* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.
          YEAH, WE'RE READY TO GO 
          [00:00:01]
THEN. 
          ALRIGHTY. 
          [ AGENDA CULTURE AND DIVERSITY CITIZENS ACTION COMMISSION Remote Meeting August 3, 2020 5:30 P.M.  ]
IT IS FIVE 30 AND WE ARE CALLING THE MADINA, THE CULTURE AND DIVERSITY CITIZENS ACTION COMMISSION TO ORDER AT 5:30 PM. 
          CAN WE HAVE A ROLL CALL PLEASE? YES, MA'AM UH, MIA HONAKER HERE. 
          ERIC STEVENS HERE. 
          YOLANDA STEVENS HERE, RHONDA SIMON HERE. 
          OKAY, GREAT. 
          MOVING TO THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM. 
          WE WILL HAVE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES. 
          WERE THERE ANY AMENDMENTS TO THE MINUTES FROM LAST MEETING? JULY 30TH, NO CHANGES, NO AMENDMENTS. 
          OKAY. 
          THE MEET THE MINUTES STAND AS WRITTEN FOR OUR JULY 30TH MEETING. 
          WE WILL MOVE INTO NEW BUSINESS. 
          WE HAVE INTERVIEWS TONIGHT. 
          WE HAVE FOUR INTERVIEWS FOR TONIGHT FOR THE COMMISSION. 
          UM, AND AS WE DISCUSSED IN OUR LAST INTERVIEWS, WE ARE LOOKING AT MOST QUALIFIED CANDIDATES, BUT ALSO ENSURING THAT WE HAVE A DIVERSE COMMISSION. 
          SO TONIGHT WE'RE STARTING OFF WITH OUR FIRST CANDIDATE GWENDOLYN, FOWL. 
          HELLO, GWENDOLYN. 
          IT'S GOOD TO MEET YOU. 
          I AM YOLANDA STEVENS AND I AM THE COMMISSION CHAIRPERSON. 
          UM, WE HAVE RHONDA SPAM, LYNN MIA, HONAKER AND ERIC STEVENS WHO ARE ALSO COMMISSION MEMBERS AS WELL AS, UH, TONY AND KATIE ARE WITH US FROM THE CITY. 
          SO, UH, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A VERY PRETTY SUCCINCT INTERVIEW TONIGHT. 
          WE HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS TO ASK YOU. 
          WE HAVE 30 MINUTES WITH YOU TONIGHT. 
          UM, SO WE'RE GOING TO GO AHEAD AND JUST DIVE IN OUR QUIET. 
          OUR FIRST QUESTION FOR YOU IS HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A RESIDENT OF HUBER HEIGHTS? AND ARE YOU A REGISTERED VOTER? UH, OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, I'VE BEEN A RESIDENT. 
          YOU WERE HIGHS FOR A LITTLE OVER A YEAR NOW AND YES, I AM A REGISTERED VOTER. 
          OKAY. 
          IF YOU ARE CHOSEN TO SERVE ON THE COMMISSION, ARE YOU WILLING TO UNDERGO A BACKGROUND CHECK? YES, MA'AM. 
          I AM WILLING TO UNDERGO A BACKGROUND CHECK. 
          OKAY, PERFECT. 
          CAN YOU SUCCINCTLY TELL US ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE, YOUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND PERTINENT SKILLS ABILITIES AS IT RELATES TO DIVERSITY AND RACE RELATIONS? OKAY. 
          SO, UM, FIRST OF ALL, MY NAME IS GWENDOLYN FOE AND I AM FROM THE ISLAND TUTUILA OR AMERICAN SOUND MILWAUKEE. 
          IT IS A TERRITORY US TERRITORY LOCATED IN THE SELL PACIFIC SOUTHWEST OF HAWAII. 
          UM, IT'S NOT IN HAWAII, BUT IT'S, UM, RIGHT NEXT TO HAWAII, THE ISLAND RIGHT NEXT TO HAWAII. 
          UM, UH, MY BACKGROUND I'M FROM A DIVERSE FAMILY, UM, FAMILY, MY MOTHER, SHE IS PART TONGAN NOW SHE'S POLYNESIAN AND MY FATHER IS AFRICAN AMERICAN. 
          AND SO AS A YOUNG, WHEN I WAS YOUNG, MY PARENTS, WE USED TO TRAVEL ALL THE TIME. 
