Human Rights Commission Community Engagement Committee November 4, 2021 Virtual/Electronic Meeting 1:00pm Agenda Packet Attachments 1. Community Engagement Committee Meeting Agenda 2. DRAFT Resolution A21-1 3. DRAFT Plain Language Resolution A21-1 4. 10-14-2021 Community Engagement Committee Meeting Minutes 5. Deputy City Manager’s memo regarding the remembrance of August 2017 events and commemorative days and months 6. Notes from the 2019 HRC retreat regarding guidelines for collaboration and group dynamics 7. Recommended guideline statement for public comment Attachment 1 Human Rights Commission AGENDA Community Engagement Committee November 4, 2021 Virtual/Electronic Meeting 1:00pm Please take Notice that this virtual meeting of the Human Rights Commission is for the purposes of planning, developing and drafting management and administration documents for the Human Rights Commission. For the purpose of addressing issues during the quarantine, this virtual meeting will be a limited public forum to discuss the agenda items designated under Section 5 below and to ensure the continuity of services provided by the Commission. The Commission Chair may limit public comments or discussion points that are unrelated to agenda items under Section 5 or that pertain to topics outside the scope of this Agenda. Members of the public are limited to three minutes of comment time per person related to the Agenda below. A maximum of sixteen public comment time slots are allotted per meeting. This will be a virtual/electronic meeting open to the public and registration information is available at www.charlottesville.gov/zoom. Link to Human Rights Commission shared Box folder: https://app.box.com/s/xty3wnn2s1tj8h7trkknvd79bipyxezy 1. WELCOME a. CALL TO ORDER b. ROLL CALL c. MISSION (recited by all): Act as a strong advocate to justice and equal opportunity by providing citywide leadership and guidance in the area of civil rights. 2. MATTERS BY THE PUBLIC a. PUBLIC COMMENT (Webinar attendees use the “raise hand” function, phone attendees use *9) b. COMMISSION RESPONSE TO MATTERS BY THE PUBLIC 3. MINUTES a. 10/14/2021 HRC Community Engagement Committee Meeting Minutes* 4. WORK SESSION a. Draft Resolution A21-1 b. August 11-12, 2017 recognition during 2022 c. Recognition of commemorative dates and months d. Community Town Hall e. Guidelines for working together and public comment f. Potential support of Jefferson School proposal for disposition of Civil War statues 5. MATTERS BY THE PUBLIC a. PUBLIC COMMENT (Webinar attendees use the “raise hand” function, phone attendees use *9) b. COMMISSION RESPONSE TO MATTERS BY THE PUBLIC 6. NEXT STEPS & ADJOURN * ACTION NEEDED Individuals with disabilities who require assistance or special arrangements to participate in the public meeting may call the ADA Coordinator at (434) 970-3182 or submit a request via email to ada@charlottesville.gov. The City of Charlottesville requests that you provide a 48 hour notice so that proper arrangements may be made. Attachment 2 RESOLUTION TO ESTABLISH PROCEDURES FOR ADVOCACY AND ACTION CHARLOTTESVILLE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION RESOLUTION #: A21-1 WHEREAS, the Charlottesville Human Rights Ordinance, hereinafter “the Ordinance,” states that the role of the Charlottesville Human Rights Commission, hereinafter “the Commission,” is to act as a strong advocate for justice and equal opportunity by providing citywide leadership and guidance in the area of civil rights (City code Article XV. Sec. 2-433.); and WHEREAS, the Ordinance states that the Commission will collaborate with the public and private sectors for the purpose of providing awareness, education and guidance on methods to prevent and eliminate discrimination citywide (City code Article XV. Sec. 2-433.b); and WHEREAS, the Ordinance states that the Commission will identify and review policies and practices of the City of Charlottesville and its boards and commissions and other public agencies within the City and advise those bodies on issues related to human rights issues City code Article XV. Sec. 2- 433.c); and WHEREAS, the Ordinance states that the Commission will prepare recommendations to City Council as to policies and procedures the Commission believes are necessary for the performance of the roles, duties and responsibilities assigned to the Commission within this article, and for modifications of operating procedures approved by City Council (City code Article XV. Sec. 2-433.f); and WHEREAS, the Ordinance states that the Commission will be responsible for identifying and reviewing policies, practices and systems of an institutional nature that may not constitute unlawful discriminatory practices but nevertheless which produce disparities that adversely impact or affect individuals on