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HomeMy WebLinkAboutEquityDiversity 2014-05-01 Minutes EQUITY AND DIVERSITY MEETING MINUTES May 1, 2014 Present: Joan Hernandez, Aaron Draganov, Mary Hulvey , Nate Robinson, Kathy Hougardy Absent: Kathleen Gantz, Charlie Penor Guest: Barbara McMichaels, SOCO Culture Staff: Joyce Trantina Meeting was called to order at 5: 15 p.m. Barbara McMichaels provided an overview of OCO Culture, which brings arts and heritage communities and organizations throughout South King County together, since most are focused th on their own communities. One of t he big events coming up is the 150 year Military road 150 anniversary celebration. On May 22/23, a play will be presented at Foster High School, written and presented by students. The kids have done the research and written the play about the history o f Military Road. She also advised the Commissioners that if E/D Commission has events in the community, we are welcome to post them on SOCOCulture’s event calendar. Their Board of Directors is also th looking for someone to represent the 9 District. Appli cants should have expertise in finance/heritage or history/public affairs, and they would prefer applicants that represent diverse groups. The Board meetings are held once a month, and Commissioners can forward any recommendations to Barbara. Commissioner s felt it might be good to have a couple of students come to a future City Council meeting and invite the Mayor and Councilmembers to attend the upcoming play. OLD BUSINESS The Commissioners welcomed Kathy Hougardy to the Commission. Her term will expire July 31, 2015. The February 6 and April 3 Meeting Minutes were reviewed and approved (motion by Joan Hernandez, seconded by Aaron Draganov). There was no meeting in March since Commissioners participated in the March 6 Community Conversation, in lieu of a March meeting. Equity and Diversity Minutes May 1, 2014 Page 2 NEW BUSINESS Commissioners reviewed an application from Thung Ung who has applied for one of the open positions on the Commission. He would be willing to close his restaurant early once a month to attend meetings and is very interested in giving back to the community. Mary Hulvey moved to forward his application through the acceptance process, Nate seconded the motion – unanimous approval. Joyce will contact Mr. Ung and let him know that w e are recommending he be appointed to the Commission. She will work with Cheryl to move his application through the process, and we will extend an invitation to Mr. Ung to attend upcoming meetings, ir r ega r dless of where we are in the appointment process. Nate shared that the Teens for Tukwila group have made a connection with Imagine Scholars. The group provides support to students in South Africa. Our own teens are looking for opportunities to connect with the group, and a book drive this fall might be a way for the E/D Commission and Teens for Tukwila to work together on a project that would encourage reading. After discussion, the Commissioners felt it might be beneficial to either a) designate a percentage of the books to the Imagine Scholars, and th e rest to local students or b) designate the secondary level books to Imagine Scholars, and donate the elementary level books to local Tukwila students. In either case, the Commission would welcome an opportunity to collaborate with Teens for Tukwila. If the project gains momentum, it will likely be later this fall. The group talked further about general financial support for Imagine Scholars. The Southcenter Rotary has been supporting one of the students at a cost of $100/month, but after August, this f unding may be at risk, and Kathy wondered if the Commission would be interested in providing one month of coverage. Comm issioners were asked to think further about this. Joyce shared the new, revised Board/Commission Handbook, and Commissioners signed a Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statement. The originals are maintained by the Mayor ’ s office. Jo yce also advised the Commissioners that two refugee students have been recommended for the City’s first city of Opportunity Scholarships. It is expected that city Council will approve these recommendations at the May 5, 2014 City Co u ncil meeting. Equity and Diversity Minutes May 1, 2014 Page 3 The group discussed the Cultural and Heritage event – we have had a table in the past, and we could invite people to step up and tell their story. It’s possible the Historical Society would partner with us, and we could have a camera set up. Meeting adjourned at 7:15 p.m. NE XT MEETING – JUNE 5, 2014