HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014.04.29 PacketMINUTES
OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE
HUMAN RIGHTS & RELATIONS COMMISSION
March 25, 2014
7:00 P.M.
I. CALL TO ORDER
Chair Seidman called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM.
II. ROLL CALL
Answering roll call were Commissioners Arsenault, Bigbee, Cashmore, Carter, Davis, Haeg,
Harrington, Sanders, and Seidman. Staff present: MJ Lamon, Staff Liaison, and Annie Coyle,
City Management Fellow.
III. APPROVAL OF MEETING AGENDA
Motion was made by Commissioner Arseneault to approve the meeting agenda of the
March 25, 2014. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Davis.
Motion carried.
IV. ADOPTION OF MEETING MINUTES
Motion was made by Commissioner Arseneault to approve the Regular Meeting Minutes of
February 25, 2014; the motion was seconded by Commissioner Davis.
Motion carried.
V. COMMUNITY COMMENT
None.
VI. SPECIAL GUEST: Jennifer Bennerotte and Krystal Caron, Communications Department
Chair Seidman introduced Jennifer Bennerotte and Krystal Caron from the Communications
Department. Bennerotte provided an overview of available communication tools to assist
Boards and Commissions. Multiple handouts were passed out to Commissioners and are
included in the commission meeting record. Krystal Caron will be providing most of the
support for the commission's communication requests. Commissioners should work directly
with Staff Liaison Lamon for all communications needs, including event planning and
promotion. Communications staff is available to print and hang event flyers around town
for $49.00. Any communications services that are not part of the communications work plan
will be billed back to the commission.
VII. REPORTS/RECOMMENDATIONS
A. Bylaw Review/Conflict of Interest/Communications
City Manager Scott Neal gave a PowerPoint presentation and covered information about
city government and structure, duties of the HRRC, commission protocol, public meeting
laws, and public meeting ethics. Edina is a Plan B Council -Manager city. The Council
body may request action or provide direction to the HRRC, however, the HRRC does not
take direction from a single member of Council. The HRRC must get Council approval to
amend its workplan. Duties of the HRRC are outlined in the City Code. The City is
currently working to determine how to implement electronic presence for official
meetings. Working Group and Committees cannot have a quorum of the whole HRRC in
attendance. Those groups are not staffed. Commissioners should not send group emails
to each other, instead all emails should be sent via the staff liaison. Replying all to
emails and corresponding with a group of commissioners via email may violate the Open
Meeting Law. Individual commissioners may not speak on behalf of the HRRC without
consent of the group. This is especially important with written correspondence. Staff
Liaison Lamon passed out HRRC bylaws, information about Parliamentary Procedure and
the Code of Ethics.
B. Welcome New Members
Chair Seidman asked the Commissioners to quickly introduce themselves and their
passions. Staff Liaison Lamon captured commissioner passion information.
C. General Work Plan Updates
Community Outreach Working Group
Commissioners Bigbee and Davis provided a written report to the Commission.
Commissioner Bigbee reported that the training completed with the Advocates
for Human Rights was used hundreds of times last year. Edina is the first
community to take on this initiative separate from the One Voice Minnesota
report. Bigbee has been invited to speak at the Advocates press conference at
the State Building. He will find out more information from the Advocates and
work with Communications staff to prepare, if appropriate. The Working Group
will continue to meet and determine next steps to engage more people,
including members of the different faith communities, business community, and
school district. The Working Group will provide an update at the April meeting.
ii. Days of Remembrance
Chair Seidman reported that links for the public service announcements and
information was sent to the Commission. She invited all commissioners to
attend.
Staff Liaison Lamon provided copies of the event flyers for commissioners to
take and hang up around town.
D. Shared Board/Commission Blog
Staff Liaison Lamon reported that the commission needs to decide if HRRC will
participate in the shared blog, as well as which commissioner would be responsible for
ensuring content when it's HRRC turn.
Commissioner Arseneault moved to appoint Commissioner Carter as the HRRC
representative for the shared blog; motion was seconded by Commissioner Davis.
Motion carried.