the basis of a status such as their race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, national origin, age, marital status, criminal record, income or disability (City code Article XV. Sec. 2-435.a.2); therefore BE IT RESOLVED that the Commission hereby declares its intent to take specific action as a strong advocate for human and civil rights; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Commission may undertake specific advocacy action following a majority vote of approval during a publicly-noticed regular meeting of the Commission, except in limited situations between regular meetings of the Commission, when a human or civil rights issue requires prompt action that must occur before the Commission can convene in a publicly noticed meeting, in which case the Commission authorizes the Commission Chair to take advocacy action, on behalf of the whole Commission, without a prior majority vote of approval during a publicly-noticed regular meeting; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Commission Chair, when taking advocacy action on behalf of the Commission between public meetings, shall, whenever possible prior taking action, provide a draft of the proposed statement or a summary of action to be taken and allow 24 hours for feedback from the Commission, except when a particular situation requires an urgent response, in which case the Commission Chair shall send an email notification to the Commission, with a copy of any public statements. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that specific advocacy action, proclaiming the Commission’s position on an issue related to human and/or civil rights, may include one or more of the following: 1. Writing and delivering letters to a. City Council b. The City Manager c. Non-profit organizations or other community groups d. State government officials e. Federal government officials f. Local media outlets 2. Adding the Human Rights Commission to online petitions 3. Adding the Human Rights Commission to sign-on letters 4. Creating and publishing Public Service Announcements 5. Attendance and participation in public events including but not limited to a. Protests b. Counterprotests c. Rallies d. Marches e. City Council meetings 6. Managing Human Rights Commission social media accounts BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Human Rights Commission shall produce a plain language version of this ordinance to ensure greater public understanding of the official business of the Commission. Dated this ___________ of ________________, 2021. ___________________________________________ Mary Bauer, Chair, Human Rights Commission Attachment 3 CHARLOTTESVILLE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION ADVOCACY AND ACTION RESOLUTION #: A21-1 Commented [LvS1]: Link to “official” resolution PLAIN LANGUAGE VERSION Commented [NT2R1]: Upon further reflection, it might be challenging to have a link imbedded in the resolution because it would get broken if the City changes web The Charlottesville Human Rights Ordinance says that the Charlottesville Human Rights platforms. I would suggest just storing the “official” and plain language versions juxtaposed on the OHR website. Commission will: • support justice and equal opportunity by guiding the City on civil rights issues • work with the public and organizations to prevent and stop discrimination • review the City’s policies and practices and advise the City on human rights issues • make recommendations to City Council about policies and procedures that support justice and equal opportunity • look for policies and practices that may not be illegal, but that negatively affect people because of their protected identities Commented [LvS3]: Provide link to this list? Commented [NT4R3]: Same concern as above with We commit to being a strong advocate for human and civil rights. Sometimes, a human or civil including links in resolutions. rights issue will require quick action between regular Commission meetings. When this happens, we give the Commission Chair permission to act on our behalf, as described in the detailed resolution. Examples of action include: • writing and delivering letters to government officials, to organizations, and to the media • adding the Human Rights Commission to online petitions and sign-on letters • writing and publishing Public Service Announcements • participating in public events like protests, counterprotests, rallies, marches, and government meetings • managing our social media accounts We will use plain language because human rights work should be easy to understand. Commented [NT5]: Rather stating this at the bottom of every resolution, I recommend that the Commission draft a Plain Language Resolution (in plain language) that states the Commission’s intent to craft both “official” and plain language versions of its public documents. ___________________________________________ ___________ Mary Bauer, Chair, Human Rights Commission Date The Commission is guided by the Charlottesville Human Rights Ordinance: City code Article XV. Sec. 2-433. Attachment 4 Human Rights Commission Meeting Minutes Committee Engagement Committee Meeting October 14, 2021 Virtual/Electronic Meeting 7:00 pm Public link to meeting rebroadcasts on Boxcast: https://boxcast.tv/channel/vabajtzezuyv3iclkx1a Public link to HRC documents on Box: https://app.box.com/s/xty3wnn2s1tj8h7trkknvd79bipyxezy 1. WELCOME a. CALL TO ORDER i. Chair, Jessica Harris, called the meeting to order at 7:01 pm b. ROLL CALL i. Lyndele Von Schill ii. Jeanette Abi-Nader iii. Jessica Harris c. MISSION (recited by all): Act as a strong advocate to justice and equal opportunity by providing citywide leadership and guidance in the area of civil rights. 2. MATTERS BY THE PUBLIC a. PUBLIC COMMENT i. None b. COMMISSION RESPONSE TO MATTERS BY THE PUBLIC i. None 3. MINUTES a. Review of minutes from 09/02/21 i. Vote 1. In favor: 1 2. Opposed: 0 3. Abstained: 2 4. BUSINESS MATTERS a. Chair update i. None b. OHR Staff report i. None 5. WORK SESSION a. Next steps for plain language document work and Resolution A21-1 i. Is needed because the formal language that is normally used in city documents is not equitable or accessible for the general public 1. There is a federal law saying that public documents should be put into easily understandable language, but apparently, it is no longer in effect in Virginia or the City of Charlottesville ii. Lyndele proposes writing a plain language version of the legal documents HRC is required to create from now on (and also possibly going back to several documents already published) 1. Could be in a flyer form—short and simple 2. Similar to an executive summary 3. Lyndele volunteers to do drafting, which the Commission would then approve and offer feedback on; draft would then be posted on website with link to original resolution iii. City requires the official document, but HRC is free to create plain language companion documents to the official ones 1. It is easier to create plain language documents first 2. Ideally, Lyndele would like to have the plain language document posted on the website, link the denser version, and have the flyer version available, as well iv. Committee member suggests that the plain language document should have a link to the dense version once it is available 1. Also suggests that in the official version under “Be it further resolved” regarding the Chair taking action on behalf of the Commission, the Chair at least notifies Commission of urgent actions v. Committee member asks Todd if it is necessary to explain why a plain language document is necessary in the formal language document 1. Cross-referencing is helpful; there could be something like “Be it further resolved that we have a commitment to plain language rendering of all documents b. A21-1 work i. Committee Chair asks if there should be a part inserted about the Commission Chair giving notice before taking action ii. Could be on a scale, like public meeting vote, input by mail, and the Chair acting on behalf and informing the Commission iii. Add a two-part “When possible, the Chair gives Commissioners 24-48 hours’ notice before taking action on behalf of the Commission” to the resolution iv. Jeanette and Lyndele can draft this now to add to the resolution which will be brought up at the next regular meeting 1. Can workshop it at this meeting or email it to Todd to drop it into the resolution for review v. Also add bit about Vice-Chair if Chair is unavailable? 1. Possibly not necessary, but this is easy to add c. Plain language next steps, continued i. Chair suggests adding the definition of plain language to the flyer 1. Lyndele can draft this ii. Lyndele’s friend Shelley is a plain language expert and would be willing to do a workshop 1. Plain language is an official term/system used in the federal government iii. Todd will add this change into the document and put it into the next regular meeting’s agenda 1. Will go in formal language A21-1 document under “Be it further resolved”; plain language version will go in in plain language document under “We commit to being a strong advocate...” iv. Todd will also add the reciprocal statement about providing plain language documents to the formal language document d. New business i. Chair expresses interest in creating some kind of document that clearly describes the process of how OHR files complaints 1. OHR staff says that a PSA (quick cartoon-like presentation?) about what OHR and HRC generally do would be helpful 2. Chair says a flow chart would be helpful, too 3. Lyndele says this project could recruit someone from UVA or Piedmont a. She is willing to reach out to find someone to create a video b. A graphic art or multimedia student, maybe? 