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MSU Moorhead Civil
Rights
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FINAL
REPORT OF RECOMMENDATIONS FOR
Number of study circles:
30 Locations of study circles: Public library, churches, homes, schools, public agencies,
private non-profit organizations Number of participants:
approximately 305 Income & Employment
Goal:
Public and private sectors will ensure fair business
practices and safe and welcoming environments. Objective
1: Public
officials will ensure that 6% of workforce staff at all
organizational levels of the public school system and the city &
county will be hired from communities of color. Objective
2: Private
sector will increase workforce representation from diverse
communities. Action
Steps: ·
Make extraordinary recruitment and retention efforts aimed
at local college graduates of color. ·
Chamber of Commerce will provide assistance in making plans
and monitoring these efforts. ·
Higher education institutions will make available a contact
person within the institutions to assist the public and private
sectors in identifying potential employees of color. Objective
3: Public and private sectors will provide more workforce
training in anti-racism/cultural competence, anger management, and
conflict mediation. Objective
4: City of Moorhead will
invest the Moorhead Human Rights Commission with investigative and
enforcement power concerning issues of workplace discrimination,
labor law, and fair business practices. Education
Goal
1: All learners in
educational systems will feel safe, comfortable, connected, and
successful. Objective
1:
Moorhead
public school system and all educational institutions will make
extraordinary efforts to hire teachers, counselors, staff and
administrators to reflect minority proportions in the community.
Objective
2: All
educational institutions will evaluate hiring policies and
procedures in keeping with the philosophy of affirmative action. Objective
3: All
educational institutions will seek out and implement the best
practices for recruitment and retention. Objective
4: Moorhead
public school system will publish its affirmative action plan and
the school district's Human Rights Committee will review the plan
annually and report findings to the School Board. Objective
5: All
educational systems will support, expand, and encourage
participation in trainings in cultural competence, diversity,
anti-racism, and harassment for all personnel and students. Action Steps: ·
Within 2 years all staff will have been trained on
appropriate responses to racism and harassment. ·
School district will survey all students, parents, staff
regarding school environment (perceptions of extent and causes of
diversity, harassment, racism) ·
School district will collaborate with higher education to
provide ongoing professional development in the areas of anti-racism
and cultural competence. ·
School district will collaborate with higher education in
the development of multicultural celebration events. Objective
6: All
educational systems will increase the number of minority students
completing graduation requirements and pursuing further education. Action Steps: ·
All educational systems will determine current and
historical graduation rates of students of color. ·
All educational systems will implement activities/methods
for easing transition between schools. Objective
7: All
educational systems will recruit mentors and role models of color to
work with students one-on-one.
Action Steps: ·
Work with institutions of higher education to seek funding
and develop a "big brother/big sister" program for
students of color at the secondary school level. ·
Within two years increase by 2 the number of
counselors/social workers for the elementary and secondary schools. Objective
8:
School district will make available parent/legal advocates
and translators upon request to assist families. Objective
9: School
district will strengthen ESL programming for children and adults. Objective
10: School
district will allow for use of school buildings as neighborhood
community centers. Action Step: ·
Neighborhood community center schools will be kept open
later with supervision through public and private partnerships for
the purpose of additional year-round after-school/evening community
programming. Objective
11: Pre-K
educational service providers will incorporate culturally
sensitive/anti-bias content into programming. Objective
12: The School
Board will examine the effects of school closings on children of
color and their families. Objective
13:
School and public libraries will
further develop a full range of resources pertaining to anti-racism,
multiculturalism, and contributions of diverse peoples. Goal
2: Moorhead school
district will evaluate the alternative education program (RRALC). Objective
1:
Moorhead school district will establish a focus group
inclusive of parents, professionals, and communities of color to
examine and make recommendations regarding all aspects of the
alternative education program. Objective
2: Moorhead
school district will clarify the process for placing students in the
RRALC and ensure that parents and students understand and agree with
the reasons for placement in the program.
