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Home My WebLink AboutHRCMinutes_2024_02_07 Brookings Human Rights Commission Minutes Thursday, February 7, 2024, 5:30pm Brookings City/County Government Center and Zoom Attendance: Commissioners Liaisons Others Attendees • Dianne Nagy, Chair • Behnoosh Amandi (Vice Chair, County Representative) • Carla Gatzke, Recorder • Nieema Thasing • Joseph Ulloa, Student Representative • Lee Mallak • Pastor Mark Johnson • Emma Qurashi • Casey Bell, staff • Marjoanne Collins, SDSU • Lawrence Novotny, LGBTQ and CLEAR Partners liaisons, exited at 6pm • Representative from Police Department • Cole Sartell, Pride Police Chief Drake Absent • Erica Moore • Caleb Johnson, police • Chloe Wisser, SA Diversity • Michele Vande Weerd, school district Chair Dianne Nagy called the meeting to order at 5:30pm. The Commission welcomed our new members and held introductions. Approval of agenda: motion by Nieema Thasing, second by Joseph Ulloa, passed. Approval of meetings with corrections: motion by Joseph Ulloa, second by Nieema Thasing, passed. Public Comment: • Request from Chloe Wisser to change meeting time. After the Commission has filled all its open positions, it will look for a meeting time that fits for all Commissioners. • Invitation from Mikaela Niemeyer at the Brookings Public inviting all to the Black History Month events at the library. See the events calendar at the end of the minutes. • Marade and MLK Rally: February 19-20, SDSU Union. New Business • Confirmation of the Commission’s confidence in our chair: motion by Carla Gatzke, second by Joseph Ulloa. Motion passed unanimously. • Appoint Cole Sartell as LGBTQ Liaison to the Commission. Motion by Joseph Ullua, seconded by Nieema Thasing. Motion passed. • City Council Retreat: Nieema Thasing and Carla Gatzke had presented to the City Council Retreat’s annual review of the volunteer commissions. We were given a half hour on the agenda and had a positive discussion with the Council. Here is a link to the presentation. Old Business • Working Group Attendance: Emma Qurashi volunteered to develop an attendance policy for Working Groups to be similar to the attendance policy for the full commission. • Budget: • Casey Bell presented the draft budget for 2024, with assumption of $7,000 from the City Council and carryover of approximately $4,500 and donations of approximately $1,500. • Motion to approve the exec committee to spend up to $100 for purposes that are in the best interest of HRC and that cannot be held until the next HRC meeting, to be ratified at the next meeting: motion by Carla Gatzke, seconded by ____. Motion passed. • Motion to approve spending $50-75 in a recognition for a community member. Motion by Joseph Ulloa, second by Emma Qurashi. Motion passed. Reports: • Police Department: Liaison from department Casey Bell responded to Commission questions about progress in hiring process to fill open positions and about safety protocols to keep officers safe. • SDSU: MLK Rally and Marade on February 19, 11am-3pm, CommUNITY presentation February 20 at 10:30, both at the Student Union. Stomp, March 2, 7pm. • CLEAR: working on a survey. • PEAK: no new developments. • DEI Initiative: meeting scheduled with Deputy City Manager. • Legislative update: The chair submitted written testimony on the following bills. Unfortunately, all of these bills were killed in committee: o HB 1155 would add homophobia, transphobia, Islamophobia, anti-Black sentiment, anti-Indian sentiment, anti-immigrant sentiment to the state Human Rights Act. o SB 154 would create a Commission on Truth and Reconciliation o SB 163 bans discrimination based on hair type and style o SB 155 would allow the playing of an honor song at graduation – did someone submit this? • Social Media: thank you to Behnoosh Amandi for continuing social media posts even while traveling internationally. • Pride: the 2024 Pride Celebration is scheduled for Saturday June 22. Already 19 vendors are interested. • Inclusivity Community Outreach: no update from MC, could Mark followup with other entities about the suggestions from the Listening Group with elderly members of the community. • Training: Bystander to Upstander training has not moved forward; update next month. Complaint Process to propose resource links for our site and to work with City Attorney to propose ordinance change. • Africans in the Diaspora Culture Awareness: thank you to Dianne Nagy for working on this year’s MLK poster and essay contests; it was appreciated by the youth who participated and their families, well received by the City Council. HRC discussed that we’ve managed the poster and essay contests for twenty years, they require significant effort, and have had limited engagement from HRC members. The Commission concurred to consider a refresh. Four members volunteered to work together to plan next year’s activities: Nieema Thasing, Emma Qurashi, Lee Mallak, and Joseph Ullua. Announcements • Lawrence Novotny had previously shared that SDSU School of English and Interdisciplinary Studies is hosting a Community Read for David Grann’s book Killers of the Flower Moon. Events are included below. • Dianne Nagy shared announcement from Mikaela Neubauer about Black Voices Event Series, this year’s Black History events at the Brookings Public Library. Events are included below. Upcoming community DEI events: February 2024 Events Calendar • Feb 12: Black Voices Event Series, “Inside 254: A Look at Black Entrepreneurship and Kenyan Culture”, 6pm, Brookings Public Library • Feb 15: Griffiths Honor Lecture, 6-9pm, Performing Arts Center, click link for tickets • Feb 19: MLK Jr. Rally / Marade, 11am-3pm, Student Union • Feb 20: CommUNITY “Rising Together”, 10:30-noon, Student Union, 253 • Feb 22: Black Voices Event Series, African American Read-In, 6pm, volunteer readers needed. • Feb 27: Community Read #1, 7pm, SDSU, Rotunda D, Livestream: https://sdstate.zoom.us/j/93242519548 • Feb 28: CommUNITY “Won’t You Be My Neighbor”, 3-4:30, Student Union 169 • Feb 29: Black History Month Celebration, 6-7:30pm, Brookings Public Library • March 2, Stomp, 7pm • March 20, CommUNITY “Move from Bystander to Upstander”, 3-4:30pm or 6-7:30pm, Student Union 262 • March 19: Community Read #2, 7pm, SDSU Rotunda, Livestream: https://sdstate.zoom.us/j/98431730960 • Community Read: March 27: Public Screening of moving, Brookings Cinema • April 2: CommUNITY “Don’t Look Back”, 6-8pm, Student Union 253 • April 5: Community Read, David Grann Public Lecture, Performing Arts Center • June 22: Pride Celebration