McHenry Times

City of Woodstock Cultural and Social Awareness Commission met Feb. 22.

Here is the minutes provided by the commission:

A Special Meeting of the City of Woodstock Cultural and Social Awareness Commission was called to order at 4:25 PM by Chairperson Juanita Vega. This meeting was held per the Governor’s Emergency Order due to COVID-19 with all members, Staff, and the public attending remotely.

A roll call was taken.

COMMISSION MEMBERS PRESENT IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS: None

COMMISSION MEMBERS ATTENDING REMOTELY: John Kendall, Jaci Krandel, Jose Rivera, Lorna Wolff, and Chairperson Juanita Vega.

COMMISSION MEMBERS ABSENT: John Hudson and Joe Starzynski

STAFF PRESENT IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS: None

STAFF ATTENDING REMOTELY: Human Resources Director/Staff Liaison Deb Schober, Chief of Police John Lieb, Opera House Managing Director Daniel Campbell, and City Clerk Cindy Smiley

OTHERS ATTENDING REMOTELY: Andrew Celantano and Evelyn Malone

PUBLIC COMMENT

There was no public comment forthcoming.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Motion by J. Rivera, second by J. Kendall, to approve the minutes of the January 11, 2021 meeting as presented.

Ayes: J. Kendall, J. Krandel, J. Rivera, L. Wolff, and Chairperson Vega. Nays: none. Abstentions: none. Absentees: J. Hudson and J. Starzynski. Motion carried.

4. DISCUSSION ITEMS

Chairperson Vega welcomed those in attendance.

a. COVID-19 community vaccination March 13, 2021 – Opera House, 12:00 PM - 6:00 PM Commissioner Rivera stated a COVID-19 vaccination clinic will be held at the Woodstock Opera House on March 13th for the Hispanic community. He stated this is a pilot program for the State of Illinois with the help of LULAC and the Illinois Migrant Council. He noted such a clinic was held recently in Carpentersville and was very successful. Noting many volunteers are needed for this Clinic, Mr. Rivera asked all members of the Commission to contact Ms. Schober if they can volunteer.

b. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Project

i. Proposal presentation by Chairperson Vega and Commissioner Rivera

Noting discussion of this Project began at the Commission’s last meeting, Chairperson Vega and Commissioner Rivera made a presentation for the group.

Chairperson Vega stated it is important to get the subjects of diversity, equity, and inclusion out into the community and to both the public and private sector. She noted in conversations with the Diversity Inclusion Director for Chicago, she learned that Chicago has a person in charge of this to make sure projects are reviewed with these subjects in mind. She also noted it is the mission of the Commission to advise the City on these subjects, suggesting the Commission take on this project for the City. She stated there are many problems in the County. Ms. Vega stated Mayor Sager held three sessions during the past year to address diversity problems within the City.

Chairperson Vega stated it is wished to have a community based on multi-cultural values, diversity, and respect with Woodstock being an example for the County and the State opining this will attract more people and businesses to Woodstock because it is a city that welcomes all. She stated the idea is to create a project that welcomes everyone and says “we are open to all.”

Chairperson Vega stated the purpose of this project is to show that Woodstock is a city that thrives on diversity, noting the project would showcase different cultures that are part of the community and should be celebrated. She suggested these programs be called a Celebration Without Borders and be held at the Woodstock Opera House and Stage Left Café on Sundays, which is a family day when people take time to come together and share. Ms. Vega noted she has spoken with Daniel Campbell, who is very interested in helping.

Chairperson Vega described her view for implementation, stating Group Leaders would be sought from leaders in the community, noting the presence of Evelyn Malone from Crystal Lake at this meeting. She noted the objective of Ms. Malone’s organization is similar to the Commission’s, stating she has shown interest in this project. She stated there has been a lot of interest shown by other leaders with whom she has spoken.

Chairperson Vega opined this project would facilitate interaction and show that all people are similar in different ways; noting all cultures have great food and music they wish to share. She further opined if these things were opened to everyone this would be a great opportunity to understand each other. She stated the wish that the Police Department could get to know these groups and that the Police know they are respected by them, opining this would be a win-win.

