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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem C: Race Priority IssueEUGENE CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY Work Session: City Council Priority Issue - Revised Race Priority Issue Action Plan Meeting Date: August 8, 2005 Agenda Item Number: C Department: Human Resource and Risk Services Staff Contact: Lauren Chouinard www. eugene-or, gov Contact Telephone Number: 682-5663 ISSUE STATEMENT The purpose of this work session is to review the revised action plan for the City Council priority issue on race. Developing a council position on race issues was identified by the council as one of eight priority issues. The council is asked to approve or further revise the proposed action plan. BACKGROUND On June 13, 2005, the City Council reviewed a draft action plan on race. While the council generally approved of the contents of the action plan, there were a number of suggestions made to enhance the plan. The revised plan is included as Attachment A. All additions to the plan are bolded and italicized and can be found in Section D of the plan document. The only deletion is found in Item 8 of the short-term action steps. It was felt that directing the Human Rights Commission to do something that is already a central part of their mission appeared redundant. The other sentence deleted was replaced by the revised, new language in Item 8. Aside from the revisions made, there was a suggestion to offer diversity training for all City employees. Attachment B lists many of the diversity trainings already offered to City employees. This list does not include additional trainings that are offered by departments, such as a recent training for Police personnel on Sikh, Arab, and Muslim cultures. During the discussion on June 13, there was also a reference to a written statement made by the council approximately seven years ago on respect for diversity. That statement is included as Attachment C. It is a pledge that was circulated and signed by many community leaders including individual councilors. Attachment C also contains the text of a City Council Resolution regarding International Human Rights Day that was signed in late 2002. RELATED CITY POLICIES Issues of race in the community are related to the "Safe Community" Council Goal which emphasizes a safe community where people feel secure and respected. COUNCIL OPTIONS The council is asked to provide direction on the Race Priority Action Plan. The council may approve or modify the proposed action plan. Approval or modification of the action plan would give staff direction to assist council with implementation of the action plan. L:\CMO\2005 Council Agendas\M050808\S050808C.doc CITY MANAGER'S RECOMMENDATION The City Manager recommends approval of the action plan as revised. SUGGESTED MOTION Move to approve the revised Race Priority Issue Action Plan. ATTACHMENTS A. Revised Race Priority Issue Action Plan B. List of City diversity training for employees C. Council Pledge on Respect for Diversity FOR MORE INFORMATION Staff Contact: Lauren Chouinard, Human Resource and Risk Services Director Telephone: 682-5663 Staff E-Mail: lauren, d. chouinard~ci, eugene, or. us L:\CMO\2005 Council Agendas\M050808\S050808C.doc ATTACHMENT A Council Priority Issue on Race Action Plan A. Planning Horizon and Focus Although this action plan is developed for a 3-5 year horizon with a specific focus on the first 18-24 months, working on race relations is a long term, ongoing commitment where progress is measured in decades versus a few years. By acknowledging and illuminating instances of bias in the community and making a commitment to change, the City Council is in a unique position to set the tone for race relations in Eugene and the broader metropolitan area. This plan outlines actions that the council as a body, and the mayor and councilors as individuals, can engage in to build a better understanding of race issues among themselves and improve race relations in the community at large. B. Priority Issue Outcomes 3-5 year outcomes: Enhanced council and community awareness of race issues Increased understanding by council and the community about the affect race relations has on community members' perception of safety and quality of life Effective race relations becomes a priority the whole community will actively embrace People of color in the community feel they are respected, engaged, and have a voice in community affairs > Issues of race are engaged proactively versus reactively in time of crisis > Eugene will begin to forge a national reputation as a community that actively supports an environment that is viewed as welcoming by all races and cultures. 18-24 month outcomes: Informed and educated mayor and councilors on the nature and status of race relations in the community Mayor and councilors articulate their collective philosophy and commitment regarding race, racism, and race relations Mayor and councilors act collectively and swiftly against acts of racism in the community > Mayor and councilors enhance existing, and forge new, relationships with communities of color and other race relations allies in the community > Mayor and councilors explore areas of personal growth related to issues of race C. Progress to Date There are several focal points for past and ongoing work regarding race and race relations in the community. The following are examples of several initiatives: Human Rights Commission (HRC) - As an appointed committee of the City Council, the HRC has been working on race related issues for many years. The work of the HRC can be separated into three broad categories, advising city government, educating the