Human Relations Commission

Human Relations Commission Monday, October 23, 2023 6:30pm Location: Village Hall, 5127 Oakton Street – Conference Room D & E (2nd Floor) In Attendance: Commissioners: Anthony Agee, Sheryl Bloom Basile, Alexander Chaparro, Sheila Crumrine (vice-chair), David Donegan, Anwar Haq, Jonathan Lavin, Marcos Levy, Joseph Meyers, Maria Monastero Bueno (chair), Swarupa Pahan, James Specker, Mayha Syed, Trustee Khem Khoeun; Skokie Staff Liaison: Amanda Sabri Not in Attendance: Deborah Arnold (E), Krishna Goyal (E), Ralph Ruebner (E), Jeremy Segall (E), Karen Sherman (E). I. Call to Order: 6:35pm II. Introductions & Updates A. New commissioner, Sheryl Bloom Basile, introduced herself, her connection to Skokie and her connection to the work of the Human Relations Commission. Current commissioners, Trustee Khoeun, and Staff Liaison Amanda Sabri also introduced themselves. B. Maria Monastero Bueno informed the commission that Sheila Crumrine was appointed Vice Chair on October 16th, by Mayor Van Dusen. III. Approval of Agenda: A. David Donegan motioned to approve the agenda, motion seconded by James Specker. IV. Approval of Minutes of September 27, 2023 A. James Specker motioned to approve minutes as written, motion seconded by Alex Chaparro. V. Commission Protocol A. Staff Liaison, Amanda Sabri, reviewed the role of staff liaison and encouraged commissioners to reach out to her if they need help making a connection with any staff at Village Hall. Amanda also reminded commissioners of the importance of consistent attendance at meetings and encouraged everyone to RSVP to email meeting reminders so that it can be known ahead of time if there will be a quorum for the meeting. Lastly, Amanda reminded all members that it is a requirement to complete Open Meeting Act Training within 90 days of appointment to the commission. Additional copies of training instructions were made available at the meeting. 1 VI. Committee Reports: Maria Monastero Bueno reminded commissioners of the new committee structure and requested anyone who has not already signed up for a committee, please do so and indicate if you are willing to lead the committee. A. Neighbor Engagement Committee 1. Block Party Forum, Awards, Promotion a) Block Party Forum: Alex Chaparro provided an update on the Block Party Forum. The Neighbor Engagement Committee proposed to hold the event on Tuesday, February 27 at 6:30pm. The most likely location will be the Skokie Public Library, although Alex has also investigated other possible locations, such as the Skokie Heritage Museum. Alex reported that refreshments at last years event cost approximately $95.00. This year since it will be during a colder month he suggested also adding coffee and hot chocolate or hot cider. He proposed a refreshment budget that does not exceed $150.00. It was determined that Block Party of the Year Award applications will be reviewed and voted on at November’s commission meeting to allow the awards to be presented in January. By moving up this timeline, the award winners will be determined in time to be present as panelists at the Block Party Forum in February. Alex Chaparro and the Neighbor Engagement Committee will reach out to block party hosts who have applied for the Block Party of the Year Award to request that they submit necessary supporting documents and pictures. b) Alex Chaparro asked if there were any guidelines around when and where committees meet. Trustee Khoeun and Staff Liaison Amanda Sabri provided guidance that committee meetings are subject to the rule of the Open Meetings Act if a Majority of a Quorum is meeting together. 2. Know your Neighbor: No updates. 3. 4th of July Parade: Alex Chaparro discussed the importance of as many commissioners as possible attending this event. He also recommended having a poster with the QR code for the Block Party Application. B. Housing Committee Updates 1. Housing Subcommittee: Jonathan Lavin left the commission meeting early to attend the first meeting of the Housing Subcommittee of the Plan Commission. He will report back to the Human Relations Commission at our next meeting. 