E. Review subcommittee/ working groups/liaisons standing positions
Management Fellow Coyle and Staff Liaison Lamon reported that the commission needs
to have a record of which commissioners are serving on boards or groups outside of
HRRC, and what the group does, term, and how appointment happens. Staff passed out
an updated document, but there is still missing information. Commissioners were asked
to provide information about groups that they know of, or serve on, to Lamon before
the next meeting.
Chair Seidman reminded commissioners to be thinking of which new members they can
train/orientate to the groups before their terms expire.
VIII. CORRESPONDENCE AND PETITIONS
Included in the packet.
IX. CHAIR, COMMISSION MEMBER, AND STUDENT COMMENTS
i. Chair Seidman reported that she went to Taste of Southview and was able to
learn a great deal and taste a variety of foods. She also attended Energy and
Environment Commission (EEC) which also has an Outreach Working Group.
They are showing a movie about bees next week. Commissioner Davis reported
that EEC is showing a movie monthly.
ii. Commissioner Arseneault attended the Outreach Working Group Training
Session and was impressed by the trainer.
iii. Commissioner Harrington reported that Edina HS Gay/Straight Alliance (GSA) is
talking with Southview GSA about working together, and potentially helping
Valley View create a GSA Group.
iv. Commissioner Haeg reported that she was part of a survey to decide if the
schools should remodel how grades are structured.
X. STAFF COMMENTS
i. The HRRC April meeting will be immediately following the Annual Volunteer
Awards Reception April 29 at 7:15pm at Braemar Clubhouse. Staff passed
around a sign up to attend the Volunteer Reception where the Tom Oye Award
will be presented.
ii. Staff was presented with an anti -bullying proposal by a member of the
community. Bob Haben created 'Be Better Today', an anti -bullying initiative
targeted for the schools. The commission has already completed its anti -bullying
initiative workplan for 2014. Commissioners suggested that he present his
initiative to the school district.
iii. A Human Rights City proposal was included as part of correspondence in the
packet. Staff and Chair Seidman met with Jessie Wyatt and learned that Edina
meets all UN criteria to become a UN recognized Human Rights City. Staff will
do some additional research and report back to the Commission in May.
iv. Mayor's Award Nominations are open and Commissioners are invited to submit
nominations. Staff has nomination forms available.
v. A draft HRRC 2014 roster was provided to commissioners. Commissioners are
only required to have one public means of contact, either phone or email.
Commissioners can choose to provide both.
vi. Staff Liaison Lamon provided a handout on Google Groups, which is an
information sharing platform for the group. All HRRC Commissioners are already
enrolled in the group and will automatically receive all posts. If commissioners
want to see the history of the account, they need to sign in.
vii. Although there are no recent updates to the Resource File, staff reminded
commissioners that the file is located in their office and that Commissioners
submit articles and pieces of information they think other commissioners may
be interested in reading. Commissioners can contact either Coyle or Lamon to
come to City Hall and see the files.
XI. ADJOURNMENT
Commissioner Davis moved adjournment; seconded by Commissioner Bigbee. Chair
Seidman declared the meeting adjourned at 9:2013M.
Respectfully submitted,
M1 Lamon, HRRC Staff Liaison
Minutes approved by HRRC April 29, 2014
Jan Seidman, HRRC Chair
To: HRRC
From: MJ Lamon Staff Liaison
Date: April 29, 2014
Subject: Approval of Meeting Agenda
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Agenda Item #: Ill.
Action M
Discussion ❑
Information ❑
Action Requested:
Approve the meeting agenda for the April 29, 2014 regular meeting of the Human Rights
and Relations Commission.
Information / Background:
Attachment:
Meeting Agenda; 2014 Schedule
City of Edina • 4801 W. 501h St. • Edina, MN 55424 1
AGENDA
CITY OF EDINA, MINNESOTA
HUMAN RIGHTS & RELATIONS COMMISSION
Braemar Clubhouse Harry Cooper Lounge
APRIL 29, 2014
7:15 P.M.
CALL TO ORDER
II. ROLL CALL
III. APPROVAL OF MEETING AGENDA
IV. APPROVAL OF March 25, 2014 REGULAR MEETING MINUTES
V. COMMUNITY COMMENT
During "Community Comment" the Human Rights & Relations Commission will invite residents to
share relevant issues or concerns. Individuals must limit their comments to three minutes. The
Chair may limit the number of speakers on the some issue in the interest of time and topic
Generally speaking, items that are elsewhere on tonight's agenda may not be addressed during
Community Comment Individuals should not expect the Chair or Commission Members to respond
to their comments tonight Instead, the Commission might refer the matter to staff for consideration
at a future meeting.
