After seven and a half years inactive, the recently resurrected Jefferson City Human Relations Commission will meet this week to discuss ways to promote diversity and education.
The commission will go over its procedures, roles and goals during its 8 a.m. Tuesday meeting in City Hall, 320 E. McCarty St.
The nine-member commission currently has an opening, as Capitol City CORK owner Jami Wade told the News Tribune last week she could not serve on the commission due to business obligations.
Gail Strope, director of the Jefferson City Department of Human Resources and city staff liaison to the commission, said once a commissioner is selected, the Jefferson City Council Committee on Administration and the City Council must approve him or her.
Those interested in serving on the commission can fill out a volunteer form online at www.jeffersoncitymo.gov/Volunteer%20Profile%20Form.pdf.
Editor's Note: Answers have been edited for clarity and length.
Hector Alonso
Job: Registered nurse with Department of Veterans Affairs
Years in Jefferson City: Two
Q. What is your background, and how does it relate to the Human Relations Commission?
A. My parents immigrated to the United States from Mexico in 1981, and my siblings and I were born and raised in New Mexico. While growing up, my parents upheld many Hispanic traditions but assimilated well into the American culture. One of the most important concepts my nursing career has taught me too is importance of cultural competence, which includes having an awareness of one's own cultural views and the ability to respect and interact with people of different cultures.
Q. What motivated you to join the commission?
A. I wanted to involve myself in the community that I'm raising my family in, and I felt a sense of responsibility to give back to the community. As a member of the commission, I will have the opportunity to help discourage discrimination among all ethnic, racial and religious groups of Jefferson City by helping to create a more accepting and culturally sensitive environment for its citizens.
Q. What are your goals for the commission, and how do you hope to accomplish those?
A. One goal is to help promote a diverse environment that reduces discrimination based on an individual's race, color, religion, sex, age or disability. People's views are often influenced by what they are taught and are greatly impacted by the communities they are raised in. Providing an environment that teaches acceptance and understanding will hopefully result in less discrimination within our community. To accomplish this, we have to continuously evaluate the needs of our community and address them appropriately.
Q. What features do you think Jefferson City offers that will benefit the commission's goals?
A. Jefferson City's best asset is the people that live here. The citizens here care about Jefferson City and its future, which is a strength that benefits the Human Relations Commission and our goals.
Q. What challenges do you think the Human Relations Commission will face?
A. One of the biggest challenges the Human Relations Commission will have is finding a way to help eliminate certain stigmas and prejudices that already exist. I'm hopeful that by creating a Human Relations Commission, our community will be able to better examine the current needs of Jefferson City while promoting diversity and improving relationships between different groups of people.
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Jane Barnes
Job: Speech language pathologist
Years in Jefferson City: Raised in Jefferson City, moved and returned in 2007
Q. What is your background, and how does it relate to the Human Relations Commission?
A. My inspiration to be a speech pathologist was in the incredible value in helping those who are looking to restore communication after a traumatic event (head injury, stroke, etc.). As my studies continued, I saw such opportunity in helping people find their "voice" through successful communication skills. Everyone has a voice and deserves to be heard. It's through our collective voices that we have a vibrant, rich community.
Q. What motivated you to join the commission?
A. I'm excited the city saw a need to reinstate this commission; and the more I learned about it, the more I became interested in actively serving rather than passively following.
Q. What are your goals for the commission, and how do you hope to accomplish those?
A. I see great potential to engage students. Together, we can encourage inclusion and appreciation of diversity. My hope is for this commission to be ongoing, too. We can educate and engage citizens, but we can also always strive for continued improvement.
Q. What features do you think Jefferson City offers that will benefit the commission's goals?
A. Jefferson City is a stable, educated and caring community. There will always be room for improvement, and I think this commission can help build a more inclusive community.
Q. What challenges do you think the commission will face?
A. I think the greatest challenge will be engaging as many people as we can reach. Everyone has a voice and everyone deserves to be heard, so I'm hopeful we will be able to encourage as many as possible to get involved and be a part of positive change.
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Kennette Goodman
Job: Legislative assistant and office manager to state Rep. Peter Merideth
Years in Jefferson City: Lifelong resident
Q. What is your background, and how does it relate to the Human Relations Commission?
A. I worked at Lincoln University as an administrative assistant in the Office of Student Support Services, and while at LU I was appointed to the LU Staff Council. I have actively worked with members of the Hickory/Adams Neighborhood Watch group, city local government officials, the police department, as well as other neighbors and community stakeholders to reduce crime on Monroe Street and surrounding neighborhoods and to bring accountability to homeowners that rent out dilapidated houses and apartments.
