HomeMy WebLinkAboutHRCMinutes_2021_05_13
Brookings Human Rights Commission Minutes
Thursday, May 13, 2021
Go To Meeting App
Attendance: Matt Rhodes (county representative & chair); Jason Meusburger (vice-chair); Lawrence Novotny,
(recorder); Marilyn Hildreth; Meagan Irvine-Miller; Zahra Najl; Nieema Thasing; Erinn Thomas; Casey Bell (city
human resources & staff liaison
Absent: Dan Berg; Shedrick Flournoy (student representative); Marci Gebers (police liaison); Keith Theroux
(police liaison); Michele Vande Weerd (school liaison); Kas Williams (SDSU liaison
Chair Rhodes called the meeting to order at 5pm.
Only official item on the agenda was BHRC involvement with the Juneteenth event.
Juneteenth Event:
Last year’s Juneteenth event was put together in a short time by volunteers. Attendees enjoyed the event.
Various people have offered to assist with future events.
The plans are to make Juneteenth an annual event. There is a Juneteenth Brookings Celebration Facebook page.
The second Brookings Juneteenth event will be on Saturday, June 19. Pioneer Park bandshell and picnic shelter
have been booked from 8 am – 11 pm. The park reservation fee already has been paid.
There is an hoc volunteer group of 6-7 people, of which Thasing is one of them, which are planning the event.
Ideas being discussed are:
Food trucks
Band or bands – which will cost money to bring in
Speakers
Other performers
Thasing would like to have an organization take over the Juneteenth event. An organization would be better
equipped to handle:
Media communications
Volunteer coordinating
Structure of the event
Financing of the event (People are willing to make a donation but need an organization to accept and
handle the donations.)
Novotny moved, Thasing seconded, that BHRC create a sub-committee to work with the ad hoc Juneteenth
planning group and that BHRC will be a co-sponsor of the Juneteenth event. Motion passed unanimously.
Members of the Juneteenth sub-committee are Najl, Irvin-Miller, Thomas, and Meusburger.
The sub-committee with determine what financial support is needed for the event and come back to BHRC with a
request.
Thasing had to leave at this point.
Common Read:
While Common Read was not on the agenda, an informal discussion was held. BHRC involvement in this year’s
Common Read will be acted upon at a future meeting. This year’s budget has funds for the Common Read.
The big question is what type of community event can be organized that will attract community members to
attend.
There needs to be more involvement of BHRC members on the campus common read committee that selects the
book each year.
Next meeting will be determined by Doodle poll.
Adjourn: Meeting adjourned around 6 pm.
Submitted by Lawrence Novotny, recorder