VI. REPORTS/RECOMMENDATIONS
A. 2014 Workplan Review
i. Community Conversations UPDATE (Bigbee/Davis: 10 mins)
1. Summary
2. Next Steps (Meeting dates, Marketing, etc)
3. Member Changes (motion required)
ii. Day of Remembrance/Genocide Awareness (Seidman: 5 mins)
1. Summary and Review
iii. Special Needs Awareness (Seidman: 3 mins)
1. Discussion/Motion
iv. Immigration Reform (Seidman/Arseneault: 3 mins)
1. Discussion/Motion
B. Prep for May 20 Council Work Session
i. Draft Agenda Review (Seidman: 10 mins)
VII. CORRESPONDENCE AND PETITIONS
VIII. CHAIR, COMMISSION MEMBER, AND STUDENT COMMENTS
A. Next Meeting May 27
i. Guest Speaker:
ii. Review identified subcommittee and working group responsibilities with
updated chart
iii. Event/Meeting Commission Report
IX. STAFF COMMENTS
X. ADJOURNMENT
The City of Edina wants all residents to be comfortable being part of the public process. If you need assistance in
the way of hearing amplification, an interpreter, large -print documents or something else, please call 952-927-
8861 at least 72 hours in advance of the meeting.
2
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oke HUMAN RIGHTS &
�0 RELATIONS COMMISSION
2014 Meetings and Events
Day
Tues
Date
Jan -28
Event
Meeting
Time
7:00 p.m.
Location
Community Room
Sat
Feb -8
Edina Reads
10:30 a.m.
Fireside Room (SeniorCenter)
Tues
Feb -25
Meeting
7:00 p.m.
Community Room
Thurs
Mar -13
:South View's 4th Annual Taste of
South View
6:30 p.m.
South View Middle School
Mone..
Mar -17
Boards and Commission Recognition
Event
` 5:00 P.M.
Hughes Pavillion
(Centennial Lakes)
Tues
Mar -25
Meeting
7:00 p.m.
Community Room
Tues
April -8
Days of Remembrance: Play
7:00 p.m.
Fireside Room (SeniorCenter)
Thurs
April -10
Genocide Awareness:
Rwanda/Congo
7:00 P.M.
City Hall
Sun
April -13
Holocaust Remembrance/Yom
HaShoah
2:00 p.m.
City Hall
Tues
April -29
Volunteer Recognition Reception and
HRRC Meeting
5:00 P.M.Braemar
Clubhouse
des
A941-22
meeting
Tues
May -20
Council Work Session
6:00pm
Community Room
Tues
May -27
Meeting
7:00 p.m.
Community Room
Tues
June -24
Meeting
7:00 p.m.
Community Room
Tues
July -22
Meeting
7:00 p.m.
Community Room
Tues
Aug -26
Meeting
7:00 p.m.
Community Room
Tues
Sept -23
Meeting
7:00 p.m.
Community Room
Tues
Oct -28
Meeting
7:00 p.m.
Community Room
Tues
Nov P5
T^le„
7LG�
0961 ,Gil Cha.,.,bpri-
Thurs
Dec 11
Televised Meeting
7:00 p.m.
Council Chambers
Tues
Dee 23
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To: HRRC
From: MJ Lamon Staff Liaison
Date: April 29, 2014
Subject: Adoption of Meeting Minutes
Agenda Item A. IV.
Action
Discussion ❑
Information ❑
Action Requested:
Approve the minutes for the March 24, 2014 meeting of the Human Rights and Relations
Commission.
Information / Background:
Attachment:
Draft meeting minutes from the March 24, 2014 HRRC meeting; Attendance Roster
City of Edina • 4801 W. 50th St. • Edina, MN 55424 3
Liaisons: Report attendance monthly and attach this report to the Commission minutes for the packet.
Do not enter numbers into the last two columns. Meeting numbers & attendance percentages will calculate automatically.