Q. What motivated you to join the commission?
A. Being a black woman, throughout my life as a resident of Jefferson City I have unfortunately experienced racism, prejudice and bias. I have vivid memories from negative experiences that occurred at various stages in my life. Some of these memories are of blatant racist remarks, but most are of experiences through modern-day systematic discrimination that is encapsulated in our institutions. Additionally, I have worked with under-served and under-represented individuals, which has given me great insight into the barriers and challenges they incur in life. I see this commission as an opportunity to bring progress to our community by educating and implementing new ideas.
Q. What are your top goals for the commission, and how do you hope to accomplish those?
A. I hope to foster a community of inclusion, acceptance and education. Education is the key to achieving both of these goals, and we must all have a willingness to participate in uncomfortable conversations. If a person takes the time to engage in a meaningful discussion with someone with varying ideas, they more often than not will find commonalities that will lead to greater understanding. The exchange of ideas is directly related to the promotion of diversity in our community.
Q. What features do you think Jefferson City offers that will benefit the commission's goals?
A. Being the state capital is a benefit because Missourians from various walks of life visit our community each day - people in rural and urban areas, wealthy and disenfranchised, LGBTQ community members, minorities and people of all religious backgrounds.
Q. What challenges do you think the commission will face?
A. Closed-mindedness because oftentimes this mindset can occur when there is a lack of knowledge and exposure to diversity. By presenting factual history and sustainable solutions, we can counteract prejudice, discrimination, intolerance and bigotry in our community and evoke change.
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Andria Hendricks
Job: President and CEO of Astrada Business Solutions
Years in Jefferson City: 24
Q. What is your background, and how does it relate to the Human Relations Commission?
A. I have worked in several capacities within the community and the business industry, and I am currently completing my doctorate in business administration with an emphasis in management and leadership from Grand Canyon University. There is a lack of diversity in many areas of the community, which hinders the progression, and many people will not ask for assistance or make leaders aware of the problem if there is a lack of relationship. If a leader lacks relationship within the community, they are more likely to lack trust, which means they will continue to be excluded out of the issues that hinder people in the community.
Q. What motivated you to join the commission?
A. Joining the Human Relations Commission will enable me to further assist those whom I work with in the community. I have resided in Jefferson City for 24 years, and I am still finding out about the different resources that are available within the community. I would like to be one of the leaders who can assist anyone with any questions they may have regarding their business, community issues or lack or resources.
Q. What are your top goals for the commission, and how do you hope to accomplish those?
A. I want to make sure we are reaching all demographics in our community. We also need to hear the needs of the community and meet those needs by providing guidance and resources. For the city to make progress, it is imperative that we, the leaders, build relationships based on the trust of the people. We can close the gap by partnering with various entities in the community, like Lincoln University and minority businesses.
Q. What features do you think Jefferson City offers that will benefit the commission's goals?
A. The willingness and objectiveness to see change take place.
Q. What challenges do you think the commission will face?
A. Policy and enforcement will be the largest challenges.
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Patsy Johnson
Job: Retired from Human Resources Department at Missouri Highway Transportation Department
Years in Jefferson City: Lifelong resident
Q. What is your background, and how does it relate to the Human Relations Commission?
A. My work with the Missouri Highway Transportation Department in the Human Resources Department allowed me to gain experience working with human relations.
Q. What motivated you to join the commission?
A. My views of having lived here my entire life is that we are making improvements to infrastructure and beautification but not to areas in relationship-building and inclusiveness, which is required to sustain a good community. My motivation to participate on this board is to bring my talents and lifelong view of the city to help bring about positive change.
Q. What are your goals for the commission, and how do you hope to accomplish those?
A. My goals are to expose and teach about discrimination and allow our citizens to have a voice. I want to implement programs to help teach businesses, schools, the police force, local government and the community as a whole. That will show that including all genders, races and the LGBT community without discrimination in areas of life is the best way to build better relations among people, which will result in a quality community.
Q. What features do you think Jefferson City offers that will benefit the commission's goals?
A. We have a diverse community, historical black college, and gateway between Kansas City and St. Louis. We're in a capital city, we have a business community with close relationships, and we also have a pretty large faith-based community. We have a mayor that cares about the citizens.