Public Safety
Goal:
Public safety officials will ensure a safe and welcoming
environment for all community residents. Objective
1: Within 2-3
years, the police, sheriff, and fire departments will recruit,
train, and hire people of color to reflect the proportion of
minorities in the Moorhead/Clay County population. Action Step: ·
Develop scholarships for recruiting people of color Objective
2:
Public safety staff and communities of color will increase
and sustain communication and interactions that are positive, open
and respectful. Action Steps: ·
Increase the participation of public safety officers
interacting individually with communities of color. ·
Develop "officer next door" program using CDBG
funds. ·
Continue to build more block clubs. ·
Fire and police chiefs will encourage officers to visit
homes while patrolling. ·
Increase bike patrol. ·
Encourage communities of color to take part in fire and
police academies and ride-along program. ·
Expand police summer youth program. ·
Regular anti-racism trainings for all public safety
employees. ·
Provide year-round, after-school and summer programming
with public safety officers. Objective
3: Minority
groups (churches, organizations, etc.) will sponsor events for
community leaders to listen to participants express their views and
needs. Objective
4: Public safety
departments will increase use of interpreters when engaging
limited/non-English speaking individuals. Objective
5: Police,
sheriff and fire departments will recruit and train individuals who
are fluent in various languages and multicultural perspectives. Objective
6: The Moorhead
Police Department will hire a community relations officer who is a
person of color. This
officer will act as a liaison with community members and as a role
model for youth. Objective
7: The City and
the school district will use police officers in the schools to
promote more goodwill between parents, students, schools, and
police. Housing & Public Accommodations
Goal
1: City of
Moorhead will expand the range of affordable housing options Objective
1:
City of Moorhead will increase affordable rental housing
stock by 80 units within 2 years, including some 4 bedroom units for
larger families. Objective
2: City of
Moorhead will sponsor at least 20 sweat-equity homes within 5 years. Action Steps for Objectives 1 & 2: ·
City of Moorhead will establish and convene a planning
council composed of city officials, state and federal program
managers, bankers, contractors, non-profit organizations, student
organizations, university officials, and faith-based groups to
develop a plan for funding and creating at least 80 additional units
(funding sources to include city, state, and federal dollars, tax
free zones, HUD community block grants, private foundations, and
lending agencies). For sweat-equity homes, the council will develop
a funding plan, recruit and train volunteers, secure donations of
land, and educate prospective homeowners regarding the purchasing
process. ·
City will allocate more CDBG funds for creating affordable
housing. ·
Clay County HRA and MPHA will become more involved in
housing construction. Goal
2: Public and private
sectors will reduce barriers to purchasing and renting housing Objective
1:
City of Moorhead will increase the supply of transitional
housing. Action Step: ·
City and other civic and faith-based groups will work with
appropriate agencies to generate funds for the purpose of increasing
the stock of transitional housing. Objective
2: City
of Moorhead will increase the number of accessible homes for people
with disabilities. Objective
3: Lenders and
realtors will hire more people of color and more bilingual and
culturally competent individuals. Objective 4: Lenders
and realtors will ensure fair business practices. Objective
5: Background
information given to landlords by the police department on potential
renters will contain only criminal conviction information. Objective
6: City of
Moorhead and other organizations will hold ongoing educational
seminars on fair housing & tenant/landlord rights and
responsibilities. Goal 3: City of Moorhead
will improve availability of public transportation Objective:
City of Moorhead will ensure public transportation is
available on weekends and will extend routes to the industrial park. Other Goals: Human Rights Advocacy
Goal
1: The City of Moorhead
will develop effective human rights advocacy and enforcement
mechanisms Objective
1:
Moorhead Human Rights Commission will be vested with the
power to require mandatory mediation to settle disputes as it deems
necessary. Objective
2:
City of Moorhead and city and county agencies will publish
their affirmative action plans. The Moorhead Human Rights Commission
will review these plans and their implementation annually and report
findings to the Moorhead City Council. Action Step ·
City and county agencies will provide and distribute to the
public, in accessible languages, copies of the plans and an outline
of grievance procedures. Objective
3: City of
Moorhead will make efforts to increase public knowledge of the
Moorhead Human Rights Commission and its responsibilities. Objective
4: City of Moorhead will create and empower an Ombudsperson's
or legal advocate's office to receive filed complaints, complete
investigations, and coordinate actions. Objective
5: A coalition
of citizens will form a citizen's review board to be funded by grant
dollars to plan and monitor implementation of community study circle
recommendations. Objective
6: The
Moorhead/Fargo communities will create a community planning and
advocacy council, with diverse membership and possibly funded by
grant dollars, to identify and make known emerging social needs,
articulate strategies for change, hold community workshops and