INSTRUCTIONS: Counted as Meeting Held (ON MEETINGS' LINE) Attendance Recorded (ON MEMBER'S LINE)
Regular Meeting w/Quorum Type "1" under the month on the meetings' line. Type "1" under the month for each attending member.
Regular Meeting w/o Quorum Type "l under the month on the meetings' line. Type "l under the month for each attending member.
Joint Work Session Type "l under "Work Session" on the meetings' line. Type "l under "Work Session" for each attending member.
Rescheduled Meeting*
Type "1" under the month on the meetings' line.
Type "1" under the month for each attending member.
Cancelled Meeting
Type "1" under the month on the meetings' line.
Type "1" under the month for ALL members.
Special Meeting
There is no number typed on the meetings' line.
There is no number typed on the members' lines.
*A rescheduled meeting occurs when members are notified of a new meeting date/time at a prior meeting. If shorter notice is
given, the previously -scheduled meeting is considered to have been cancelled and replaced with a special meeting.
To: HRRC
From: MJ Lamon Staff Liaison
Date: April 29, 2014
Subject: 2014 Workplan Review
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Agenda Item #: VI. A.
Action
Discussion M
Information M
Action Requested:
i. Motion for change in Community Outreach working group members.
Information / Background:
i. Community Conversations
I. Next Meeting Dates/ Participants Involved
2. Member Changes
3. Next Steps and Marketing
ii. Days of Remembrance/Genocide Awareness
I. Summary
iii. Special Needs Awareness
I. Discussion/Motion
iv. Immigration Reform
I. Discussion/Motion
Attachment:
Community convsersations summary. Days of Remembrance/Genocide Awareness summary.
City of Edina • 4801 W. 50th St. • Edina, MN 55424 8
Annie Coyle
From:
Arnold Bigbee <arniebl@me.com>
Sent:
Tuesday, April 22, 2014 3:22 PM
To:
Seidman Janet
Cc:
Arseneault Patrice; Annie Coyle; MJ Lamon; Davis Laura; Meehan Katie; Kruger Rick;
Rodgers Judith; Meagher Ann
Subject:
Community Conversations Workgroup Update
Jan,
This is the update from our group - and it is from Laura Davis and me, co-chairs of this group.
I have also sent along separately, three items:
1 notes from our Working Group meetings on March 28/29 2j notes from our Working Group meeting on April 10th.
3 a copy of my note to the Working Group regarding my falling behind schedule after our April 10th meeting.
Next steps:
*We will be using Doodle calendars to set our next meeting.
*We have scheduled the Helen Young Room at Southdale Library for our first Community Conversation from 6 - 9 pm on
Tuesday, May 13th.
*We are reviewing a draft of the "invitation" to join the first Community Conversation. This will be shared with the full
Commission when the Working Group members have shared their thoughts about it.
*We may need other Commission members, who attended the training offered by the Advocates in March, to provide
support at the time of the first Conversation .
*Budget support will be very modest to include water and perhaps tea/coffee and some sweet treats.
As we refine our plans for contacts and target groups to invite, we will work with the City communications staff for
guidance.
Our collective sense at this point is that we will have a wealth of ideas about how to proceed after we complete our first
Community Conversation.
Laura and I will answer any questions at the April 29th meeting.
Arnie Bigbee
arniebl@me.com
612 804 4660
EHRRC Community Outreach Working Group
Next meeting will be
5:45 - 7:00 pm, Thursday April 10th, City Hall (just
prior to the 7:00 pm Days of Remembrance event).
Draft notes consolidated from meetings of March 28
and 29
Our group met in two sections to keep our conversation and momentum of
the recent training moving forward.
Arnie, Judith and Katie on 3/28
Arnie and Rick on 3/29
(Laura was unable to meet at either of these times)
The consensus of our conversations was that there are several activities
we need to undertake, including:
• Recruiting a diverse group of volunteers
• Recruiting a diverse group of community participants. With 5 of us active
on the Working Group, we believe it will be good to add 2-3 more
members to our group.
• Training additional volunteers as needed (not an immediate priority)
• Move ahead with activities so we are able to schedule the first community
listening session in May of 2014, with attention to day of week, location,
time of day, etc. We are especially sensitive to location (public, easily
accessible). In some cases, transportation will need to be arranged.
