About a year ago, the Jefferson City Council revived the Jefferson City Commission on Human Relations after it had been inactive for several years. The move came shortly after a racially insensitive photo involving local students circulated on social media and led to several diversity-driven meetings.
Since its first meeting in January, the Human Relations Commission has been active in the community, making for a successful year, commissioners said.
Due to a seven-year hiatus, visibility was key this year, chairman Mitchell Woodrum said.
"During the first year, we wanted to be highly visible and hit the ground running because, first of all, we needed our name out there and let the city know that we're a resource," Woodrum said. "Second of all, the fact that (the commission) hasn't been around for several years, we needed to prove that this commission was viable, needed and really making a difference in the community."
The nine-member commission entered its first partnership with the Missouri Writing Project in March, and the two entities hosted several screenings. The Missouri Writing Project is a charter member of the National Writing Project, a network of more than 200 sites throughout the country that works to improve teaching and learning of writing.
"Our mission is really promoting diversity and equality through education," Woodrum said. "What a better way than to partner with an educational organization like that."
Since that first partnership, the commission sought collaborations with other entities.
In July, commissioners partnered with Capitol City Cinema to host Pedro Guerrero, a Jefferson City-based legislative aide served as an interpreter for a St. Louis-based attorney who provided legal services to those seeking asylum after they were detained at the border.
Partnering with the Jefferson City Area Board of Realtors in October, the commission held a fair housing event for local Realtors, bringing in guest speaker Michele Sloan - a Realtor with more than 30 years of licensed experience.
The commission has also sought partnerships with the Jefferson City Public Schools and Jefferson City Police Department.
"We're really going toward that goal of educating and connecting people in our community who are interested in learning more, sharing, finding opportunities for service and education, and further improving our community," commissioner Jane Barnes said.
Besides partnerships, the commission assisted with last summer's Fourth of July parade, which had a diversity theme.
It also increased Jefferson City's "Municipal Equality Index" score - organized by the Human Rights Campaign, a national organization that advocates for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning, and/or queer community. The Capital City received a score of 20 this year, increasing it from a zero in 2017.
"That might be seemingly small, but those 20 points were some of the harder points to get because resurrecting this commission was a huge part of that," Woodrum said. "I'm very proud of what we've done when it comes to the HRC equality index, but I also recognize that there's a lot of work to do. I hope to jump it into full force in the new year."
Along with continuing to increase the LGBTQ index score in 2019, the commission plans to partner with the local EER - enrichment, exploration and research - program next year to help with a kindergarten kickstart program. The program would provide backpacks and supplies to Southwest Early Childhood Center preschool children while giving EER students a chance to interact with individuals from different backgrounds.
Commissioners said last month they also want to strengthen their partnerships, help with voter registration at Lincoln University and assist with the Cole County Youth Day in 2019. Cole County Youth Days provides a setting for local youths to voice concerns they have in the community and at school.
While the commission wants to continue being active next year, Barnes suggested commissioners discuss their goals for 2019 and what projects they want to pursue.
"We do want to be successful, so being sure we don't bite off too much - something that's manageable and something that we can accomplish," she said.