          SO I FEEL LIKE I'VE BEEN EXPOSED TO DIFFERENT CULTURES, UH, HOPEFULLY. 
          AND ALSO, UM, UH, WHEN I WAS A COLLEGE STUDENT, I, I WAS A MEMBER OF THE AFRICAN DICE FORUM GROUP. 
          I WAS ALSO A MEMBER OF THE, UM, SOMEONE CLUB. 
          AND THEN WHEN I MOVED TO THE U S UM, I'M A LITTLE NERVOUS. 
          UM, WHEN I MOVED TO THE STATE, THE OHIO, THIS WAS IN 2017, UM, IN THE FALL. 
          SO 2017 AND THEN IT'S WHEN, UH, IN 2018, I, I BECAME AN AMBASSADOR FOR THE IMMIGRANT THE DAY IN FRIENDLY IMMIGRANT, AND THEN THAT'S MY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. 
          I'M ALSO THE, UM, CURRENT PRESIDENT OF THE POLYNESIAN CLUB OR THE SOME OLD HUB IT'S A NEWLY FORMED, UH, COMMUNITY. 
          OKAY. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          YOU'RE WELCOME. 
          CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR UNDERSTANDING AND PURPOSE OF THE COMMISSION AND WHY YOU'RE INTERESTED IN SERVING? YES. 
          UM, FROM MY UNDERSTANDING THE COMMISSION REPORTS TO THE, UH, CITY MANAGER, ANDY, UH, WHAT CITY ON ANY ISSUES OR MATTERS REGARDING THE, UM, UH, ANYTHING THAT LESSENS THE EFFECTS OF THE, UH, CIVIL RIGHTS OR ANYTHING THAT PROMOTES DIVERSITY WITHIN THE COMMUNITY? UM, THE REASON WHY I WANT TO BE PART OF THE COMMISSION IS BECAUSE I WANT TO BE INVOLVED. 
          YOU WERE HIGHS IS NOW MY HOME, 
          [00:05:01]
AND I WANT TO BE PART OF, UH, WHAT GOES ON WITH, YOU KNOW, ANYTHING THAT THAT'S RELEVANT TO THE ANYTHING THAT RELATES TO THE CULTURAL DIVERSITY. 
          SO IT'S KIND OF LIKE A BIG THING FOR ME. 
          OKAY. 
          WELL THIS, SO SINCE THIS IS A NEWLY FORMED COMMISSION, IT WILL BE A COMMISSION OF NINE MEMBERS. 
          UM, AND SO IS WITH ANY THING STARTING UP, IT DOES TAKE A WHILE TO GET STARTED UP. 
          AND THIS IS A PRETTY TIME INTENSE, UM, COMMISSION. 
          WHAT IS YOUR TIME COMMITMENT THAT YOU HAVE TO GET? UM, I HAVE AN EIGHT TO FIVE JOB MONDAY TO FRIDAY, SO I'M PRETTY MUCH FREE. 
          UH, LAST YEAR, IF THIS WAS A COMMISSIONED THAT WAS LAST YEAR, THAT WAS FORMED LAST YEAR, I WOULD HAVE BEEN SUPER BUSY BECAUSE I WAS PLANNING MY WEDDING OF THAT. 
          AND I WAS JUST, YOU KNOW, GRADUATING. 
          I WAS STILL IN SCHOOL, SO RIGHT NOW I'M DONE, I'M MARRIED AND I'M FREE. 
          I HAVE A LOT OF MONEY. 
          OKAY. 
          RIGHT. 
          SO TELL US WHAT YOUR TOP THREE INITIATIVES ARE THAT YOU ENVISION FOR THE COMMUNITY BY THIS COMMISSION. 
          OKAY. 
          SO THE TOP THREE FIRST, I THINK I WILL LOVE FOR THE COMMISSIONER, MAYBE COME UP WITH A DIVERSITY PROGRAM. 
          THIS DIVERSITY PROGRAM WILL EDUCATE THE PUBLIC OR THE RESIDENTS OF UBUR HEIGHTS ON ANYTHING ABOUT DIVERSITY. 
          SECOND, I WILL LOVE FOR THE COMMISSIONER, MAYBE COME UP WITH THE, UH, DIVERSITY DAY OR A, UH, INTERNATIONAL DAY. 
