Item 6: Interim Appointment to Human Rights Commission

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3. Members of tbe Human Rights Commission repl'csent tbe diversity of lI:ugene. Please describe your strengths a.nd weaknesses related to group dynamics within a diverse group. As a former university faculty member and community activist I have been a participant in a variety of groups whose members come from difterent backgrounds and onen hold different points of view. Thus my principal strength is experience working productively with different types of people on otlen ditlicult and vexing issues. To offer three examples of diverse groups in which I have recently been involved'. a. Several years ago, I helped to tound and provide leadership to a multi-racial, multi-cultural organization of faculty and statT at the University of Connecticut -Storrs. We named it Excellence, Diversity, Unity Advocates, or EOU for short. It was a highly- charged group of people with varied id{mtities and interests, and induded representatives from the Asian-American, African-American, and Latin ArnencanJCaribbean Cultural Centers and the Rainbow (GLBT) Center. We really worked at unity, and played a key role in the formation of a university-wide diversity task force that produced a comprehensive plan that is now being implemented across the university. b. In addition to working with EDO Advocates on the university c.ampus, I was simultaneously involved with an off-campus group in nearby Windham, CT, a largely \'lorking-class tov.-n with a significant poverty population. "One Connecticut East" was a di verse mix of people, ranging fl.'om the unemployed and blue collar workers to social service caseworkers and college pmf(~ssors, and was led by a former welfare recipient We aU found ways to '\lork togt-'ther, organizing public meetings where citizens addressed elected local and state officials on cutbacks in social services, holding a public forum on homelessness and affordable housing, and supporting the local "Walk for Wannth" to help poor people pay home heating bills. c. Since coming to Eugene I have been working with and on behalf of Amigos Multicultural Servit:es Center, a small volunteer-driven, multicultural, non-profit human rights organization. I began by providing tutoring in ESL tor an immigrant from Guatemala, then joined the Amigos board and have been \vritirlg grants and tabling at public events. At Arnigos, I arn part of a collectivity cornprised of white Anglos and Latinos/as from various parts of Latin America. We constantly work through cultural and other ditIerences and cooperate in our shared commitment to advancing the hurnan rights of immigrants, refugt-'Cs, and asylum-seekers. \Vhile I am not hesitant to stlck in my two cents on issues, my tendency in such groups is to be an active listener and a k~amer, as wdl as a facilitator in moving meetings along. I think it important that everyone in a diverse group feel that their positions hav{~ heen given a fair hearing, and that they feel they have been treated ,-vIth respect. I feel most comlortableworking in diverse groups that are weU run, task-oriented, and in which mutual respect is the norm.