community, and responding to incidents of discrimination and harassment. In its current efforts, the commission and its staff respond to discrimination through the work of the Human Rights Support System (HRSS). HRSS responds to an average of 75 cases per year with approximately half the cases being race-related. HRC staff coordinates City and community response to hate activity. Eugene experiences an average of 20 bias crimes per year and has about 40 hate incidents per year that don't rise to the level of a crime. In the category of community education, the commission sponsors and co-sponsors a number of educational forums and community celebrations. The International Human Rights Day celebration and the Eugene Celebration store front with its neighbor and family photography exhibits are examples of some of the celebrations. The "War on Memory" public forum and the Oregon Diversity Institute Conference workshop are examples of educational efforts. Regarding the program's role in advising government, staff and commissioners regularly work with City departments as well as with the mayor and individual councilors. Such work might include reviewing Federal and State legislation, advising the city on how best to respond to incidents of racism or commenting on City policies regarding the use of Social Security numbers or the Eugene Police Department's complaint process. Day of Acknowledgement Proclamation - On International Human Rights Day, December, 10, 2002, the City Council adopted a proclamation for a Day of Acknowledgement which resolved to increase public awareness of racial discrimination and extend the work of the Human Rights Commission to strive for the full participation of people of color in all aspects of the community. Diversity and Human Rights Consortium (DHRC) - The DHRC, which currently represents 11 local public sector organizations, has been in existence since 1999, and has it roots in the Metro Leaders Task Force going back to 1991. Representatives of the DHRC are the CEOs of each of the organizations who meet twice each year to discuss issues. The DHRC's mission, in its broadest sense, is to work together and with its respective organizations and constituencies "to foster a welcoming, hospitable community." The DHRC's staff group, the Interagency Diversity and Equity Consortium (IDEC), meets regularly to plan and implement strategies for uniting the member organizations' efforts to educate employees, build and enhance welcoming work place environments, and increase both recruitment and retention of all employees with a special emphasis on employees of color. The IDEC group drafted a memorandum of agreement that members of the DHRC signed and committed to in 2000 and reaffirmed in 2005. The memorandum outlines several goals that each of the organizations agrees to strive to achieve. Currently, the DHRC is reviewing climate surveys for a number of agencies as well as coordinating employee recruitment, selection and retention strategies. In addition, the DHRC has developed and is sponsoring a six-hour institutional privilege training. Racism Study Circles - Sponsored by the City Club, and cosponsored by the DHRC and the Eugene Human Rights Commission, an experimental, grass roots, initiative to educate community members on the issues of race and racism was undertaken in early 2005. Over 70 people from across the community as well as several City employees participated in a pilot project of small group community dialogues. The City Club recently published the results of the pilot and plans are being made to broaden participation for a second round of dialogues. Over 200 community members have signed-up to participate. 2 Racial Profiling Task Team - From 2000 to 2003, the Eugene Police Department worked with community members to address concerns associated with "racial profiling." A task group comprised of community and police department representatives designed a data collection program to gather statistics on vehicle stops involving EPD officers with a focus on identifying and discussing differences between racial/ethnic groups in terms of law enforcement practices. Analysis of the data collected as part of the study was conducted by a doctoral candidate with the University of Oregon Sociology Department. Preliminary results of the data collection study were released in the Spring of 2003. The final report, containing information on 36,011 vehicle stops occurring between January 1, 2002 and December 31, 2003, was delivered in September of 2004. City of Eugene Diversity Program - The City organization embarked on a comprehensive diversity initiative in 1999 with a goal of educating and building the skills of City employees in many broad areas of diversity including race. The program has focused training on workplace environment, diversity awareness, and cross cultural competencies. The overall goals of the program are to establish and maintain respectful work environments, increase recruitment and retention of employees, and enhance service effectiveness to the increasingly diverse community we serve. We recently commissioned an assessment of our diversity efforts by a nationally renowned workplace diversity consulting firm. That assessment will be used to fine tune our efforts. Communities of Color Annual Meeting - Originally conceived by former City Councilor Bobby Lee in 1999, the City's Executive Directors, and staff involved in diversity work, have met annually with representatives from the communities of color. The meeting provides one forum for attendees to give the organization feedback and input on the effectiveness of our diversity efforts, as those efforts impact service to that segment of our