Discussion The Commissioners discussed the current vacancy left by former member Cameron Zelaya. They discussed ways they might recruit applicants for the position. The Commissioners agreed to continue with recruitment and said they would encourage any interested parties to contact the Mayor. 2. Summer Meeting Schedule The Commission voted to cancel the June meeting. G. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 8:22 p.m. _____________________________________________________________________ LAUREN STOTT, Management Analyst Minutes approved by the Human Relations Commission on July 5, 2016.