• Crafting invitations that reach intended audiences using whatever
mechanisms that give us the best access to invitees and which request a
reservation.
• We need to begin devising some criteria or measures which help us
determine if we are achieving our goals through this activity.
Draft 3/31/14
10
HRRC Working Group
Meeting Notes (Draft)
April 10, 2014
Present: Judith Rodgers, Katie Meehan, Laura Davis, Arnie Bigbee
Absent: Rick Kruger, Ann Meagher
We reaffirmed that we want to have the first "Community
Conversation" in May of 2014.
Arnie will determine the availability of a meeting room at the
Southdale Public Library for the dates of May 13, 15, 20 or 22 for two
hours between 6:30 and 9:00 pm.
Katie has drafted an "invitation" which she will circulate via email for
suggestions from other working group members by 4/12. We expect
to have the Invitation finalized by 4/18.
Final Invitation will be shared with Ric Dressen as a way to request
partnership with the School District and to request direction about
how best to circulate the Invitation to students and family members.
We identified the following groups/organizations with which we could
communicate to encourage community member participation: (we still
need volunteers to contact some of these to learn how we can work
with them to get the word out about our community conversations
events)
• Edina Welcome Center
• ESL/ELL teachers and volunteers in schools and libraries
• Edina Resource Center
• Saturday School (Laura)
• Edina Community Education
• Southdale Hospital ER
• Fire Dept (Arnie)
• Police Dept (Arnie)
• Richfield Schools (Arnie)
• Park and Rec Dept (Arnie)
• Hopkins Schools (Arnie)
IE
•YMCA
• Public Library
• Edina Senior Center (Katie)
Arnie will work with Edina support staff to get our working group set
up with a Google Docs site for our use.
We will want to continue to push our meeting schedule as
aggressively as possible so we can have one Community
Conversation event before schools adjourn for the summer.
Arnie will send out a Doodle Calendar to see if we can set another
meeting to occur by April 18th.
4/10/14
12
Days of Remembrance and Genocide Awareness 2014
City of Edina - April 8, 10 and 13. To mark National Days of Remembrance and Genocide Awareness month,
the Edina Human Rights and Relations Commission in partnership with World Without Genocide hosted a
series of human rights events in April to remember the victims and honor the survivors and liberators of the
Holocaust during WWII and other genocides around the world.
Why the City of Edina and Edina Human Rights and Relations hosts these events:
• In 2007, Edina became the third City in the country to pass anti -genocide legislation.
• In 2012, Edina supported a resolution against using "conflict minerals" from the Congo.
• In 2012, the City of Edina approved a proclamation indicating the City of Edina would annually
acknowledge National Days of Remembrance (to coincide within the month of the National Holocaust
Museum's observation). We encourage our community members to continue to reflect on the need for
respect for all people.
In 2013, Governor Dayton signed into law a bill that designated every April to be Genocide Awareness and
Prevention Month. The bill encourages organizations to sponsor events in April to educate the public and
to remember those whose lives and cultures have changed forever.
EHRRC April Human Rights Events
The first part of the series on April 8, included two interactive play: 1)"Upstanders: Ten who Dared". This play
describes individuals from around the world who stood up to genocide: including rescuer Oskar Schindler
during the Holocaust, Betty Bigombe from Uganda and, General Romeo Dallaire, commander of the United
Nations troops in Rwanda during the genocide; 2) "the Line" - the story of Sophie Scholl, a young German who
was influential in White Rose, a youth resistance movement during WWII. Also included in the evening was
resistance music from the holocaust and a candle that was lit to honor victims of genocide around the world.
The second part of the human rights events on Thursday, April 8 featured Dr. Ellen Kennedy. Twenty years
ago, more than 800,000 people were killed in a genocide that lasted only a hundred days. Ellen discussed the
Rwandan genocide on its 20th anniversary and spoke about current situations in Congo. The event also
included a guest appearance from a native of Congo who presented a poem about her experiences both in
Congo and here in Minnesota.
The third part of the series on Sunday, April 13 featured guest speaker Fred Amram, retired emeritus
professor from University of Minnesota and holocaust survivor. Fred spoke about the atrocities of the
Holocaust during WWII and other genocides around the world: Darfur, Congo, Rwanda, North Korea. He
brought to life the stories of the Holocaust and genocide victims, heroes and liberators and the impact of the
Holocaust on his family. During his presentation, Fred also explained the difference of Upstander vs.