          THIS WILL, UM, SHOWCASE, UH, YOU KNOW, HAVE THE COMMUNITY OR DIFFERENT CULTURES COME TOGETHER AND SHOWCASE THEIR LANGUAGE, THEIR FOOD, THEIR AGAINST IS, YOU KNOW, ANYTHING, UM, UH, CULTURAL, UH, CAUSE I KNOW THERE'S THE, YOU WERE HIGHS IS DIVERSE, BUT WE KIND OF, I SEE IT EVERY ONE WHEN I GO TO STORIES, BUT WE DON'T, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT REALLY OUT THERE. 
          WE DON'T HAVE INTERNATIONAL DAY OR, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT GROUPS CAN COME TOGETHER. 
          THE THIRD ONE, I THINK, UM, IT WILL BE HAVING THE COMMISSION COME UP WITH A NEWSLETTER, SOMETHING THAT THE COMMISSION CAN SEND OUT QUARTERLY OR MONTHLY OR ONCE A YEAR. 
          THIS IS TO UPDATE THE, UM, THIS IS TO UPDATE THE COMMUNITY ON WHAT THE COMMISSION ARE ACTUALLY DOING. 
          OKAY. 
          GOOD. 
          OKAY. 
          GIVE US AN EXAMPLE OF A TIME WHEN YOU HAD TO RESPOND TO A SITUATION, DEALING WITH CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND RACE AND TELL US HOW YOU RESPONDED. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, SO, UH, IN AMERICAN SOUND WALL, WE HAVE THIS, THIS TERM WHERE PEOPLE USE IT'S CALLED, UH, NARROWLY. 
          AND SO THEY REFER TO BLACK PEOPLE AS BLACK THING, BLACK THING, UM, ONE TIME A FRIEND OF A FRIEND OF A FRIEND AND I, WE HAD LUNCH. 
          AND SO, UM, SHE USED THAT TERM. 
          SHE LIKE, OH YEAH, MAN ONLY MERELY MEANS IT'S ALMOST LIKE THE N WORD. 
          UM, SO I DID POLITELY TELL HER, HEY, IF YOU WANT TO BE MY FRIEND, UH, THAT TERM IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. 
          YOU KNOW, AND WORD IS, IF YOU THINK, IF YOU TRANSLATE IT, IT MEANS BLACK THING. 
          I PREFER THAT YOU CALL ME, UH, TEENAGE EARLY, WHICH IS BLACK GIRL OR TATA ONLY, WHICH IS BLACK PEOPLE, BUT NOT NARROWLY. 
          WE'RE NOT THINGS. 
          AND SO, UM, YEAH, HER ARGUMENT WAS, YOU KNOW, OUR ANCESTOR HAS BEEN USING THAT. 
          IT'S A TERM THAT'S BEEN USED FOR YEARS TO SOUND ONES I'VE BEEN USING MAY ONLY, YOU KNOW, WHY, WHY CHANGE IT NOW? AND, AND I SAID, BECAUSE THIS IS, WE'RE A NEW GENERATION. 
          UH, WE NEED TO CORRECT THAT, LIKE MOVING FORWARD, WHY CAN'T WE START USING THE TERM SOMEHOW SOLELY THE CORRECT TERM INSTEAD OF THE OLD TERM, YOU KNOW, INSTEAD OF THAT REALLY OFFENSIVE TERM. 
          SO, UM, I GUESS THAT'S MY LITTLE ENCOUNTER WITH, UM, THE, THE, THE TERM USING THAT TERM. 
          THEY ONLY, UM, IF YOU TRANSLATE IT, IT'S KIND OF HARD TO EXPLAIN, BUT WHERE I'M FROM THAT TERM IS VERY USED COMMONLY AND IT'S A TERM, SO YEAH. 
          SO WHAT WAS THE OUTCOME OF THAT? UM, SHE WAS VERY, OPENMINDED SURPRISINGLY, SHE ACCEPTED IT. 
          SHE SAID, WELL, I'VE NEVER HEARD OF IT THAT WAY. 
          YOU KNOW, MY PARENTS USED IT, EVERYONE, MY GRANDPARENTS USED IT, BUT THEY DIDN'T MEAN HARM. 
          THEY JUST SAID, HEY, OH, LOOK AT THAT. 
          MY ONLY GIRL, LIKE, YOU KNOW, AND I SAID, I KNOW, BUT IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, PUT YOURSELF IN MY SHOES, IT'S VERY OFFENSIVE. 
