Human Relations Commission — Skokie, IL
Date: 2024-02-26

Human Relations Commission
 Monday, February 26, 2024
 6:30pm

Location: Village Hall, 5127 Oakton Street – Conference Room D & E (2nd Floor)

 AGENDA

I. Call to Order


II. Approval of Agenda


III. Approval of Minutes of January 22, 2024


IV. Committee Reports

 A. Neighbor Engagement Committee
 1. Block Parties
 2. Know your Neighbor
 3. 4th of July Parade

 B. Housing Committee Updates
 1. Housing Subcommittee
 2. Fair Housing Ordinance

 C. Equity and Diversity Committee Updates
 1. Early Intervention Hate/Bias Incidence
 2. Black History Month
 3. Unite Against Racism w/ YWCA
 4. Skokie Festival of Cultures
 5. Skokie Juneteenth
 6. Skokie Pride
 7. SEED Training


V. Other Items of Business
 A. Village Seal Redesign
 B. Skokie Police Use of Force Review Board
 C. Boards & Commissions Appreciation Reception: March 13, 2024


VI. Adjourn



Next Meeting: March 25, 2024, 6:30pm at Village Hall 5127 Oakton Street, Skokie IL. 60077

Human Relations Commission
 Monday, February 26, 2024
 6:30pm

Location: Village Hall, 5127 Oakton Street – Conference Room D & E (2nd Floor)

In Attendance: Commissioners: Anthony Agee, Sheryl Bloom Basile, Sheila Crumrine (vice-chair), David
Donegan, Jonathan Lavin, Marcos Levy, Joseph Meyers, Maria Monastero Bueno (chair), Swarupa Pahan,
Karen Sherman, James Specker, Trustee Khem Khoeun; Skokie Staff Liaison: Amanda Sabri

Not in Attendance: Deborah Arnold (E), Alex Chaparro (E), Krishna Goyal (E), Jeremy Segal (E), Mayha
Syed (E)

I. Call to Order: 6:40 pm


II. Approval of Agenda
 A. Swarupa Pahan motioned to approve the agenda, motion seconded by Sheila Crumrine.


III. Approval of Minutes of January 22, 2024
 A. Sheila Crumrine motioned to approve the minutes as written, motion seconded by
 Sheryl Bloom Basile.


IV. Committee Reports

 A. Neighbor Engagement Committee
 1. Block Party Forum: Maria Monastero Bueno reminded the commission that the
 forum will take place on 3/4/24 at 6:30 pm. All commissioners were encouraged to
 attend and were asked to also invite others as well.
 2. Know your Neighbor: Karen Sherman reported on research she has done
 regarding Flamingo Fridays that have been put on in the Village of Northbrook from
 Memorial Day to Labor Day. Flamingo Fridays are casual social lawn gatherings hosted
 by neighbors. Several ideas were discussed for alternatives to lawn flamingos, including
 a character sign from Aw Yeah Comics. Karen Sherman will reach out to Aw Yeah
 Comics to discuss their willingness to allow the commission to use their character for
 this program.
 3. 4th of July Parade: Swarupa Pahan reported that registration for the parade is
 now open. It was agreed that she will proceed with registering the commission in the
 parade. All commissioners are encouraged to participate as well as their family
 members.



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B. Housing Committee Updates
 1. Housing Subcommittee: Jon Lavin reported that the two public meetings held in
 January were well attended and many public comments were submitted. He will
 provide these comments to be distributed to the commission. At the next meeting they
 will be developing a draft of a revised strategic plan of the housing section. He
 highlighted that the plan will not only focus on affordable housing but also include
 ensuring that housing in Skokie continues to meet the needs of its residents in a broader
 sense. Trustee Khem Khoeun also provided an update on Inclusionary Housing and
 stated it may be discussed again at the March 4 Board of Trustees meeting.
 2. Fair Housing Ordinance: No updates.

C. Equity and Diversity Committee Updates
 1. Early Intervention Hate/Bias Incidence: Amanda Sabri provided an update that
 additional conversations are planned with staff to determine the best path to move this
 initiative forward and bring clarity to the role the commission will play.
 2. Black History Month: No updates.
 3. Unite Against Racism w/ YWCA: Sheila Crumrine reported that she spoke with
 Heather Sweeney at the YWCA. They have decided to change the format of their annual
 event due to several factors. This year they will be having one event in Evanston and
 will not be having pledge events in other communities. Their focus will be to have a
 panel and community discussion on how to deconstruct racism in our communities.
 Sheila has requested to have a member of the commission on the panel, which the
 YWCA is open to and will discuss at their next planning meeting and follow-up with
 Sheila.
 4. Skokie Festival of Cultures: Amanda Sabri gave an update that Krishna Goyal
 reached out to Pamela Zeid regarding our ability to have a table at the festival. The
 registration fee for the Community Resource Fair section of the festival is $175 for two
 days. The fair is May 18-19, 11am-6pm. Commissioners agreed there are enough
 people available to staff the table for both days and firm commitments can be
 determined at the next meeting. James Specker motioned to approve the payment of
 $175 for table registration, motion seconded by Karen Sherman. Amanda Sabri will
 submit the registration paperwork.
 5. Skokie Juneteenth: Sheila Crumrine reported that she and Amanda Sabri met
 with staff from the Skokie Library and Skokie Heritage Museum regarding the library’s
 fair housing digital archive to plan a program that will be held during the week of
 Juneteenth. The tentative plan for the program is to have a display of the library’s
 archive, a panel discussion and small group discussions. David Donegan has agreed to
 assist with discussion facilitation and Alex Chaparro has agreed to be a part of the panel
 in presenting information on real estate practices in the past and present.



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 6. Skokie Pride: A discussion was held regarding what should be purchased to hand
 out at the Skokie Pride event and the Skokie Festival of Cultures. Sheila Crumrine
 motioned to approve up to $500 for the purchase of items, such as flags, pinwheels and
 stickers, motion seconded by Joseph Meyers. A sticker with a QR code was also
 discussed. James Specker will do research on printing stickers that could go on water
 bottles.
 7. SEED Training: David Donegan encouraged commissioners to provide any
 feedback or questions to him before June 5 as he will likely have a debrief after the last
 SEED class in June.


V. Other Items of Business
 A. Village Seal Redesign: Maria Monastero Bueno provided an update that the committee
 has narrowed the decision of who will be hired to design the Village Seal down to two
 artists/firms. The next step is to have follow-up interviews with each of them in March.
 B. Skokie Police Use of Force Review Board: James Specker reported that they have
 officially convened their review of the 2022 Use of Force data and they have their final
 recommendations that will be going to the Board of Trustees. He clarified that the board
 reviews Use of Force data that rises to the level of complaint or injury. He provided
 information on data that they reviewed, recommendations being made and
 considerations they take into account when making recommendations. They will be
 convening again in September or October to begin looking at 2023 data.
 C. Boards & Commissions Appreciation Reception: March 13, 2024


VI. Adjourn: 7:55 pm




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