4. Also a good conversation to have with Communications 5. Start with the basics, like the definition of human rights 6. Maybe a minute-long video a. Explain how local law and federal law interact b. Provide examples and resources 7. There is a human rights definition that is much broader than where the OHR and HRC can legally work—this is an important distinction to explain to the general public a. Inherent vs legal human right b. Explain what human rights protections looks like at the local, state, national, international level c. Infographic would help explain this 8. It would be helpful to explain under which domains the OHR and HRC can operate, as it can be confusing 9. Lyndele can work on the ordinance describing what happens when a client files a complaint e. Template document for public statements i. Jeanette asks if Attachment 5 is correctly completed ii. This document works well as a template iii. First part reads similarly to a plain-language resolution iv. “Purpose” through “Support” is largely captured in the resolution v. Get rid of the first page vi. Could attach this template to the resolution (under another “Be it further resolved”) to explain that when a Chair does issue a public statement, they will use this particular format? 1. Probably not necessary to attach it to the resolution; could just be a document to reference as needed vii. Might want to reference relevant resolution(s) in the template to show where the Commission is deriving its authority 1. Could do this in the first paragraph after “In alignment with this mission,…" 2. Jeanette adds in this wording to the document viii. Make sure it is simple plain language f. Todd is keeping a Word document of the drafted statements from this meeting for future reference g. Next steps regarding Committee's proposed engagement plan i. Jeanette and Jessica talked about this several months ago, but have not gotten a chance to revisit ii. Will talk about this during the next meeting h. Chair asks to discuss approval for social media during the next meeting i. The old Facebook got deleted, so the Commission will be starting from scratch ii. Commissioner emails are still in the works 6. MATTERS BY THE PUBLIC a. PUBLIC COMMENT i. None b. COMMISSION RESPONSE TO MATTERS BY THE PUBLIC i. None 7. COMMISSIONER UPDATES a. None 8. NEXT STEPS a. General Next Steps i. Present the altered formal language Resolution A21-1, plain language version, plain language flyer, and template to the next HRC regular meeting b. Lyndele i. Draft plain language flyer with new bit about plain language 1. Send to Todd ii. Work on document describing the process of filing a complaint with OHR c. Todd i. Add changes about plain language to all of the documents (formal language A21-1, plain language version, and flyer) and put in agenda for next HRC regular meeting 1. Add the reciprocal statement about providing plain language documents to the formal language document d. Next meeting i. Proposed engagement plan ii. Approval for social media 9. ADJOURN a. Meeting adjourned at 7:40 pm Attachment 5 MEMORANDUM Commented [MA1]: @Niemeier, Todd Does it seem complete and clear for you? _________________________________________________________________________________ Commented [NT2R1]: This looks good. I added minimal ____ comments below. TO: Mary Bauer, Esq. - Human Rights Commission Chair FROM: Ashley Reynolds Marshall, Deputy City Manager for Racial Equity, Diversity & Inclusion DATE: June 15, 2021 RE: Advice & Guidance on CY22 August Events & FY23 Commemorative Observance Months Chair Bauer: Please see the information below inquiring about your Commission’s interest and capacity in providing guidance and assistance in the following two matters: the 5th remembrance of the August 2017 Summer of Hate and the City’s potential actions to recognize the months that honor and highlight key community groups. I would greatly appreciate knowing if either or both of the below topics may be something the Commission would be willing to investigate and advocate for or against as part of your expert services to the Community. 