seminars, and promote democratic processes. Objective
7: The Moorhead
Human Rights Commission will receive study circle recommendations
and report to the community in sixth month intervals on the progress
of meeting these recommendations. Goal
2: Public and private
sectors will ensure the public's knowledge of and access to
information about civil rights, community resources and
opportunities. Objective
1: Public and
private sectors will provide information and announcements of
community importance in languages spoken in the community. Objective
2: CDBG public
hearings will be held early in the CDBG process so public testimony
has a fair opportunity to be heard and used. Cultural Understanding &
Cultural Competence
Goal:
The community will promote community education and
inter-cultural dialogue for increased cultural understanding and
cultural competence. Objective
1: The community
will create and participate in opportunities for listening and
dialogue between majority and minority communities. Objective
2: Public and/or
private organizations will develop action teams comprised of
majority individuals and people of color to develop and implement
training plans to promote cultural competence and anti-racism in all
social systems (law enforcement, education, housing, government and
public service agencies, and business). Objective
3: Community
organizations providing services to the Native American population
will collaborate with each other in providing services and will
utilize the resources of the Fargo/Moorhead Indian Advisory Council
(currently under formation) Objective
4: The civil
rights report on "The Status of Equal Opportunity for
Minorities in Moorhead" will be read/shared/discussed in every
congregation/civic group/work place in Moorhead. Objective
5: The
arts community and Moorhead Parks and Recreation will
help develop public displays of arts that express cultural
pride. Action Step: ·
Employees of arts programs and Parks and Recreation will
receive training in multicultural programming. Objective
6: The Clay
County Historical Society will develop, display, and publicize to
the entire community an exhibit of the multicultural history and
contributions of people of color in this region. Objective
7: Public and/or
private organizations will develop and publicize more ethnic
festivals promoting diverse ethnic groups from the community. Objective
8: Public and/or
private organizations will sponsor a cultural diversity week each
year. Objective
9: All members of the
community will take the initiative to visit and support programs,
centers, and businesses owned and/or operated by communities of
color. The Media
Goal
1: Local newspapers,
magazines, and radio stations will work with diverse communities to
increase the number of positive images and reports of people of
color.
Objective
1: The Fargo
Forum, school and university papers, and local magazines will each
regularly offer a cultural page featuring people of color. Objective
2: Each TV
station, radio station, magazine, and newspaper will routinely
present positive stories about contributions of members of the
minority communities. Goal
2: Local media will
work with diverse communities to develop culturally diverse
programming. Objective 1:
Local media will recruit and
retain employees of color at all levels. Objective
2: Media will
publish news and other articles provided by members of communities
of color. Action Steps: ·
Media will produce more articles and programming in
languages other than English. ·
Citizen action teams will pressure the media to provide
positive and fair stories of communities of color. ·
Job-training programs will be developed to assist youth in
developing an interest and employment in the media. Leadership Development & Civic
Participation
Goal:
The community will tap already existing leadership resources
from diverse communities and support the development of new
leadership from those communities. Objective
1: Public and
private sectors will develop mentorship and support programs to
nurture new youth and adult leaders from diverse communities. Action Step: ·
Work with higher education to develop mentorship and
support programs. Objective
2: Public
committees and boards will ensure that at least 6% of their
membership is comprised of people of color. Action Steps: ·
Public committees and boards will widely publicize
membership openings and will recruit volunteers from communities of
color. ·
Committees and boards will ask leaders from communities of
color and organizations that represent communities of color to serve
as consultants for recruitment efforts (Mujeres Unidas,
Fargo/Moorhead Indian Advisory Council, Cultural Diversity
Resources, People Escaping Poverty Project, etc.) Objective
3: Local
political parties will encourage and enable people of color to run
for public office. Objective
4: The community
will support increasing the visibility and role of diversity
resource organizations in adequately networking and coordinating
services and enhancing leadership opportunities. Action
Step: ·
Private and public sectors will provide more funding and
resources to Cultural Diversity Resources. Objective
5: Private
organizations and agencies will take the initiative to add
individuals of color to their boards and membership. Action Step: ·
Private organizations and agencies will develop liaisons
between boards and communities of color. Faith-Based Groups
Goal:
Faith-based groups will increase interfaith cooperation and
cultural understanding. Objective
1: Faith-based
groups will promote ongoing opportunities for self examination
relating to racism, cultural sensitivity, and social justice. Objective
2: Faith-based
groups will create opportunities for inter-faith education and
dialogue.
