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2021-03-03 Diversity Commission MinutesCITY OF EDMONDS DIVERSITY COMMISSION March 3, 2021 Meeting conducted via Zoom COMMISSIONERS PRESENT Ardeth Weed, Chair Dean Olson, Vice -Chair Donnie Griffin Nikki Okimoto Glaros Mindy Woods Alison Alfonzo Pence Alberto Orejel Malfavon Sarah Mixson Caitlin Chung Student Rep Councilmember Luke Distelhorst, ex officio Laura Johnson -Council Vivian Olson - Council COMMISSIONERS ABSENT Sekou Kone -excused GUESTS PRESENT: Jennifer McLaughlin - Facilitator Youth Commission Diversity Commission — Owen Lee (Chair), Finn Paynich, Sydney Pearson, Aaron Nateephaisan, Grace Kamila, Brooke Roberts, Casey Colley (Youth Commission Coordinator) STAFF PRESENT Patrick Doherty, Director Megan Luttrell, Program Coordinator Economic Development & Community Services Arwen Marohn, Diversity Commission Coordinator 6:00 P.M. — Call to Order and Land Acknowledgement: "We acknowledge the original inhabitants of this place, the Sdohobsh (Snohomish) people and their successors the Tulalip Tribes, who since time immemorial have hunted, fished, gathered, and taken care of these lands. We respect their sovereignty, their right to self-determination, and we honor their sacred spiritual connection with the land and water." - City Council Land Acknowledgment 1. Roll Call: Ardeth called the meeting to order at 4:01 p.m. Alberto read the land acknowledgement. 2. Approval of Agenda: Agenda approved by consensus. 3. Approval of February 3, 2021 Summary: Approved by consensus. 4. Public Comment: No comments at this time 5. Presentation from the Youth Commission: Owen Lee (he/him) presented a slideshow on the importance of using pronouns and will present this Implementation Plan to City Council next week. Using pronouns in all communications such as in Biographies, Zoom, and email signatures. They will provide more information on the Edmonds City Website. The Diversity Commission can add information in our Equity Toolkit regarding the pronouns and background information. The Diversity Commission is in full support for this request from the Youth Commission's newly formed Diversity Committee. 6. Diversity Commission retreat: Meeting Summary Diversity Commission March 3, 2021 Page 1 Ice -breaker introductions and shared stories on why the commissioners and staff are involved in this work. Indigenous Peoples Day Discussion: Agreements included creating some sort of event that may be live and also virtual to account for equity access issues and unknown COVID status in October. The recommendation is to reach out to our Indigenous community to help curate an event. Suggestions also included highlighting new Indigenous artwork downtown, the mural, and new Waterfront Community Center, as well as dancing with food, reaching out to prior ECA performers from Kid Stock (violinist and storyteller). Perhaps this could take place at the Francis Anderson Field. Protocol Response: Luke mentioned that the Commission could request more money for the expenses of translation services for all communications. There will be a vote at the next meeting on the use of the original template response as backup or empowering the Chair and Vice -Chair to respond on behalf of the Commission. There was a reference to the Shoreline Against Racism — SOAR reporting system on racial or other hateful incidents. Currently the City of Edmonds does not have an anonymous reporting system. Creating a space in the community to story and experience. The Events Committee will look into doing another "I am Edmonds" event and it was suggested that we reach out to the community sooner than during the summer to get more involvement. There was also a suggestion for more of an online presence for the Diversity Commission and more engagement from youth on other programs — Instagram, TIK TOK, and beyond. Caitlin will be a good resource for this. Disability Accessibility & Inclusion — Dean would like to see a group dedicated to these issues in Edmonds this year. Alison is working with the Edmonds Rotary raising funds for Civic Park playground for special needs/families. She proposes the Diversity Commission write to lawmakers for needed funding to support this. *Generate a letter. Commission meetings & use of time. The Commission wants to invite community leaders in so we learn from them and we influence their thinking on these issues. Who are the most significant people in community who we would like to learn from and influence? This encourages building of community. Also, the goal is to connect with other Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Commissions and organizations by sharing ideas and collectively working on change. Importance of Visibility of the DC. The Commission needs