Agenda Packet 9-12-18 Work Session

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September 12, 2018, Work Session – Item 1 EUGENE CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY Marginalized Voices Report and Recommendations Meeting Date: September 12, 2018 Agenda Item Number: 1 Department: Central Services Staff Contact: Katie Babits www.eugene-or.gov Contact Telephone Number: 541-682-5277 ISSUE STATEMENT This Work Session is the result of the Human Rights Commission’s request to provide the City Council a presentation on “Marginalized Voices in Eugene: Report on Focus Groups in Eugene’s Communities of Color, Muslim and LGBTQ Communities” and to share recommendations. BACKGROUND The Human Rights Commission unanimously approved “Marginalized Voices in Eugene: Report on Focus Groups in Eugene’s Communities of Color, Muslim and LGBTQ Communities” on June 20, 2017. The City Council received a copy of the report on July 10, 2017, which was the culmination of a multiyear project to learn about the experiences of marginalized people in Eugene. Between February 2016 and April 2017, the Anti-Discrimination Work Group of the Eugene Human Rights Commission hosted 10 focus groups comprised of people from communities of color and the Muslim and LGBTQ communities in Eugene. The purpose of the focus groups was to listen and learn about the experiences of marginalized individuals living in Eugene at this moment in time and to glean possible ways that the City could help make Eugene a more welcoming, comfortable and safe place for these particular communities and for all of Eugene’s residents. The focus group participants all live in Eugene and are members of the following communities: African American, African American/Biracial Youth, Asian American, Latinx, Latinx Families, Muslim, Native American/Alaska Native, Pacific Islanders, LGBTQ and Trans. The report includes themes and statements intended to demonstrate a range of experiences of marginalized people in Eugene. While the report found the experience of living in Eugene distinctly challenging for marginalized communities, it also found a profound sense of resilience on the part of these community members in the face of adversity. Recommendations, developed by people directly experiencing the problems, are offered at the end of the report. These recommendations are goals offered to the City of Eugene with short and long time frames. Many of these recommendations are in alignment with work that City staff are currently working on including improving the Rights Assistance Program and expanding cultural competency and gender diversity awareness trainings for all City employees.