HomeMy WebLinkAbout24 05 09 minutes SERJAC
Social Equity and Racial Justice Committee
Minutes
May 9, 2024 5:00-6:45 p.m.
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to
participate in this meeting, please email ann.seltzer@ashland.or.us . Notification 72
hours prior to the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to
ensure accessibility to the meeting (28 CFR 35.102-35.104 ADA Title 1).
Remote Meeting via Zoom
Note: This meeting will be recorded and uploaded to the website to accompany the
minutes.
1. Call to Order
The meeting was called to order at 5:00m p.m.
2.Approval of Minutes
Motion: Yamaguchi motioned the minutes of March 7 be approved; it was seconded by
Mendel. Motion passed unanimously.
3. June Meeting
Simon announced that Anyania Muse will attend the June SERJ meeting on June 6.
4. Dei Assessment background and summary of final report
Simon provided the background of how the DEI Assessment came about. Initially SERJ
requested the City hire a DEI Manager. The City Manager decided to have a DEI
Assessment performed to determine the internal needs or the organization and, based
on the results of the assessment, then determine if the City needed a DEI Manager. The
City Council allotted $40,000 for the project.
An RFP (request for proposal) was posted inviting companies/consultants to conduct
the assessment. Paradigm Consultants was hired to conduct the work which began in
the fall of 2023.
The findings were presented to the City Council at the study session on April 1, 2024.
The finding included 25 recommendations. Two groups of employees, women and
gender/sexual minorities were identified as having expressed concern of being targets
of microaggressions and concerns about equity, inclusivity and accessibility were
raised.
The city is committed to insuring that DEIA becomes a part of the internal culture and
identified the following:
Next Steps:
The City Manager recommended a series of organizational trainings with a focus on
diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility including: a review of annual performance
process, employee training on anti-harassment, implicit bias, succession planning, and
micro aggression and forming a DEIA employee committee.
The list of next steps did not include training for religious tolerance.
Motion: Simon made a motion asking the City to include religious tolerance training in
the list of employee training and that the HR Director and the interim City Manager
report on the progress of the identified next steps at a City Council meeting in October
of 2024. Mendel seconded the motion; the motion passed unanimously.
5. Social Gathering
Yamaguchi reminded the group of the SERJ social gathering at SOU on Wednesday,
May 15 at 5:30 p.m. at the Hawk Dining Center at 435 Whitman.
6. Co-chair Announcement
Yamaguchi announced she would be leaving SERJ after the June SERJ meeting.
7. Personnel Changes
Seltzer announced she would retire from the City in June. Kerrick Gooden will replace
Seltzer as the staff liaison.
8. Ashland Voices
Yamaguchi announced that progress has been made with the project Ashland Voices.
SORCE (southern Oregon research center) has identified and compiled a list of
businesses in Ashland owned by marginalized groups. These businesses will be
contacted and invited to be in a video which will eventually be available on the city’s
website.
9. Listening Circles
Tyler and Mendel provided an update on Listening Circles sub-committee. Members of
the subcommittee have met with many underrepresented groups in Ashland and is
partway through the identified list of groups. The subcommittee members attend these
gatherings to listen and learn from these groups. When the listening circles are
launched the focus will be on the issues the groups have raised.
SERJ needs to determine the desired outcomes of Listening Circles and what will be
done with the outcomes. It was suggested that the subcommittee focus on identifying
the desired outcomes and what will be done with the information learned from the
Listening Circles.
10. Cover Letter for History of Racism in Ashland report
Houston reviewed the draft cover letter she wrote for the History of Racism in Ashland.
The cover letter deepens some of the issues that were previously identified in the
report.
Motion: Simon made a motion to forward the cover letter and the History of Racism in
Ashland to the City Council with the recommendation to hire a professional to undertake
a systemic and thorough investigation of the organizational historical documents to
include all aspects of historical marginalization including religions, race/ethnicity, age,
class immigrant status, disability, gender, and sexuality. Mendle seconded that motion.
Motion passed unanimously.
11. Simon did not have an update on the Labor Acknowledgement Subcommittee.
12. Hate Speech
Mendel noted that they found examples of Hate Speech Flyers that SERJ may want to
use. In addition, both the Sate of Oregon and the City of Eugene have “tool kits”
available that relate to Hate Speech. Mendel has sent the links to staff.
13. Discussion on outreach tools to recruit new members and review of Recruiting
Guidelines. Generally, it was agreed that creating a handbook about SERJ was not the
best use of time but instead to use the City’s website to provide information and direct
possible recruits to that information.
It was agreed that face to face recruitment is the strongest tool. SERJ members will
determine ways to communicate the work of SERJ such as reaching out to be a guest
speaker at local service group monthly meetings, reaching out to Sneak Preview to do a
story about SERJ and developing a list of talking points about SERJ that members can
use as they meet with potential recruits.
14. Adjourn
The meeting adjourned at 6:30 p.m.
Next meeting dates: May 15 social gathering, June 6 regular meeting, August 8 regular
meeting. The first Thursday in July is July 4 so there will not be a SERJ meeting in July.