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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 05-20-2014 - 8aORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: May 20, 2014 Action Agenda Item No. 8 -a SUBJECT: Report of the Human Relations Commission (HRC) DEPARTMENT: Housing, Human Rights and PUBLIC HEARING: (Y /N) No Community Development ATTACHMENT(S): Human Relations Commission Report INFORMATION CONTACT: James E. Davis, Jr., 919 - 245 -2488 1 PURPOSE: To receive and discuss the Human Relation Commission's position regarding the establishment of a subcommittee that focuses on matters of the equitable treatment of women. BACKGROUND: At the April 8, 2014 BOCC Work Session, the Board considered information regarding the Establishment of a Women's Commission and agreed to receive a report from the HRC regarding its approach to address issues of the equitable treatment of women. FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no financial impact associated with discussing the HRC's role in addressing issues of women equity or the establishment of a Women's subcommittee. RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board receive the report of the HRC and provide feedback to staff on next steps. Human Relations Commission Report to the Board of County Commissioners May 20, 2014 The purpose of this report is to provide a report/update on the Human Relation Commission's role in addressing the equitable treatment of women. The HRC was created by the Board of County Commissioners to promote the equal treatment of all individuals and prohibit discrimination in Orange County based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, familial status, and veteran status. In October 2010, Tara Fikes, former director of the Housing, Human Rights and Community Development Department, reported to the County Manager that the HRC planned to merge with the Commission for Women (CFW) which was disbanded in 2010 and effectively sunset in April 2011. By appointing the former CFW chair to the HRC, the mission of the HRC would ideally include CFW's mission of promoting the growth and development of all Orange County women by serving as the official advisory body on the status of women to the BOCC. With regard to outreach efforts that were previously conducted by the CFW, including the Celebration of Women's History Month, these were undertaken by the Compass Center for Women and Children. In the years following the HRC /CFW merger, the HRC has created opportunities for issues of specific concern to women to be presented to the HRC for consideration or appropriate action. Such efforts included providing opportunities for the former CFW chair to present issues for the HRC to consider, as well as sending invitations to the Executive Director of the Compass Center for Women and Children to present such information. While no specific issues of the equitable treatment of women were presented, the HRC acknowledged the importance of including women - specific topics in its outreach or programming activities. Thus, the HRC contacted the County Library in June 2013 and requested their staff to feature books, DVDs and other medium in honor of Women's History Month in March 2014. The Library honored this request and compiled a list of recommended items and made a corresponding display encouraging its patrons to check these items out. The HRC is planning other events geared towards creating awareness of women's rights. These planned events include submitting a resolution to the Board of County Commissioners to acknowledge Tuesday, August 26, 2014 as Women's Equality Day, and hosting a correlating Community Read with a selected book and discussion on the topic of the equitable (or historically inequitable) treatment of women. The proposed topic of the 2015 Human Relations K Month Forum would combine the acknowledgement of the 501' anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the 951' anniversary of the 191' Amendment which granted voting rights to women. In addition to the above, the May 12, 2014 HRC meeting featured a presentation on the status of issues faced by women in our region by Ann Gerhardt. The HRC will also make deliberate efforts to forge a relationship with organizations such as the League of Women Voters. Under its charge to promote the equal treatment of all people, regardless of their membership in a protected /underrepresented class, the HRC has hosted programs and events that address an array of civil /human rights matters. For example, the 2012 Human Relations Forum addressed the issue of sexual preference and the same -sex marriage bill, while the 2013 and 2014 forums acknowledged the 1501' anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and the 501' anniversary of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, respectively. Thus, the foci were respectively on slavery and racial equity. In its effort to remain conscious of issues of discrimination and the several minority classes and subgroups in Orange County, the HRC created the Diversity Matters subcommittee. The mission of this subcommittee is to coordinate events and programs that commemorate benchmark social justice achievements, and coordinates