HomeMy WebLinkAboutEquityDiversity 2016-10-06 MinutesEQUITY AND DIVERSITY MEETING MINUTES
October 6, 2016
Present: Joan Hernandez, Nate Robinson, Kathy Hougardy, Aaron Draganov, Thong Ung,
Absent: None
Staff: Rachel Bianchi
Guests: Nancy Coogan, Dat Tran
Meeting was called to order at 5:25 p.m.
OLD BUSINESS
Minutes from the June 2, 2016 meeting were approved as written. Moved by Kathy Hougardy,
seconded by Joan Hernandez.
UNANIMOUS APPROVAL
New Appointments /Appointments
Sitting members of the committee reviewed the appointment of Nancy Coogan to position #5,
Dat Tran to position #9 and the reappointment of Thong Ung to position #6. There was
unanimous approval to forward these individuals on to the Mayor for final recommendation
and confirmation by the council. Sitting members of the committee feel very fortunate to have
such quality individuals who want to serve on this committee.
Municipal Code Update
The committee reviewed proposed changes to the Tukwila Municipal Code that pertain to the
Equity and Diversity Committee. The Committee had discussion on the various proposed
changes, including changing the name to the Equity and Social Justice Commission, adding a
sub - committee called the Sister Cities and Civic Awareness Committee, including a student
representative and other largely housekeeping proposed changes. There was unanimous
support for the changes outlined in the document. It is expected these changes will go before
Council in the first quarter, along with changes to all of the boards and commissions code.
Equity and Diversity
October 6, 2016
Page 2
Brainstorming for 2017 Work Plan
The group discussed potential work for the Commission in 2017, including whether there was
interest in developing a broader city -wide initiative similar to what other local jurisdictions have
done. Examples shared were the Race and Social Justice Initiative in Seattle and King County's
Equity and Social Justice effort. While there was some interest in a similar effort, there was
concern about the Commission's role vs the Administration, the amount of work involved and
the actual scope. The Commission agreed to give the idea some thought and discuss it further
in a subsequent meeting.
Anti -Hate Resolution
Kathy Hougardy brought, at the request of other councilmembers, a draft anti -hate resolution
focused on providing solidarity with the Muslim community. Commission members were
concerned about the language in the document, specifically that it lacks inclusivity, used
inflammatory language, creates an idea of us vs them, racist language in the document and has
a variety of unintended consequences. While the commission was unanimous in the thought
that the intention was good, the resolution itself is significantly flawed. The Commission
agreed to not move forward with a recommendation on the resolution.
Meeting adjourned at 6:30.
NEXT MEETING — November 3, 2016