Item 6: Interim Appointment to Human Rights Commission

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.. Better dialog within and among groups and community members regarding issues they currently face and may face in the future is necessary. Isolation needs to be broken and broader agendas of human rights needs to be addressed, People in a community know what is best for them. In any system of support it is imperalive to define agendas V\rith collective knowledge. As a conmumity we need to work on our short sightelmess in the issues by understandjng the core of them. Community groups need to cohesively address their issues in broader terms of human and civil rights. Oppression and discrimination regardless of its form rely on similar pattems of pot-ver and. controL Acts of hate, violence, discrimination and other forms of oppression al'e patterns that have a precis to them. The people who are vulnerable to these understaIld this but are often silenced and isolated by systematic responses, We need to tmderstand the precis. The systems that support comrnunity must become cohesivt~ in the goal of human rights. I believe the community is at a critical cmx of not only being prepared and ed.ucated to respond to i.'.,sues but also breaking isolation of community members and groups in addition to encouraging broader vokes in the agenda of community accountability and dignity. The challenge is commillucation. Listening, learning and open discourse among groups, individuals alld city officials; the conversation is cmdal. It is time for the communi tv to create " .I standards of accountability, build better community coalitions in n.~sponse to the issues and to promote a brreater foundation and definition of community through education and by induding all groups in the discourse, Members of the Human Right Commission represent the diversHy of Eugene. Please describe your strengths and weakness related to group dynamics within a diverse group. I value the process of discomse and function eloquently in group dynamics. I have a very strong voice and sense of my boundaries and needs, In my p1'Ocess of defining issues and finding solutions I find it important to get as much information and input as possible, I thrive because I am able to allow my perspectives to be chal1eng{~d and enhanced by the values of others. I believe that everyone has apiece of the truth. I have excellent listening skills ~~ause I value the process of learning frOITl others. I am confident in my voice and identity and therefore very open to change and conflict. I have excellent critical thinking skills and I am able to articulate my p1'Ocess alld my truth without feeling the need to have a correct ans\'\ler or resolution. I excel in interpersonal conununication..<; bt:.'cause I relish and believe in the process as a powerful way to resolve conflict, build trust and enact change. I believe in personal accountability and. I am sincere with being accountable to my words and adions. The greatest challenge I have in a group situation is due to my belief in process. I am a very articulate and thoughtful person. 1 am excellent in crisis and very flexible. However, in areas of debate where definitions and solutions are t,rray, I sometimes feel I need extra time to process things. I do really well when I can take a brake to absorb information and sit with the issues. It is sometimes difficuJt for me to contribute immediate n~sponses to complex issues if they are time presS\'.~d. Another challenge for me is honing the skill of being able to ask more questions. Sometimes r fed shy about asking questions, Being raised in a very small and isolated community I have learned. that there are certain epistemic a.ssumptions we make about \vhat others know. Past experiences have rnade me feel shy about asking certain questions. I am working on asking questions without feeHng shy o:r apologetic. Lastly I think that I have difficulty asking for support around highly emotional issues, I am a very sensitive person who is affected to my core by violence and oppression, I cry easily and this has often been uncomfortable for me to talk about, mostly because th.el'e is a general societal discomfort with crying. I am working on ways to be comfortable with my tears even when others are not. 2