Bystanders and the effects of bystanders throughout history.
Attendance and Marketing:
• Over 100 people attended the Days of Remembrance and Genocide Awareness events. In the audience
were both survivors and liberators of genocide events.
• Edina Human Rights and Relations Commission partnered with World Without Genocide.
• Starbuck's at Edina Galleria donated coffee urns, cups and accessories for all three events.
• Jerry's In Edina donated cookies for all events.
• Mayor Hovland spoke at two of the events, opening and closing our human rights April series.
• With Annie and MJ's support, we worked with Jennifer Bennerotte and her staff, Krystal Caron, Scott
Denfeld and Dietrich Nissen to market the events using several types of media:
13
1. Posters were designed and posted throughout Edina, e.g. coffee shops and libraries.
2. Teachers in Edina High School and Valley View Middle school were approached and offered to put
posters up in their classrooms and offer extra credit for showing up at our events.
3. Programs and agendas were designed by our communications department and provided during the
day of the events.
4. A PSA announcement describing the Days of Remembrance and Genocide Awareness events was
videotaped, with Commissioners Seidman and Winnick — which showed throughout the month of April
5. A WWII veteran and liberator, Gene Sylvestre was videotaped and shown on Channel 16
6. Five Holocaust survivor videos are showing on Channel 16 throughout the month of April
7. On our April 13 event, several Holocaust survivors were interviewed. Our goal is to put together a
video of their stories for posterity. The most recent event has already appeared on Channel 16.
8. Marketing of our events were posted on: Edina's Facebook; written up in "Edina" magazine and "About
Town" as well as in the Sun Current.
14
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item#: VI. B.
Action ❑
Discussion
iformation ❑
AGENDA
CITY OF EDINA, MINNESOTA
HUMAN RIGHTS & RELATIONS COMMISSION
City Council Work Session, City Hall, Community Room
MAY 20, 2014 6:00 P.M.
1. HRRC INTRODUCTION (Seidman)
II. AGENDA PRESENTATION/WORKPLAN REVIEW (Seidman)
A. Quasquicentennial (Seidman)
B. Immigration Reform (Arseneault)
C. Special Needs Awareness (?)
D. Anti — Bullying at Edina Library/Nancy Carlson (Seidman)
E. Days of Remembrance/Genocide Awareness Events (Seidman)
F. Tom Oye Award and PSA announcement with Gene Sylvestre (Winnick)
G. Bias Offense Response Plan (Seidman)
H. Community Conversations (Bigbee/Davis)
III. ADJOURNMENT
16
Human Rights and Relations Commission (HRRC)
2014 Annual Work Plan
UPDATED April 28, 2014
Anti -bullying event and/or education — Edina Reads By 2na Quarter 2014 $800 Video, publicity and
communications.
Progress Report: Bully Prevention Event with Children's Book Author Nancy Carlson - Feb 8, 2014 at Edina Senior Center
Autographed copies of Nancy's book, "Henry and the Bully" were given to guests. Approximately 60 guests attended the Edina
Reads Event.
Support2014 New Initiative Target Completion Budget Staff
Date Required Approval
Community Outreach- Developing cross 9/30/14 $500 Admin support and
organizational partnerships to gain an communication.
understanding of community needs related to
census demographic changes.
Conduct Community Listening Sessions
Reach out to those that live and work in Edina,
including Somali, Hispanic, African-American, and
South Asian populations.
Potential Partners- Edina Resource Center, Edina
Police, Somali and Asian Community leaders.
Progress Report:
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Human Rights and Relations Commission (HRRC)
2014 Annual Work Plan
Proposed Month for Joint Work Session:
Staff Comments:
Council ents:
StarTribune - Print Page
* StarTribune
Columbus? It's 'Indigenous People's Day'
in Mpls.
Article by: Eric Roper
Star Tribune
April 26, 2014 - 1:23 PM
Columbus Day brings up bad childhood memories for Sandi
Mason, an American Indian woman who recalls classmates calling
her Pocahontas and squaw at her Minneapolis school.
"It wasn't a good day for us; she said Friday at Minneapolis City
Hall. "We got teased."
