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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06/09/2022 REAC MEETING MINUTESBremerton Race Equity Advisory Committee – Meeting Minutes Thursday, June 9th, 2022, 6:00 p.m. (Notetaker: Airen Lydick) Learn more at https://www.bremertonwa.gov/1232/Race-Equity-Advisory-Committee-REAC REAC meetings are held on the second Thursday of each month, via Zoom. Next REAC meeting: Thursday, July 14th, 2022, 6:00 p.m. SERVING THIS MEETING Tech Host: Quinn Tech Co-host: N/A Facilitator(s): Quinn Land Acknowledgement Reader: Sarah Timekeeper: Jennifer Notetaker: Airen OUR PURPOSE o To advise the City Council, by applying a race equity analysis to all aspects of governance; and o To maintain engagement with and accountability to other work being done throughout the Bremerton Community in service of Race Equity. OUR VISION Bremerton Race Equity Advisory Committee envisions a City that: o Strives to continually dismantle its own institutional racism, within policies, programs, budgets, initiatives, legislation, systems, and infrastructure. o Amplifies and joins racially, culturally, and socially integrated community endeavors toward equity, well-being, and liberation for all; and o Aspires to model for the nation a City in which people of different races, ethnicities, and backgrounds can interact, form friendships, and participate fully in the community’s political, economic, educational, cultural, and civic endeavors. REAC Members Attending: Darryl Riley, Glenna Matteson, Sarah van Gelder, Airen Lydick, Quinn Dennehy, Jennifer Chamberlin, and Anna Mockler REAC Members Absent: none 1. Welcome & Introductions a. The meeting was called to order at 6:01 p.m. by Quinn Dennehy b. Sarah Van Gelder read the Suquamish Tribe’s Land Acknowledgement Statement. c. Quinn Dennehy read the Purpose of Bremerton REAC. d. Jennifer Chamberlin read the Vision of Bremerton REAC. e. Bremerton REAC members introduced themselves. 2. Approval of Meeting Agenda a. The 2022.06.09 meeting agenda was approved with one addition to New Business from Airen: discussing the possibility of asking Bainbridge Island Race Equity Advisory Committee if we could join them at the outreach booth at Juneteenth Freedom Festival, since we didn’t get registered for a booth ourselves. 3. Approval of Meeting Minutes a. March 20th, 2022 Bremerton REAC meeting minutes - Anna Mockler moved to approve as drafted. Jennifer Chamberlin seconded. The minutes were unanimously approved. b. May 12th, 2022 Bremerton REAC meeting minutes - Anna Mockler moved to approve as drafted. Jennifer Chamberlin seconded. The minutes were unanimously approved. 4. Update on Bremerton City Council’s Activities a. Action Items Follow-up: ▪ Presentation of our March 8th “Community Conversation,” and Bremerton REAC’s debrief and recap of it, to the June 8th City Council Study Session - Quinn presented the summary. Bremerton Race Equity Advisory Committee – Meeting Minutes Thursday, June 9th, 2022, 6:00 p.m. (Notetaker: Airen Lydick) Learn more at https://www.bremertonwa.gov/1232/Race-Equity-Advisory-Committee-REAC REAC meetings are held on the second Thursday of each month, via Zoom. Next REAC meeting: Thursday, July 14th, 2022, 6:00 p.m. - Quinn says he will advocate during the June 11th Bremerton City Council retreat for the race equity analysis priorities Bremerton REAC identified after our debrief of the “Community Conversation.” - Quinn reports that we will be able to get “in front of City Council” by getting on Study Session agendas, usually with at least a month’s notice. - Sarah suggested a Study Session agenda item: presentation from REAC on getting the most out of GARE membership. ▪ The City Council members on Bremerton REAC can now begin accessing GARE and checking out the resources. ▪ ACTION ITEM: Quinn will tell City IT that community members on Bremerton REAC still have not been issued City email addresses in order to access the GARE portal. ▪ ACTION ITEM: Quinn will put this Bremerton REAC presentation (how to best make use GARE) on the Wednesday, July 27th City Council Study Session agenda. ▪ ACTION ITEM: Airen, Glenna, and Darryl will prepare this presentation for the July 27th Study Session. - Airen suggested getting on a City Council Study Session agenda a presentation from Bremerton REAC about the importance of funding underrepresented and underserved communities (a priority of our March 8th “Community Conversation.”), possibly at the Wednesday, August 24th City Council Study Session. ▪ ACTION ITEM: Quinn will find out if we could be on one Study Session agendas each month. ▪ ACTION ITEM: Quinn will find out how our advice on anything related to the 2023 budget might fit into the Finance Committee’s timeline of the budgeting process. ▪ Darryl raised the importance of compensating subject matter experts from our community, when it comes to the intersection of advising/educating Council and funding the underrepresented/underserved. ▪ Jennifer noted Study Sessions are designed to discuss action items, advised to craft our input in that way. ▪ ACTION ITEM: Darryl asked Jennifer to tell City Council to have an authentic discussion with the Mayor about how to partner with City Council on advancing race equity, and on interacting with REAC. Quinn will follow up on this by making sure Council President Goodnow and Mayor Wheeler are working on this now. ▪ ACTION ITEM: Glenna mentioned that we might want to request Lucretia Robinson share with us the lessons learned from the institutional equity work she is leading within Kitsap Regional Library. Anna