the Community Read and other outreach events with regard to issues of diversity /equality. The HRC also has a Building Integrated Communities (BIC) subcommittee which focuses on efforts to include all immigrant communities, including Hispanic and Asian, in conversations about social justice. Below is a chart showing the subcommittees and recent actions and current plans to further the HRC's mission: Building Integrated Hosted a listening session in the fall 2013 at the Transplanting Communities Traditions farm in Carrboro to discover how the HRC may assist the Karen community. Discovered that personal safety was the paramount concern. The subcommittee has contacted the Chapel Hill Police Department who will partner with the HRC to host a session on personal safety and duplicate their Latino outreach for the benefit of the Karen community. This outreach in conjunction with CHPD is planned for the Summer 2014; Diversity Matters This subcommittee emerged from the Emancipation Proclamation subcommittee which was formed to coordinate programs and events to commemorate the 1501i anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation in 2013. Events in the past 1 1/2 years include two (2) Community Reads, one (1) series of video presentations with discussion (3 consecutive Saturdays), and coordinating two (2) Human Relation Month Forums; Pauli Murray Award This subcommittee coordinates the Pauli Murray Awards, including publicizing the event and determining who, among the nominees, should receive the awards; Student Essay Contest This subcommittee determines the topic of the annual Student Essay Contest and judges all entries; Fair Housing Poster Contest This subcommittee determines the topic of the annual Fair M The body of the HRC is racially, culturally and ethnically diverse, and includes nine (9) women and five (5) men. This diversity encourages sensitivity and awareness when the HRC plans events and activities. The basic structure of the HRC is to address issues of social justice and human rights as they are presented. In response to the Board of County Commissioners' concern that matters of women equality and equity should not go unnoticed, the HRC agrees entirely. While the HRC hopes that these issues could be addressed through the structure as it currently exists, the HRC remains willing to address any specific matters of social justice identified by the Commissioners that directly affect women in Orange County, including pay equity and equal business opportunities. To that end, the HRC respectfully requests the Commissioners to provide funding and resources to allow for research and data collection on the issue of whether women in Orange County receive less pay and business opportunities than their male counterparts. Notwithstanding the need to obtain verified data of the equitable treatment of women in Orange County, the HRC shall continue to promote the equal treatment and equal opportunities for all through its outreach and programs administered through the above - listed subcommittees. Housing Poster Contest and judges all entries; Collateral Consequences The subcommittee emerged out of the awareness that felony offenders are not given the equal opportunity to apply for jobs based on the "box" requiring the disclosure of having a felony offence during the initial application process. Noting that there are other issues of disenfranchisement, the subcommittee's mission was to discover how to address such issues. The subcommittee plans to develop a resources pamphlet identifying agencies in the Triangle area that have programs for former felony offenders; Tenants' Bill of Rights Now disbanded, this subcommittee assisted in drafting the Declaration of Tenants Rights and Responsibilities which was endorsed by the BOCC. This was a collaborative effort along with Justice United, EmPOWERment and the UNC Law School's Civil Legal Assistance Clinic. The body of the HRC is racially, culturally and ethnically diverse, and includes nine (9) women and five (5) men. This diversity encourages sensitivity and awareness when the HRC plans events and activities. The basic structure of the HRC is to address issues of social justice and human rights as they are presented. In response to the Board of County Commissioners' concern that matters of women equality and equity should not go unnoticed, the HRC agrees entirely. While the HRC hopes that these issues could be addressed through the structure as it currently exists, the HRC remains willing to address any specific matters of social justice identified by the Commissioners that directly affect women in Orange County, including pay equity and equal business opportunities. To that end, the HRC respectfully requests the Commissioners to provide funding and resources to allow for research and data collection on the issue of whether women in Orange County receive less pay and business opportunities than their male counterparts. Notwithstanding the need to obtain verified data of the equitable treatment of women in Orange County, the HRC shall continue to promote the equal treatment and equal opportunities for all through its outreach and programs administered through the above - listed subcommittees.