Chairperson Vega stated in speaking with others she found that one of the things that is important is how the community can be resensitized to accept others, focusing on similarities instead of differences, opining this project would be an opportunity to do this. Chairperson Vega then described the Sundays of culture, stating they would showcase information, food, music and art from Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Europe, describing this further. She noted law enforcement would be invited to also be part of this project.

Noting the challenges the Commission would face in implementing this project, Chairperson Vega opined COVID-19 restrictions would be the biggest challenge with the number of people allowed, dependent upon the restrictions at that time. She suggested beginning to plan now for starting the programs in July, hoping things will be more open with the vaccinations. She stated the project will also require leaders, marketing, and funds, suggesting sponsors be found.

Chairperson Vega suggested one of the items for discussion should be a Social Worker for the Police Department, noting the Woodstock Police Department formerly shared a Social Worker with other communities, but that funds are no longer available for this. She opined one part of the Diversity Equity, and Inclusion Project would be for the Commission to work to create a proposal, to find out if the City has any budget to have a Social Worker, and to eventually collect enough money to help pay for that position for the Police Department that would help understand the diverse community better and understand things that can happen in the community.

Returning to implementation for the Sunday programs, Chairperson Vega suggested the Commission meet monthly, set goals for the four Sundays, engage different organizations and leaders, and receive regular project reports.

During a short discussion, it was noted that it could be a challenge to bring food into the Opera House or Stage Left. Mr. Campbell urged the Commission not to step away from the idea of having food. He opined food is a big part of any community and stated this would be possible under certain circumstances, noting he would work with the Commission on this issue. Ms. Schober noted the project should be discussed with the Mayor to see if Council approval is required. Commissioner Krandel opined the City Council should be part of this and endorse the project.

Commissioner Wolff commended Chairperson Vega and thanked her for the time she has spent on this project. She commended the idea, but opined there may not be enough details yet and noted everything must be carefully worded with COVID-19. Commissioner Rivera opined everything must be flexible with the capability of change by July if necessary.

Noting Chairperson Vega’s suggestion the programs be divided by continents, Commissioner Wolff stated at the last meeting members were charged with contacting leaders in various communities, organizations, and groups, including the Jewish community and BLM, which do not fit into just one continent or part of a country. She expressed concern about the actual groupings for the programs. Chairperson Vega stated she thought the programs would be more about regions or cultures which would fit geographically rather than boxes. She stated her main concern is to find the leaders to make this project happen. She stated she and Commissioner Rivera would make one of the days happen, showcasing the diverse Latin communities trying to make it for people to know the Latin Culture. She expressed her hope other leaders would take over the other months to showcase other cultures, including different religions or cultures such as from the African American community. She emphasized that she does not wish to put things in boxes.

Commissioner Wolff opined the Commission needs to understand the goal before recommending the project to the City Council. Commissioner Rivera opined there should be no politics involved. Chairperson Vega stated details can happen when dates are decided upon, noting the activities and details for the Latino program will be decided when the date for that is set. She opined the Commission will not be able to go into that level of detail to present to the City Council. Noting last month’s discussion, Ms. Schober suggested describing what the Commission is trying to do to provide people with information on different themes such as religions and PRIDE for example, giving Council an overview of what the Commission wishes to do and the themes. Chairperson Vega noted it would depend upon the ability to find the people from the various organizations, stating the topics do not have to be continents, but could include religions, gender, etc., depending upon the leaders.

Commissioner Krandel stated diversity is a broad subject, opining people have a lot of questions concerning gender pronouns with no where to go for answers for example. She noted the same could be said for religions. Ms. Krandel opined the Commission needs to be focused, suggesting it seek direction from the City Council as to what the community needs. Commissioner Wolff expressed agreement, stating at last month’s meeting members were charged with talking with specific people/groups, noting some may have already reached out to leaders or organizations. She opined the groups/organizations that Commission members were asked to contact do not line up with the monthly themes presented today. She urged that this project be presented carefully so that everyone understands what is being talked about. Commissioner Krandel agreed, suggesting changes be made to the presentation prior to presenting to the City Council, noting it is somewhat nebulous, subject to COVID-19 limitations and the leaders/groups who agree to be involved.