will reach out and ask Lucretia is she’s willing and able to talk with her. ▪ Status of Outreach for Filling the Three (3) Bremerton REAC Vacancies - We have three applicants who are still interested. Bremerton Race Equity Advisory Committee – Meeting Minutes Thursday, June 9th, 2022, 6:00 p.m. (Notetaker: Airen Lydick) Learn more at https://www.bremertonwa.gov/1232/Race-Equity-Advisory-Committee-REAC REAC meetings are held on the second Thursday of each month, via Zoom. Next REAC meeting: Thursday, July 14th, 2022, 6:00 p.m. - Applicant Leiyomi Preciado (she/they) was in attendance. She introduced herself and was interviewed by Bremerton REAC. - Interview questions: ▪ What’s your vision for what this committee should be? Leiyomi’s answer focused on how intersectionality (experientially and analytically) guides her work, on keeping the work honest and not conflict-avoidant. We can’t just talk and make plans that we don’t put into action. We need to take action to make change. ▪ What challenges do you think you’ll face on REAC? Answer focused on how, as a Person of Color, often not being respected or taken seriously, and being targeted with microaggressions. ▪ What does it mean for you to have a commitment to race equity? How have you demonstrated it and how would you demonstrate it here? Answer focused on the work they have done under the radar, not for notoriety of glory. They shared about the educational, advocacy, and skills-building work they have done in community. Doing this work is a chance to give back to community and to use privilege for positive impact too. - ACTION ITEMS: Quinn will reach out to the two remaining interested applicants to see if he can arrange interviews between now and our regular July REAC meeting. He will also reach out to get Bremerton REAC members scheduled for those interviews. - Sarah asked if we are actually empowered to select applicants to fill roles. Quinn answered that yes, we can. 5. REAC Purpose, Structure, and City Attorney’s Memo a. Options for Committee relating to Structure i. ACTION ITEM: Read the memo from City Attorney that Quinn forwarded. If you have questions about the memo that you want the City Attorney to answer, send your questions to Quinn (City.Council@ci.bremerton.wa.us and include Quinn’s name in your subject line). He will put them into one document and submit them to City Attorney’s office, who will respond in another memo and who will attend our regular July 14th Bremerton REAC meeting. 1. ACTION ITEM: Sarah highlighted some items from the memo that might be of particular importance, which are: a. the purpose of the committee b. the member selection and removal processes c. the term of member appointments d. staff support for the committee. 2. Quinn noted that our ultimate goal is to craft the best recommendation to City Council in terms of how to codify Bremerton REAC. We want to make sure we’re not easily dissolved. Bremerton Race Equity Advisory Committee – Meeting Minutes Thursday, June 9th, 2022, 6:00 p.m. (Notetaker: Airen Lydick) Learn more at https://www.bremertonwa.gov/1232/Race-Equity-Advisory-Committee-REAC REAC meetings are held on the second Thursday of each month, via Zoom. Next REAC meeting: Thursday, July 14th, 2022, 6:00 p.m. b. Questions & Comments regarding OPMA i. Can we meet and discuss things between meetings? Yes, but only among a maximum of three people. No more people can be pulled into a discussion, and no additionally people can be contacted individually about what the up-to-three discussed. So, for example, any of our Working Teams can meet and make plans, as long as there are no more than three people on the Team and those people are not talking with any other REAC members about their work (until they are at a regular monthly REAC meeting). c. What should be included in REAC’s Work Plan? What are REAC’s Priorities? i. ACTION ITEM: This was not discussed. Quinn suggested tabling this item to a future meeting, likely the August regular Bremerton REAC meeting, given that City Attorney is visiting our July regular Bremerton REAC meeting. 6. Working Team Reports - No Reports Tonight a. CHANGE THE POWER working team b. EDUCATE & COMMUNICATE working team c. BUSINESS & NEW ECONOMY working team 7. Old Business - None Tonight 8. New Business a. Juneteenth Freedom Festival (Saturday, June 18th, 11 am - 3 pm in Evergreen Park) i. ACTION ITEM: We missed the deadline to get a booth. Airen will reach out to Bainbridge Island REAC to see if they’d be willing to have us join them at and share their booth. Quinn’s willing to pay for half the booth, if that helps. ii. ACTION ITEM: The people who said they are willing to take shifts at the booth are: Quinn, Sarah, and Glenna. b. Roles for Next Meeting - Thursday, July 14th, 2022, 6 p.m., via Zoom i. Tech host: Quinn Dennehy ii. Tech co-host: N/A iii. Facilitator(s): Anna Mockler iv. Land Acknowledgement Reader: Sarah van Gelder v. Timekeeper: Darryl Riley vi. Notetaker: Quinn Dennehy 9. Public Comment Facilitator(s) opened up the public comment period. Teresa Jones shared a comment noting the delays and hamstringing of Bremerton REAC and encouraging committee members to be more forceful and powerful in pushing for change, in not losing their passion, and in not allowing themselves to be waylaid. Bremerton REAC and audience members followed up the comment with further discussion. Jennifer Chamberlin made a commitment to talk with Mayor Wheeler about how City Council and the Mayor can actually both collaborate with Bremerton REAC. 10. Closing Remark and Thanks The meeting was adjourned at 8:08 p.m.