          LIKE, I'M NOT A THING. 
          I'M NOT AN OBJECT, I'M A PERSON. 
          SO YEAH, SHE, SHE TOOK IT IN WELL. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          GIVE US AN EXAMPLE OF A BIAS BIAS. 
          YES. 
          THIS WILL BE MY FORMER BOSS. 
          UM, HE WAS VERY BIASED AGAINST US FEMALES, BUT FAVORITE FEMALES. 
          SO ANY BIG PROJECT, THIS WAS MY FORMER BOSS. 
          ANY BIG PROJECTS THAT WILL COME UP, HE WILL ALWAYS GIVE IT TO THE MALE IN OUR DIVISION, THE MALES IN OUR DIVISION, 
          [00:10:01]
I GUESS AT THE TIME HE THOUGHT WE WERE NOT CAPABLE OF HANDLING BIG PROJECTS WHEN IT COMES TO CONSTRUCTIONS OR BONDS OR ANYTHING THAT COMES WITH MONEY, HE WOULD GIVE IT TO ME THE MEALS. 
          AND THEN MY COWORKERS AND I WERE TALKING LIKE, HEY, HAVE YOU NOTICED BOSS, MAN, WE'LL GIVE ALL THE BIG PROJECTS TO THE MALE. 
          SO ALL THE GUYS IN OUR DIVISION. 
          AND SO, YEAH, HE HE'S AKA MR. BUYS. 
          YEAH. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          GWENDOLYN, HOW WOULD YOU ADVOCATE FOR DIVERSITY INITIATIVES WITH INDIVIDUALS WHO DO NOT SEE THE VALUE? OKAY. 
          UM, I'VE LEARNED THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE WILL NOT SEE EYE TO EYE WITH YOU ON A LOT OF THINGS. 
          I'VE ALSO LEARNED THAT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE JUST HAVE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE ON THINGS, DIFFERENT BELIEFS, DIFFERENT VIEWS, DIFFERENT OUTLOOKS ON LIFE, BUT THAT'S WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT. 
          WHAT I WOULD DO. 
          UM, I WILL KIND OF TRY TO UNDERSTAND WHERE THEY'RE COMING FROM ALSO, WHAT I WOULD, UH, DO IN MY PART, JUST NEW FOR PEOPLE THAT DON'T VALUE THAT DON'T SEE THE VALUE IN DIVERSITY. 
          I WILL REFERENCE STATISTICS OR RESEARCH. 
          UM, I WILL, YOU KNOW, PULL FAT REFERENCING, HEY, STATISTIC OR STUDY SHOWS OR SO, AND SO DID A RESEARCH ON THIS DIVERSITY IS, YOU KNOW, IMPORTANT. 
          WE NEED TO HAVE DIVERSITY HERE WITHIN THE COMMUNITY. 
          UM, WE NEED TO ACCEPT DIVERSITY, YOU KNOW, BASED ON, I GUESS THAT'S HOW I WOULD. 
          UM, I WOULD, UM, YEAH. 
          OKAY. 
          THIS IS OUR LAST QUESTION. 
          OKAY. 
          OH MY GOODNESS. 
          I'M SO NERVOUS. 
          I GUESS I'M HAVING TROUBLE WITH POWER. 
          SO I'M JUST TO GIVE YOU A HEADS UP THAT I'M FLICKERING IN AND OUT. 
          SO WITH THE STORM COMING IN CASE YOU LOSE ME. 
          SO I'M JUST RIGHT NOW, I'M ON BATTERY, SO I'M OKAY RIGHT NOW, SO. 
          OKAY. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          OKAY. 
          IN YOUR EXPERIENCE, WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES FACED BY MEMBERS OF HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS? OKAY. 
          UM, A LOT OF THEIR VOICES ARE NOT BEING HEARD. 
          THEY DON'T FEEL RESPECTED. 
          THEY DON'T FEEL LIKE EQUALLY THEY'RE EQUAL WITH THE OTHER. 
          UH, THEY FEEL THE HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS FEEL LIKE THEY'RE BEING DISCRIMINATED AGAINST. 
          UM, THEY FEEL LIKE THEY DON'T BELONG. 
          JUST A SENSE OF BELONGING. 