But future generations may have a different vision of the second
Monday in October, following a City Council vote Friday to
recognize Indigenous People's Day on what is now Columbus Day.
The city will still recognize Columbus Day for legal purposes, but
the new holiday will be reflected on all official city communications
— such as the city calendar and website.
The thump of traditional drumming rang through the halls as
hundreds of activists gathered to commemorate the change. About
7,600 residents of Minneapolis — or 2 percent of the population —
are American Indian, according to the 2010 census.
"It's been a long time coming," said Clyde Bellecourt, a civil rights
organizer. "For me, it's been almost 50 years that we've been
talking about this pirate."
The action may have sparked a statewide and national movement.
And similar action is happening elsewhere. The Red Wing City
Council is slated to vote next week on a resolution to redesignate
the holiday as First Peoples Day.
State Rep. Susan Allen, the first American Indian woman elected
to the Legislature, and U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison expressed interest
Friday in recognizing another holiday on Columbus Day at the
state and federal level.
The celebration of Columbus Day has long been a raw issue for
Native Americans, who point to the explorers violence toward
indigenous people upon arrival in the New World. Plus, some note,
Columbus never reached the mainland of North America. It has
been a federal holiday since 1934.
"It's difficult to imagine, If you are from a mainstream experience,
how to it feels to sit in a classroom and be told, 'Oh yeah, well
there was this darkness. Then Columbus came. Then there was
light,'" Ellison said. "How dehumanizing it is to feel that way."
Ellison said his interest in changing the federal holiday was piqued
by someone who asked him about it at the City Hall gathering. "I
said, 'That's an idea,'" Ellison said in an interview. "So we're going
to be thinking about it now."
'Setting the record straight'
Bellecourt recalled Friday that his brother, Vernon Bellecourt,
threw a pint of his own blood on a replica of Columbus' ship NifSa
at the St. Paul science museum in 1992. "He did that for all the
blood that was drained from our community and our nation across
the western hemisphere," Clyde Bellecourt said.
The Ringing Shield Drum circle sang before the Minneapolis
City Council unanimously voted to recognize Indigenous
People's Day At left. Mary Delorie and others wiped away
tears during the prayer. The final resolution does not rename
Columbus Day, but rather recognizes Indigenous People's
Day on the same date.
COURTNEY PERRY.
Clyde BelleCOLIft held a condor feather while praying before
the Minneapolis City Council voted Friday.
Courtney Perry • Special to the Star Tribune,
Mary Delorie and others wiped away tears during a prayer led
by Clyde Bellecourt before the Minneapolis City Council
unanimously voted Friday to call what has been known as
Columbus Day "Indigenous People's Day'
Allen, speaking to the gathering of activists, thanked everyone Courtney Perry.
'who year after year have protested the celebration of Columbus'
legacy of enslavement and massacre."
New council member Alondra Canto introduced the change, with support from the Native American Community Development
Institute.
"This is not necessarily about Columbus. He is not the center of our existence," she told a gathering before the vote. "This is
about the power of the American Indian people and indigenous communities all over the world. We are setting the record
straight.-
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Cano added that the initiative was merely a first step toward ensuring more Native Americans own homes, practice urban
agriculture and succeed in academics. "There is so much work to do," she said.
The final resolution was scaled back from another version earlier in the week, which stated that the city should rename
Columbus Day itself. The final resolution does not rename Columbus Day, but rather recognizes Indigenous People's Day on
the same date. Several city ordinances and collective bargaining agreements still reference Columbus Day, said city attorney
Susan Segal.
The council vote, which fell one day after Mayor Betsy Hodges held her first state of the city address at the Minneapolis
American Indian Center, was unanimous.
"I represent people that have Italian history. They're somewhat offended by this change, this recognition; said Council
President Barbara Johnson. "But I think it's about all of us moving forward, understanding the strength that we have because
of all the different groups that have impacted this community, both long ago and today — ongoing."
Minneapolis isn't the first city to recognize Indigenous People's Day. The city of Berkeley, Calif., has celebrated Indigenous
People's Day since 1992- Several states also do not recognize Columbus Day.
Eric Roper " 612-673-1732
Twitter. @StribRoper
® 2014 Star Tribune
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