Human Relations Commission - August 15, 2019 Minutes
The Regular Meeting of the Board of Human Relations Commissioners of the City of Fargo, North Dakota, was held in the Commission Chambers at City Hall at 12:00 p.m., Thursday, August 15, 2019.
The Human Relations Commissioners present or absent were as follows:
Present: Abdiwali Sharif-Abdinasir, Cheryl Schaefle, Barry Nelson, Laetitia Hellerud (via conference call)
Absent: Matuor Alier, Rachel Hoffman, Hamida Dakane
Item 1. Welcome and Introductions
Chair Nelson welcomed Members to the meeting and introductions were made.
Item 2. Approve Order of Agenda
Member Sharif-Abdinasir moved the Order of Agenda be approved as presented. Second by Member Schaefle. All Members present voted aye and the motion was declared carried.
Item 3. Approve Minutes
Member Schaefle moved the minutes of the June 20, 2019 Human Relations Commission meeting be approved as presented. Second by Member Sharif-Abdinasir. All Members present voted aye and the motion was declared carried.
Item 4. Presentation: Musical Bridges, Lisa Parrish
Lisa Parrish, Musical Bridges, gave a brief presentation of the Musical Bridges program sharing its background, and goal to bridge cultures through music and interactive learning. She noted the biggest question the program is reaching to ask is, “How do we bring unity into our community?”
Discussion was held regarding where the program is already happening, the curriculum, cost of the program, and connecting to the City network of contacts to help grow the program and awareness of it.
Ms. Parrish stated that the website for her program is www.themusicalbridge.com.
Item 5. Public Comment
Fargo Citizen Gini Duval, followed up with the Board regarding concern over racial covenants she presented at the June 2019 Human Relations Commission meeting, and provided information about a recent NPR (National Public Radio) program covering the same issue.
Item 6. Budget Review and Proposal
Director of Planning and Development Nicole Crutchfield provided an overview of the budget process timeline and requests made by the Planning Department. She noted that due to how the process and timeline flow, work is already being done to think about the 2021 budget.
Item 7. Sponsorship Requests
a. HIV Awareness Week
Ryan Braunberger, Co-chair of the ND Community Planning Group for HIV, presented the sponsorship request and provided a background of the event. He shared that the ND Community Planning Group for HIV works to bring awareness to the community and reduce stigmas.
Member Hellerud moved to approve the sponsorship in the amount of $250. Second by Member Schaefle. All Members present voted aye and the motion was declared carried.
b. Tudeako Group
Chair Nelson noted that no representative is present for the application, but a request has been submitted for $250.
Member Sharif-Abdinasir moved to approve the sponsorship in the amount of $250. Second by Member Schaefle. All Members present voted aye and the motion was declared carried.
Item 8. Other Business
a. Pride in the Park Report
Chair Nelson gave a brief update of the event and Member Schaefle noted that she enjoyed the increased interaction the booth received this year.
Assistant Planner Catlyn Christie provided an overview of the survey responses received.
Item 9. Staff Report
Ms. Crutchfield provided a review and update on the discriminatory racial covenant issue brought forward at the June 2019 Community Development Committee meeting. She noted that covenants are private agreements put in place by landowners to protect their rights, and the City Attorney has stated that these racial covenants are unconstitutional.
Member Schaefle moved for the Human Relations Commission to seek a Resolution from the Mayor to make a statement that this issue on personal property covenant discrimination is unconstitutional. Second by Member Sharif-Abdinasir. All Members present voted aye and the motion was declared carried.
Ms. Crutchfield continued by reviewing the recent budget presentation given by the Mayor sharing the 5 goals he presented for the City: promoting smart growth; ensuring a safe city for everyone; maintaining a nationally recognized service excellence; continuing to operate as the regional leader; and creating an engaged community. She noted that work would be done to integrate these goals into stages of strategic planning.
Ms. Crutchfield handed out a draft of bylaws and noted tentative staff edits for consideration. She stated that the Human Relations Commission has the authority to approve its own bylaws and that staff is looking for edits to be presented at the next meeting.
Item 10. Public Comment
No public comment was provided.
Chair Nelson announced that the ND Human Rights Commission is hosting their “Evening of Possibilities” event at the Hotel Donaldson (HoDo) this evening.
Chair Nelson also shared that the second annual LGBTQ Summit will be held in Mandan, ND, October 4-6, and handed out cards with additional information.
Item 11. Adjourn
The time at adjournment was 1:06 p.m.