Objective 3: Congregations
will be open and welcoming to diverse populations. Public Health
Goal:
The Moorhead community will acknowledge that racism is a
public health issue for the entire community and will work to
eliminate discrimination and unequal opportunity. Recommendations for the Role of
Higher Education Income & Employment Institutions of higher education will: ¨ ensure that at least 6%
of their workforce at all organizational levels will be
representative of communities of color. ¨ make available a contact
person within each of the institutions to assist the public and
private sectors in identifying potential employees of color. ¨ develop programs that
collaborate with the public and private sectors to provide
consultation, internships, and placement assistance to bolster
recruitment and retention strategies aimed at employment
diversification. ¨ develop tuition
forgiveness programs for students of color committing to employment
in underrepresented occupations in the Moorhead community and
surrounding area. Housing & Public Accommodations Institutions of higher education will: ¨ co-sponsor routine fair
housing and tenants rights seminars with city and local
organizations for the purpose of educating students and other
tenants regarding rights and responsibilities. ¨ help with the process of
planning, grant-writing, and development of affordable housing
through business and other relevant departments. ¨ involve students in
developing, advertising, and holding community workshops on
home-ownership and home financing in languages other than English. Northwest Technical College will: ¨ assist city with design
and building of affordable housing and sweat equity homes and other
higher education institutions will provide volunteer labor. Education The institutions of higher education will: ¨ seek out and implement
the best practices for recruitment and retention. ¨ evaluate their hiring
policies and procedures in keeping with the philosophy of
affirmative action. ¨ increase the number of
graduating students of color. ¨ support, expand, and
encourage participation in ongoing professional development
activities for faculty, staff, and administrators in the areas of
anti-racism and cultural competence. ¨ initiate academic
mentorships and support activities in all disciplines for students
of color. ¨ develop mentoring and
other programs to encourage and facilitate K-12 student enrollment
in higher education. ¨ develop student teacher
and other internship exchange programs with institutions serving
communities of color in other states (e.g. Rust College). ¨ serve as consultants to
the Moorhead School District for continuing program development. ¨ collaborate with public
school district to provide ongoing professional development in the
areas of anti-racism and cultural competence. ¨ collaborate with public
school district in the development of multicultural celebration
events. ¨ further develop a full
range of library and curriculum resources pertaining to anti-racism,
multiculturalism, and contributions of diverse peoples. Minnesota State University Moorhead will: ¨ hire African American and
Asian American multicultural affairs professional staff to work with
and support African American and Asian American students. Public Safety The institutions of higher education will: ¨ offer language training
(for languages spoken in the community) to public safety
officials and other community professionals. ¨ serve as a neutral space
for facilitating communication between public safety officials and
communities of color. Cultural Understanding & Cultural Competence The institutions of higher education will: ¨ infuse their annual
celebrations, such as MSUM's annual 4th of July
celebration, with more multicultural content.
¨ develop an office of
community affairs to serve as a liaison between the institution and
the community for the purpose of building partnerships and improving
community relations. ¨ provide training by
faculty to neighborhood recreation staff in multicultural
programming. ¨ encourage student
newspapers to increase
multicultural content. ¨ sponsor more
cross-cultural educational and social activities/events. The Media Mass communication and journalism departments will: ¨ recruit and retain more
students of color. ¨ ensure incorporation of
content related to the media's role in the public's perception of
communities of color. ¨ develop projects that
encourage students to influence the media toward positive portrayals
of communities of color. Leadership Development & Civic Participation The institutions of higher education will: ¨ collaborate with private
and public sectors and with communities of color to develop
mentorship and support programs to increase participation of current
and emerging leaders of color in civic activities. Faith-Based Groups Concordia will: ¨ provide a neutral
environment for inter-faith education and dialogue around issues of
culture, race, etc. |
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