community. We did not hold a meeting in 2004, but plan to meet later on in 2005 after we fill the vacant Diversity Manager position. In 1989 and 1990, Mayor Jeff Miller held a number of forums that brought together city leadership with leaders in the communities of color. Ongoing Communities of Color Support - Individual councilors, the mayor, and City staff attend a number of fund raising and community events organized by ethnic and cultural segments of our community. Examples include the Asian Celebration, Fiesta Latina, LCC's Native American Powwow, the NAACP Freedom Fund dinner, Centro Latino's Noche Cultural fund raising dinner and the Asian American Foundation's annual fund raising dinner. Attendance at these events provides direct access to members of the communities of color and helps strengthen relationships. D. Action Plan Action Steps - The following action steps have been divided into short term and mid to long term items: Short Term: (6 to 9 months) 1. Facilitated Training on Race and Diversity - Hold a facilitated training with the City Council. One option for this training would be the "Privilege" training being planned for September 8, 2005for local elected officials of participating Diversity and Human Rights Consortium (DHRC) organizations. 2. Facilitated Dialogue on Race - Hold a facilitated session on race with the City Council. One outcome of this session would be a Council Resolution stating the council's collective perspective and commitments on race. Council would contract with a skilled facilitator for this event. 3. Racism Response Plan - Develop an integrated, rapid response plan outlining actions to be taken by council when acts of racism happen in our community. 4. Communities of Color Outreach - Set a meeting between Council and representatives of the communities of color to listen to their issues, needs, and suggested strategies around community race relations. 5. Endorse Current Race Initiatives - Communicate endorsement of the work of the DHRC, racism study circles, and other race related work in the community. 6. 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. 7. Continue Mayor One-on-Ones - Continue to locate the mayor's one-on-one meetings in various neighborhoods of the community and invite comments on issues of race relations. 8. Direction to Human Rights Commission - Set a meeting between Council and HRC to explore strategies for Council, the HRC, and the City organization to more effectively assess, manage, and support issues of race and diversity in the 9. Boards and Commissions Diversity - Enhance outreach efforts to our communities of color to increase ethnic and racial diversity on City boards and commissions. 10. Refocus the Diversity Manager Role - Re-emphasize outreach recruitment to candidates of color and employee retention strategies as priorities for the new Diversity Manager. Mid to Long Term: (9-24 months and beyond) 1. Meet as a full council with community ally leaders on race issues. 2. Meet individually with communities of color members (other than leaders) to better understand their issues. 3. Hold a Council worl~session to examine l~ey high profile race related incidents and issues from the past. 4. Add race relations as an ongoing topic of joint elected officials meetings. 5. Identify opportunities for joint public/private forums for working on race issues within area organizations. 6. Attend awareness and skill building trainings as they are offered locally and regionally. 7. Bring up the topic of race, and discuss the Council's Resolution on race, when meeting with individuals and groups of constituents such as neighborhood groups. The lead staff for all action steps will include Human Rights staff, Human Resource staff, and the Council Coordinator, in collaboration with the mayor and councilors. E. Resource Needs The mayor and councilors will need to devote some worksession and individual time to meet the commitments of the action plan. Staff time will also be needed to coordinate 4 some of the activities. The cost to hire a qualified facilitator, and expenses for attending awareness and skill building training, are estimated at $3,000 to $5,000. F. Monitoring and Evaluation It will be critical to revisit the workplan on a semi-annual basis. This could be accomplished through a worksession discussion. Further evaluation of outcomes may be accomplished by engaging feedback from community stakeholders. ATTACHMENT B Diversity Training-City of Eugene Coordinated Training Program-City of Eugene Ongoing Curriculum Courses Required Description Courses Workplace Harassment - Supvs Legal aspects of harassment and discrimination for supervisors Workplace Harassment - Non Legal aspects of harassment and discrimination for all supervisors employees Respectful Work Environment Foundation course exploring personal biases and their impact. Explore ways to work effectively with those who are different than us Optional Courses Diversity: Blue Eyed - Video Video/discussion course on discrimination Diversity: Color of Fear Video Video discussion course on racial discrimination Diversity: Disability Awareness Overview of ADA and aspects of disability Diversity Food For Thought Overview course on impact of differences and biases of under-represented groups Diversity Reading Group Voluntary reading groups on books specific to diversity topics Discrimination Free Zone Work unit program/training for teams who want to emphasize their commitment to working towards non- discriminatory practices in all of their work Diversity Sack Lunch Videos Offered 6-8 times per year, video and discussion on topics like black Americans in war units; age discrimination; homelessness; gay and