Q. What challenges do you think the commission will face?
A. What I believe is we're going to run into people's implicit biases or those knowing but not willing to acknowledge discrimination or bigotry exists. Also, we'll run into people's resistances to change or control and our citizens' complacency.
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Raymond Lee
Job: Assistant pastor at One in Christ Baptist Church; taxi driver for Checker Cab
Years in Jefferson City: Moved to Jefferson City in 2004, left in 2011 and returned in 2014
Q. What is your background, and how does it relate to the Human Relations Commission?
A. I have been in ministry since 2008. During this time, I have been given the opportunity to work with individuals from all walks of life. I have been able to assist these individuals through the knowledge I have gained through ministry as well as my education. This relates to the Human Relations Commission because I have expertise with dealing with people from different backgrounds and cultures apart from my own.
Q. What motivated you to join the commission?
A. The opportunity to serve the people of this community.
Q. What are your top goals for the commission, and how do you hope to accomplish those?
A. My top goals are to discourage discrimination and enforce the mission to foster mutual understanding and respect among all ethnic, racial and religious groups of the city. I would try to accomplish these goals through fostering programs that exhibit diversity and inclusion. These programs will be open to all people no matter their race, ethnicity, religion, sex or sexual orientation.
Q. What features do you think Jefferson City offers that will benefit the commission's goals?
A. Jefferson City offers a Multicultural Festival every year, and I believe this will benefit the Human Relations Commission.
Q. What challenges do you think the commission will face?
A: I believe the biggest challenge the commission will face is educating individuals that "all men are created equal" and have the right to express themselves in such manners that are not directly offensive to other groups.
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Makele Ndessokia
Job: Senior human resources manager at University of Missouri Extension
Years in Jefferson City: 17
Q. What is your background, and how does it relate to the Human Relations Commission?
A. My background is in human resources. They relate in the fact we foster mutual understanding and respect among all people. My work in human resources aligns with the mission of the commission to eliminate prejudice and discrimination.
Q. What motivated you to join the commission?
A. I wanted to be a part of continuing the conversations of diversity and inclusion in our community.
Q. What are your top goals for the commission, and how do you hope to accomplish those?
A. I think the commission is in a wonderful position to collaborate with stakeholders to identify and support efforts around education on diversity and inclusion in our community. I look forward to facilitating community conversations around topics important to the commission.
Q. What features do you think Jefferson City offers that will benefit the commission's goals?
A. The growing awareness of diversity issues has created an opportunity to come together and be intentional in our efforts for improved communication and community.
Q. What challenges do you think the commission will face?
A. Any time you are making efforts toward change, you will find challenges. We will deal with many perspectives and different experiences from people in the community. All of this will need to be considered as we work to cultivate discussions of diversity, discrimination and inclusiveness.
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Mitchell Woodrum
Job: Commodities manager for Missouri Army National Guard
Years in Jefferson City: Four
Q. What is your background, and how does it relate to the Human Relations Commission?
A. I am a full-time officer in the Missouri National Guard. I also serve on four other not-for-profit boards and commissions in Jefferson City and the Mid-Missouri region. My experience serving on not-for-profits and the military has given me extensive experience in leadership, as well as working with and bringing together people from all types of backgrounds. My senior year of college, I also interned at PROMO - a statewide organization that advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality.
Q. What motivated you to join the commission?
A. Equality and fairness for all people has always been a subject that I feel very passionately about. After a few recent events in Jefferson City, I saw the need for this commission. I started working with Mayor (Carrie) Tergin on reviving this commission back in September 2017. Several months of work later, with her help and the support of several city leaders, Jefferson City now will have this much-needed commission.
Q. What are your top goals for the commission, and how do you hope to accomplish those?
A. Educating our community on the importance of diversity in our city is my top goal. We can accomplish this by working with schools, hosting guest speakers to talk on the subject of acceptance, supporting other like-minded organizations, and many more other possibilities. I want this commission to prove to our entire community that regardless of race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, etc., we are more alike than we are different, which will promote a more inclusive community.
Q. What features do you think Jefferson City offers that will benefit the commission's goals?
A. A supportive mayor, such as Mayor Tergin, is an outstanding benefit, and we have a very giving and supportive community here in Jefferson City. We can always improve, but we live in a city that will stand up for a good cause.
Q. What challenges do you think the commission will face?
A. Regardless of how worthy a cause may be, there will always be opposition to what you are trying to accomplish. This could be seen as a challenge, but everyone has the right to their own opinion just as long as we respect each other as human beings.