          THEY DON'T FEEL LIKE THEY BELONG, YOU KNOW, UM, IN CERTAIN PLACES IT'S JUST A LOT. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, COMMISSION MEMBERS, DO YOU HAVE ANY FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS TO ANY OF THOSE? NO. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          HE'S GOING TO THE RIGHT JOB. 
          YOU'RE WELCOME. 
          THANK YOU. 
          DO YOU GO INTO LINDA? YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR US? YES, I HAVE ONE QUESTION. 
          UM, SO IS THIS A SET TIME FOR THE COMMISSIONS IN CASE I DON'T GET, UM, I JUST WANT TO CALL IN AND, YOU KNOW, JUST, UH, JUST A PAY AND LISTEN, IS THIS, IS IT GOING TO BE AN EVERY MONDAY THING, UM, ONCE A MONTH, MONTH, OR DID YOU COME UP WITH THE DATE? DO NOT HAVE A SET DATE YET? ONCE WE HAVE ALL OF THE COMMISSION MEMBERS ON BOARD, THEN WE WILL HAVE, WE WILL COME UP WITH THE SET DATE. 
          PERFECT. 
          YOU CAN CHECK OUT THE CITY'S WEBSITE AT ANY TIME. 
          AND THAT LISTS ALL OF THE MEETINGS THAT ARE SCHEDULED THE PUBLIC MEETINGS AND HOW TO ACCESS THOSE. 
          SO WE ALWAYS MAKE NOTICE SOMETIMES ON THE WEBSITE. 
          NO, I WILL DEFINITELY. 
          YES. 
          CHECK, UM, THE CITY'S WEBSITE. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          WE HAD FACEBOOK FOR, UH, ON THE ADVANCED PAGE, SO. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          THANKS GWENDOLYN. 
          THANK YOU FOR SHARING A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR CULTURE WITH US TOO. 
          YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW, A LITTLE CLEAR, I DIDN'T KNOW IF I MADE ANY SENSE AT ALL OR, BUT YEAH. 
          THANK YOU. 
          WELL, THAT IS EVERYTHING. 
          IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS FOR US. 
          OKAY. 
          WELL THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          GWENDOLEN WE APPRECIATE IT. 
          GETTING TO KNOW YOU TONIGHT AND YOU TAKE CARE. 
          YOU TOO. 
          THANKS. 
          BYE BYE. 
          OKAY, SO THAT MEANS WE'RE WAY AHEAD OF SCHEDULE. 
          UM, AS WE DISCUSSED LAST TIME, I DID ASK THE PEOPLE TO LOG IN A LITTLE BIT EARLIER, UH, PRIOR TO THEIR INTERVIEW TIME AND, UH, TO WAIT IN THE LOBBY UNTIL, 
          [00:15:01]
UH, WE WERE READY TO SCHEDULE THEM FOR THE INTERVIEW. 
          SO, UM, SO IF SOMEONE COMES ALONG SOON AND WE'LL JUST GO IN A HOLDING PATTERN UNTIL THAT POINT, HOW DO YOU SPELL HER LAST NAME? OH, YOU OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ALRIGHT. 
          MAYBE YOU LINED UP. 
          YEP. 
          I CAN HEAR YOU. 
          MAYBE THE COMMISSION WOULD IN THE INTERVENING PERIOD OF TIME WOULD WANT TO DISCUSS THE PLANS FOR HOW THEY'RE GOING TO MEET REGARDING THE DECISION MAKING AFTER THE INTERVIEWS ARE COMPLETE. 
          YEAH, THAT'S A GREAT IDEA. 
          UM, SO WE DID NOT COME UP WITH HOW WE ARE GOING TO HANDLE OUR EXECUTIVE SESSION AFTER WE COMPLETE THE INTERVIEWS. 
          SO OUR LAST INTERVIEW WILL BE AUGUST THE SIXTH AT SEVEN, SO WE'LL BE DONE AT SEVEN 30. 
          SO WE NEED TO ESTABLISH A TIME, UM, THAT WE COULD GO AHEAD AND GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION TO TALK ABOUT THE CANDIDATES AND, UH, COME UP WITH THE LIST TO RECOMMEND TO COUNCIL. 
          I THINK THAT ARE THE BEST. 