2. Fair Housing Ordinance: No updates. C. Equity and Diversity Committee Updates 1. Early Intervention Hate/Bias Incidence: Maria Monastero Bueno reported that Corporate Counsel, Michael Lorge, is working to arrange a meeting with members of staff and Detective Orlando Martinez from the Los Angles Police Department. Trustee Khoeun explained that Detective Martinez has done significant work around hate incidents and hate crimes and has also testified before congress on this matter. He was one of the resources who was utilized 2  when the Proposal for Early Intervention in Hate Crimes was created. It is requested that several members of the commission be present for the meeting with Detective Martinez. Maria has already provided the names of James Specker and Sheila Crumrine as possible attendees. Maria requested that any other commissioners interested in attending please follow-up with her. 2. Black History Month (February): Sheila Crumrine provided an update that she recently met with Nancy Kim Phillips and Amy Koester from the Skokie Public Library. Amy will be providing Sheila with information about the Skokie Public Library’s Black History Month programs to help determine how the commission can be involved and support these programs. Sheila also shared that the Skokie Public Library keeps a digital archive of materials related to the first Black family that moved to Skokie, fair housing practices, and the creation of the Human Relations Commission. These archives can be found on the library’s website: https://skokiehistory.omeka.net/exhibits/show/skokie-fair-housing-1961- 1971/skokie-fair-housing. Sheila reported she also has an appointment to speak with Ella Whitehead at Oakton College regarding their Black History Month programming. Maria Monastero Bueno reports that in past years the commission has sponsored a musical event at the library for Black History Month. 3. Unite Against Racism w/ YWCA (April): Sheila Crumrine reports she will be reaching out to YWCA to establish contact soon to begin planning for Unite Against Racism 2024. 4. Skokie Festival of Cultures (May): No updates. 5. Skokie Juneteenth (June): No updates. 6. Skokie Pride (June): Sheila Crumrine will reach out to her contact at the park district to inform them of the commission’s desire to participate. 7. SEED Training: David Donegan reported that the cohorts have met for their first meeting. He also provided an overview of the content and structure of SEED classes, which cover topics such as unconscious bias, power structures, racism, gender identity and inequity, with an emphasis on seeing how history plays out today. David identified that the goal of SEED training is to broaden the lens of those participating and change how individuals operate. There are several staff from the village participating in this cohort as well as Alex Chaparro from this commission. Alex commented on how valuable the first session was and the effectiveness of David Donegan as a facilitator. VII. Other Items of Business A. Village Seal Redesign: Maria Monastero Bueno reported that the Village Seal Redesign Committee met today. She reviewed that the Requests for Qualifications deadline has been extended to November 17th due to the committee only having received six proposals at this time. Members of the committee are reaching out to their networks to spread the word about the RFQ. Maria has contacted multiple academic institutions to inform them about the project. Commissioners were also encouraged to consider any connections they may have in the artist and design communities that may be good resources. Maria explained that the committee will hopefully choose three proposals 3  and those designers/artists will then be given a stipend to develop their proposals further. The final proposal would then be chosen from this group. B. Trustee Khem Khoeun explained that she was approached by Niles Township Supervisor, Bonnie Kahn Ognisanti, regarding the work that Niles Township Government is doing around food insecurity. Niles Township is looking to set up a program that would take salvageable food that grocery stores plan to discard and donate this food to the Niles Township Food Pantry. Bonnie Kahn Ognisanti would like to come to the next commission meeting to discuss the work that Niles Township government is doing and how volunteers can play a role. Trustee Khem Khoeun will contact Bonnie Kahn Ognisanti to coordinate her presence at the November meeting. C. Maria Monastero Bueno introduced the topic of having a potluck at the November commission meeting. The commission voted, and a majority of members agreed to host a potluck at November’s meeting. Members will email Staff Liaison, Amanda Sabri, which item they plan to bring to the potluck. The meeting will be held in the lunch room at Village Hall. VIII. Adjourn: 7:45 pm Next Meeting: Nov 27, 2023, 6:30pm at Village Hall 5127 Oakton Street, Skokie IL. 60077 4