lesbian issues; appearance discrimination; gender discrimination. Videos change annually. Basic Sign Language Sack Practice sessions for employees Lunch Basic Spanish Converse/Practice Practice sessions for employees facilitated by Centro Latino Spanish courses, beginner to Sponsored by Lane County, instructional program. advanced Sign Language course for Sponsored by Lane County, instructional program. learning Supervisor Courses Diversity: FAIR Way to Manage Supervisors learn about the impact their biases have on supervision and ways to pay attention and adjust their behavior Tools for Workplace Challenges Explores supervisor personal biases and discussion of methods to be active to deal with instances of discrimination Community Courses we participate in Privilege training DHRC sponsored course exploring white privilege Special event speakers or trainings The Challenge of Diversity 2002 Speaker Series Included Sex-Orientation Experiences of Gays and Lesbians Gender Gender differences in communication Disability Community Panel discussion community issues Panel-small group discussions with various community religious Religion members Socio-Economic. Discussion of economic inequity issues in Oregon White Males Role of white males in diversity efforts Race Discriminatory experiences of persons of color in the community 2003 Cultural Competency & Communication 2003 Exploring Institutional Bias 2003 Vision, Privilege & Tolerance 2003 Class Acts: Concept of Class 2003 Cultural Considerations 2003 Cultural Competency 2003 Tim Wise Diversity Speaker 2004 War Stories about Diversity Racial issues From Neckties to Tie Dyes: 2004 Generations Generational Issues 2004 Multicultural Super Highway Racial issues and biases 2004 Amazones: Master Drummers African women's gender experiences 2005 Discussion: My Soul Is A Witness Racial 2005 So What is Cultural Competency Upcoming, our bias orientation and it's impact ATTACHMENT C Pledge Respecting Diversity and Honoring Human Rights WHEREAS, Lane County and the cities of Eugene and Springfield value the dignity and worth of all human beings; and WHEREAS, Lane County and its communities have become home to peoples of many cultures, and each person, as an individual, has a unique history, culture, and ability; and WHEREAS, diversity adds strength, richness of texture, depth, and creativity to our communities and the acceptance of diversity enhances the harmony, team work, and sense of community in Lane County; and WHEREAS, respect for diversity should be manifested not only by the individual, family, and community, but also by our civic life, and Lane County's diverse communities celebrate their cultures through events, music and art for all to enjoy; and WHEREAS, Lane County and the Cities of Eugene and Springfield are committed to opposing hostility, harassment, intimidation, and discrimination; NOW BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that those signed below will provide, through words and actions, an example for community members and visitors that all cultures shall be recognized, honored, and respected in Lane County. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we, the undersigned, pledge to work together and with each of our constituencies and organizations, to foster a welcoming, hospitable community. We are committed to: Insuring that protection of human rights is a central part of our community; Respecting and reflecting cultural and individual diversity; Fostering mutual understanding; and Promoting inclusiveness, justice, and equity. We pledge our efforts and energies on this day dedicated to International Human Rights, December 10, 1997. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION FOR DAY OF ACKNOWLEDGMENT Whereas history has been marred by racial discrimination, exclusion, bigotry and great injustice toward people of color, including Native Americans, African Americans, Latinos, Asian and Pacific Asian Americans; and Whereas such mistreatment based on race has been allowed and enforced through all branches of our national, state and local governments; and Whereas the lingering effect of this history causes harm and pain to people of color and limits the quality and dignity of everyone's life; and Whereas we believe that an honest acknowledgment of our racial history and open dialogue can lead to racial healing and reconciliation and free all to move constructively into a better future, where everyone takes personal responsibility for change by examining and changing personal attitudes that perpetuate structural, economic and racial separation; now, therefore, Be It Resolved by the Eugene City Council: That we, the members of the Eugene City Council, recognize Oregon's and Eugene's past history of discrimination, acknowledge people of all races and ethnic backgrounds who have worked for positive change, celebrate the progress made and encourage participation in honest interracial dialogue essential to positive social change; and be it further Resolved, that we, the members of the Eugene City Council, resolve to increase public awareness of racial discrimination, to implement the City's commitments in the 2001 Memorandum of Understanding Establishing the Diversity and Human Rights Consortium, extend the work of the Eugene Human Rights Commission and work toward the full participation of people of color in all aspects of life in this community, and be it further Resolved, that we, the members of the Eugene City Council declare December 10, 2002, International Human Rights Day, as a Day of Acknowledgment to provide focus for planning constructive dialogues and actions as we work toward a future of racial equality. Dated this day of _, 200_.