2017 In August 2022 the Community will move through the fifth year since the 2017 Summer of Hate incidents. While there is no effort to glorify the actions that occurred, the City Manager’s office wishes to determine how best to recognize the events and the time that has passed since them or if there should be any events around the date at all. Previously, Unity Day’s were hosted by the City of Charlottesville with support through facilitation of the Commented [NT3]: Days events by Office of Human Rights, the Human Rights Commission, and in conjunction with other key Commented [NT4]: I would say the City hosted Unity community groups (in 2018 and 2019 I believe). Days but the OHR facilitated said hosting. The Deputy City Manager for Racial Equity, Diversity & Inclusion would like to ask for the assistance of the Human Rights Commission in determining whether or not events should occur with City sponsorship (be them from the City Managers Office and/or the Office of Human Rights/Human Rights Commission) around August 2022, and whether said events could/should be sponsored and/or organized with the guidance and support of the Human Rights Commission. Events could include, for example, education and outreach on the history of the event, education and outreach on hate groups or how to combat them, education and outreach on systemic racism (e.g. rebooting the Commission's Dialogue on Race), education and outreach on citizen activism to combat inequities in our community, and so on. As the City budget process will be in swing in November 2021, should the Commission believe that events should occur that may need budgetary support that allocation will need to be requested at that time for FY22 (July 1, 2022-June 30, 2023) for consideration and potential approval or denial. Commemorative Observance Months The City Manager’s office recognizes that there are key recognition months that highlight parts of our community who may find themselves to be historically and/or currently marginalized or oppressed. At this point in time, the City as an organization does not recognize these months, days, or weeks in a systematic and uniform way. While it is important to make sure that we, as an organization whose mission includes promoting equality and an excellent quality of life – it is also equally as important that any actions do not feel out-of-place, subpar, or performative in nature. By way of example, some of the commemorative observance months include: • January: Poverty in American Awareness Month • February: African-American History Month • March: Women’s History Month • March: Gender Equality Month • April: Autism Awareness Month • April: Arab-American Heritage Month • April: Celebrate Diversity Month • May: Asian Pacific Heritage Month • May: Jewish American Heritage Month • May: Hattian Heritage Month • May: Older Americans Month • May: National Mobility Awareness Month • June: PRIDE Month • June: National Caribbean American Heritage Month • September-October: National Hispanic Heritage Month • October: National Disability Employment Awareness Month • October: Filipino-American Heritage Month • October: LGBT History Month [*please note that this is how I found the month listed, it did not include the QIA] • November: American Indian Heritage Month/Native American Heritage Month • December: Universal Human Rights Month Further, there are several commemorative days that may be worthy of observance including but not limited to: Commented [NT5]: Juneteenth? • Juneteenth (June 19 )th • World Day of Social Justice (February 20th) • International Human Rights Day (December 10th) • International Day of Non-Violence (October 2nd) • United Nation’s Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace (March 8th) • International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (March 21st) • Holocaust Remembrance Day (April 20-21) • International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade (March 25th) • International Wheelchair Day (March 1) • World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development (May 21st) • Race Unity Day (June 8th) • International Day of the World’s Indigenous People (August 9th) • Women’s Equality Day (August 26th) • National Native American Day (September 12th) • Global Accessibility Awareness Day (May) • World Mental Health Day (October 10th) • National Coming Out Day (October 11th) • International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (October 17th) • International Week of the Deaf; World Mental Health Day (October) • International Day of Persons with Disabilities (December 3rd) • International Day of Peace (September 21st) • Various Equal Pay Days (main day is March 31st) The Deputy City Manager for Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion would like to request the assistance of the expertise of the Commission, should the Commissioners be amenable, to determine (a) should the City as an organization engage in celebration/remembrance during months/weeks/days that recognize marginalized groups; (b) if so which months/days/weeks should take priority for FY23 and (c ) which would be the best ways for the City as a non-political, local government organization to recognize these selected commemorative months/days/weeks including if there are any actions that the Commission itself would like to engage in for those