In response to a question from Commissioner Kendall, Commissioner Rivera confirmed the Commission is being asked to provide feedback on the proposal to be sent to Ms. Schober, which will be given to Chairperson Vega, who will then make changes, and that the revised proposal will be presented for the Commission’s approval at its next meeting, following with a presentation to the City Council being scheduled.

The Commission members then provided the following updates concerning the groups/organizations they were asked to contact:

ii. Commissioner Hudson/BLM – absent

iii. Commissioner Wolff/Buddhist Temple community & homelessness – Commissioner Wolff stated individuals from the Buddhist Temple are very willing to talk and to share information about the Blue Lotus Temple. She further stated she spoke with Sue Rose concerning homelessness and homeless prevention and has her contact information should it be needed. Ms. Wolff stated she told those she spoke with that this would be a small group setting and did not mention food or music.

iv. Commissioner Kendall/PRIDE – Commissioner Kendall stated he has spoken with Crystal Squires who stated they would be on board with participating.

v. Commissioner Krandel/Jewish Community – no report.

vi. Commissioner Rivera/Filipino and Indian communities – Commissioner Rivera stated he has spoken with a member of the Filipino community who expressed willingness to work with the Commission and participate.

4.c Impact DEI Project on Woodstock police force and social work at WPD Chairperson Vega noted this was already discussed and will be an item for further discussion at the next meeting.

4.d Engaging with Cultural groups at schools and churches in town

Chairperson Vega stated this can be discussed further when the proposal is updated.

4.e Frequency of commission meetings and member’s commitment to results Chairperson Vega suggested meeting in a month to review the proposal and determine a date for presentation to the Mayor and City Council.

5. Public Comment

Evelyn Malone thanked the Commission for the opportunity to speak. She opined the Commission is doing awesome work. She suggested the use of videos to provide information on food and/or clothing of the various cultures.

Ms. Malone stated the Commission is on the right track, opining this is a moment in history to bring people together. She stated the Commission will never know how wide and how far this project will go and could be the spark that ignites the nation. She opined when the Commission has the community in mind and is aware of the needs, it is on the right track and applauded the Commission’s efforts.

Andrew Celantano stated he is not present as part of the Transportation Commission. He stated he is on the Age-Friendly Community Task Force which is trying to make Woodstock more attractive to seniors. He noted there are food trucks that have various ethnic dishes or local restaurants that could participate in providing food. He mentioned the value of music, noting the similarities among cultures are amazing. Stating he works with high school students, Mr. Celantano noted the possibility of linking children from different cultures who could help get the information to their friends and families. He opined the Commission’s proposed project “sounds fantastic.”

Ms. Schober opined the potential for this project is huge in the impact it could have on the people that will come to the programs and who are willing to learn and listen, which could break down barriers. She expressed hope that the Commission will go out and find the leaders to present for the different groups and congratulated the Commission.

Chairperson Vega wanted to be sure the message reached the Police Department, that the Commission supports the Police Department and that this is part of the importance of this project. Chief Lieb thanked the Commission for inviting him to participate. He stated he heard a lot of good comments and information this evening. He stated the Police Department is very comfortable in and feels part of the community, noting members of the community have reached out to them in so many ways.

Following a brief discussion, it was the consensus of the Commission members to hold a special meeting on Monday, March 8, 2021 at 4:15 PM.

Chairperson Vega reminded the Commissioners to send any suggestions for the proposal to Ms. Schober by March 3 for revisions before the next meeting.

ADJOURN

Motion by L. Wolff, second by J. Kendall, to adjourn this meeting of the Cultural and Social Awareness Commission to a Special Meeting on Monday, March 8, 2021 at 4:15 PM. Ayes: J. Kendall, J. Krandel, J. Rivera, L. Wolff, and Chairperson Vega. Nays: none. Abstentions: none. Absentees: J. Hudson and J. Starzynski. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 5:45 PM.

https://www.woodstockil.gov/sites/default/files/fileattachments/cultural_amp_social_awareness_commission/meeting/43805/f_-_csa_comm_2-22-21_meeting_-_part_1_of_1_-_minutes.pdf