Item B: City Council Goal - Enhance Understanding of Race Issues

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Result: The City’s new internal Diversity Consultant has been concentrating on helping both internal Human Resource recruitment and selection staff as well as department diversity committees to focus on recruitment and retentions issues. He also sits on many City hiring panels. 8. Endorse Current Race Initiatives – Communicate endorsement of the work of the DHRC, racism study circles, and other race related work in the community. Result: Council has communicated appreciation for race related work in the community informally. They have also tasked the ad hoc Community Committee on Race to make recommendations to Council. The following mid to long term action steps from the original work plan have been completed or are ongoing: 1. Meet as a full council with community ally leaders on race issues. Result: The Mayor and Councilors met with 65 members of the communities of color for a facilitated dialogue on race in July 2006. 2. Attend awareness and skill building trainings as they are offered locally and regionally. Result: The Mayor and all Councilors attended “Privilege” training in 2005 with other local elected officials of participating Diversity and Human Rights Consortium (DHRC) organizations. The Mayor and several councilors attended a Perspectives in Profiling workshop in November 2006. D. Action Plan Action Steps – The following action steps have been divided into short term and mid to long term items. They have further been divided into three sections: ? Uncompleted actions items from the original priority action plan ? Items recommended by the Community Committee on Race already in progress ? Items recommended by the Community Committee on Race that the Council or organization have not begun to implement Short Term (6-9 months) Uncompleted Items From Original Action Plan: 1. Participate in Racism Study Circles – The Mayor and individual Councilors may join one of the community Racism Study Circles currently planned to begin in late September. Status: To date there have been three rounds of Racism Study Circles. One Councilor has participated in the first round. The next round is scheduled for the fall of 2007. The multi-week and evening scheduling of study circles makes participation challenging. 2. Boards and Commissions Diversity – Enhance outreach efforts to our communities of color to increase ethnic and racial diversity on City boards and commissions. Status: Staff enhanced the outreach efforts but it did not result in an increase in ethnic and racial diversity on City boards and commission. Last Updated May 6, 2007 3