commemorative occasions that would be outside the scope of the Office of the City Manager (e.g. proclamation requests, press releases of statements about the month from the Commission, community outreach and educational opportunities hosted by the Commission, advocacy around issues impacting those communities by the Commission and/or its subcommittees). As the City budget process will be in swing in November 2021, should the Commission believe that events should occur that may need budgetary support that allocation will need to be requested at that time for FY22 (July 1, 2022-June 30, 2023) for consideration and potential approval or denial. Any observance months occurring during FY22 (July 1, 2021-June 30, 2022) may or may not be able to have funding allocated to them as unfortunately these observances were not considered during the FY22 budgeting process. Attachment 6 Notes from Commission Discussion on Group Interaction during 2019 HRC Retreat High Functioning Groups • Am I safe? • Am I respected? • Does the process set me up to be constructive and effective? • Are the things that I care about going to be considered? Procedural and Psychological Needs • What is important to you about how a team functions? • What supports you being your best self? • What does respect look like to you? “Group 1” – Kathryn • Team Function o Fair representation o “Justice & Civility” o Taking the time to listen to understand • Support to be best self o To contribute o “Get shit done” • Respect looks like o Not judging a book by its cover o Making sure everyone is heard Another Group Procedural Needs • Team function o Engaged and present in the moment o No monopoly of the conversation or issue. o Accurately represents another’s narrative or needs o Respectful stewardship and providing agency to individuals • Best Self o Food and coffee o Freedom of movement o Think before you speak o Asking questions o Hold onto values • What does respect look like o Know peoples’ names o Being heard and active listening o Focus on conduct and impact o Brave dialogue Another Group – Jen, Matt, Suzi, Jeanette, Idil Important about how a team functions • Hearing everyone’s voice • Being on time o Beginning o End • Attending regularly o 3rd Thursday 7pm to 9pm • Accept the paradox o Express yourself in a raw and unrefined way to get to the point and then work through it o Be professional What supports you in being yourself? • Honesty • Directness • Harmony and positivity o Not feeling antagonized o Respond with active listening if disagree • The conversation keeps moving and does not feel circular • Being prepared with personal needs met What does respect look like to you? • Left yourself listen and process o Recognize that we come to decisions differently • Respect various paths • Understanding that people have different procedural needs • Intentionally stepping back to let others voices be heard • Acknowledging other people’s work Another Group What’s important? • Making connections • Actively engaged • See compassion in team members • Tangible goals What supports you? • People who don’t dominate the conversation • No shouting, cursing, or arguing • Feeling comfortable • Feeling your input is valued What does respect look like to you? • Humility • When people know how to talk to you respectfully Attachment 7 Potential statement to be read before public comment during HRC meetings: We welcome comments and questions and commit on our side to listening carefully and thoughtfully to what we hear. Each speaker will have three minutes to speak. The Commission will disregard personal or professional comments against our members, staff, and fellow speakers and may prematurely end a speaker’s time. Please focus your comments and questions on questions related to human rights within the City. For this discussion space to work, we must be respectful of each other. Modeled after the following statement used by the Planning Commission: We welcome comments and questions and commit on our side to listening carefully and thoughtfully to what we hear. In recognition of the great number of people who would like to speak and our limited time together, I offer two requests: First, everyone will have two minutes to speak – however, I encourage everyone to be concise, use less time, and, if someone has previously raised your comment or question, don’t repeat it but instead note that you agree with the previous statement. Second, the Commission will disregard personal or professional comments against our members, staff, consultants, fellow speakers, or property owners. Please focus your comments and questions on the substance of the plan – that is what we are here for and we expect and welcome differing points of view. But for this discussion space to work, we must be respectful of each other.