to come up with a plan for submissions for My Edmonds News and to come up with an overall outreach plan. Work closely with the Youth Commission. Put a bio and picture on website for people to connect and know who is on the Diversity Commission. Maybe include video snippets questions for social media. Approved majority. Donnie would like to see our time/efforts directed to our projects and social justice actions. City Council Annual Report: The Commission should represent at the Council meeting. We need volunteers to cover each month of the year to attend. A brief Power Point and back up detailed document will be Meeting Summary Diversity Commission March 3, 2021 Page 2 delivered by Chair & Vice Chair to Council in the next few weeks. Donnie suggested adding in the following points to the report: 1. Highlight work the Commission has accomplished 2. Share the key pieces of current work and future work that we will need the support of the Council on. For example: we need their support in promoting our recently published Equity Toolkit for businesses. 3. Share our vision for visibility and community building on Highway 99 and the importance of having representation from the Commission in the planning of the Highway 99 Renewal project. 40 minutes brainstorming over the next few months. Categories: • Accessibility/ADA • Multi-cultural/language • Review of City's Hate Crime Ordinances • Exploring a city office for civil rights • Doing diversity, inclusion and equity work outside the bowl as well • Engage with Mountlake Terrace, Shoreline, Lynnwood Diversity Commission, Youth Commission, Communities of Color • Review work that has been done by the Commission and decide what items need to go to the next implementation level Each Commissioner identified one area of interest for this year: Then vote on the top 2-3 - Note the different between mitigated action and transforming action • Alberto: Alison's creating a city office for civil rights, encourage youth participation • Alison: Why the city of Edmonds doesn't have office for civil rights, there needs to be some place for people to go to if there is a complaint with housing or employment. For example - Shoreline and SOAR. • Ardeth — Reach out to other cities to see how we can work with them — feedback from citizens and discussions. • Caitlyn — Acknowledge Pride Month and LGTBQ+ members, API rise of hate crimes and talking about in the community, including youth. • Donnie — City of civil rights issues, working with other diversity and inclusion groups, Suni internal group, N. King County and S. Snohomish Coalition. • Mindy — Stop having silos in any area of work. Social worker and expansion, looking at the most vulnerable and who is not at the table? How do people engage with us and how do we get out to them. What's our outreach? Equity Toolkit — translations. • Dean - Do more listening sessions, push toolkit and highway 99 community building by working with other commissions, Office of civil rights, and create an accessible Edmonds subcommittee. • Nikki — Civil Rights Commission, Diversity Commissions integration, other groups in the city, ECA accessibility group, and respond to upcoming elections and possible issues surrounding responses to that. Meeting Summary Diversity Commission March 3, 2021 Page 3 • Sarah — Civil rights, we need a clearing house to know where to go. Bring light to race problems in Edmonds and would like to see support for "how to be an anti - racist" training in the city. Create an active series. • Patrick — Highway 99 Committee to plan next year by engaging in real community building and community organizing. Look at supporting District based Council in lieu of the City based Council we currently have. • Luke — Council project with diversity, equity, and inclusion work and would like input from the Diversity Commission. • Arwen — Look at the projects we are pursuing and express the needs for support. Council has indicated they will be reevaluating the need for a coordinator for the Diversity Commission at the end of this year. Agreed Top Items for 2021-2022 Focus for the Edmonds Diversity Commission: 1. Civil Rights Office (Policy & Partnerships Subcommittees) 2. Equity Toolkit and Highway 99 business education series 3. Highway 99 Community Building 4. District based Council positions 5. Accessibility - ADA 6. Accessibility — Languages 7. Listening Sessions with community leaders 8. Future staffing support needs — Luke suggested we put together a budget project for these projects and staffing needs to submit to Council before the May/June funding priorities meeting. Ad6ourn: Ardeth adjourned the meeting at 8:09 PM — Next meeting Wednesday, April 7, 2021, 6:00 pm. Meeting Summary Diversity Commission March 3, 2021 Page 4