          THE PREFERENCE PROBABLY WOULD BE IN LIGHT OF TIME WOULD BE TO GO RIGHT INTO THE EXECUTIVE SESSION AFTER THAT LAST INTERVIEW, BECAUSE AUGUST THE 12TH WILL BE OUR KIND OF DROP DEAD DATE TO GET NAMES TO, UM, TONY FOR COUNSEL ON THURSDAY, THAT THURSDAY WE'LL BE DONE AT SEVEN 30 OR MAYBE A LITTLE EARLIER, DEPENDING ON, YOU KNOW, HOW THE INTERVIEWS FLOW. 
          MY ONLY THING IS I WON'T HAVE TIME TO REALLY GO THROUGH THE LAST FOUR THAT WE'VE DONE TO DO THE SHEETS BECAUSE I DO THEM AFTER AFTERWARDS. 
          I GUESS I CAN DO THEM AS WE GO. 
          RIGHT. 
          THAT'S SOMEWHAT, MY CONCERN IS WELL THAT, YOU KNOW WHAT, WOULDN'T GIVE US MUCH TIME TO REALLY GO BACK AND REALLY EVALUATE EVERYONE TO COME UP WITH SOME DECISIONS. 
          BUT IF THAT'S THE, IF THAT'S THE DESIRE, THAT'S FINE. 
          SO YOU SAID WE NEED TO, WE NEED TO HAVE THE NAMES SUBMITTED BY THE 12TH. 
          THAT'S THE DATE. 
          YES, BUT THE TRIALS, BECAUSE THERE ALSO BE A PERIOD OF TIME WHERE THE NAMES OF THE APPLICANTS THAT ARE SELECTED FOR RECOMMENDATION WILL HAVE TO UNDERGO THE BACKGROUND CHECK. 
          UM, AND THEN THAT'LL ASK TO BE COMPLETED IN TIME FOR THE, UH, COUNCIL WORK SESSION ON AUGUST 18TH. 
          IF WE'RE GOING TO MEET THE APPOINTMENT DATE THAT WAS ORIGINALLY SET FOR AUGUST THE 20, UH, 24TH. 
          RIGHT? SO IF WE HIDE, SO THE ONE OPTION IS TO DO IT RIGHT AFTER OUR LAST SET OF INTERVIEWS. 
          THE OTHER OPTION, AS I SHARED WITH YOLANDA IS, UM, THE ONLY NIGHT, THE FOLLOWING WEEK, UH, THAT THERE'S AVAILABILITY FOR THE ROOM TO BE AVAILABLE, UH, WOULD BE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12TH. 
          BUT THEN WE'D BE IN A POINT WHERE, YOU KNOW, YOU'D HAVE TO MAKE A DECISION THAT EVENING THERE. 
          IT COULDN'T BE ANY DELAYING THE DISCUSSION AND BEYOND THAT. 
          SO IT MIGHT BE OKAY, LOOKING AFTERWARDS ONE THURSDAY AND WE CAN TAKE A BREAK IN BETWEEN BEFORE WE GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION, GIVE YOU A LITTLE TIME TO KIND OF TALLY THE, THOSE LAST FOUR. 
          I'LL NEED A LITTLE BIT OF TIME TO SET UP THE EQUIPMENT SO THAT WE'RE ALL STILL CONNECTED, BUT THE LIVE STREAMS CUT OFF DURING THE EXECUTIVE SESSION. 
          SO THOSE DISCUSSIONS ARE PUBLICLY DISSEMINATED. 
          AND THEN, UM, I WOULD REMIND EVERYBODY THAT IN EXECUTIVE SESSION WE'LL REQUIRE A VOTE TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION. 
          I'LL HAVE THE MOTION PREPARED, UH, TO DO THAT. 
          BUT, UM, A MAJORITY OF THE COMMISSION WOULD HAVE TO AGREE TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION FOR THAT PURPOSE. 
          AND THEN ONCE YOU GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION, THAT IS JUST FOR DISCUSSIONS, UH, YOU CAN'T MAKE ANY DECISIONS DURING EXECUTIVE SESSION. 
          SO, UH, THERE WOULD HAVE TO BE SOME KIND OF DISCUSSION PERIOD, AND THEN COMING OUT OF THE EXECUTIVE SESSION, RESUMING THE PUBLIC MEETING, AND THEN YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS AS A GROUP WILL HAVE TO BE, UH, DISSEMINATED PUBLICLY IF AT THAT POINT. 
          OKAY. 
          OKAY. 
          SO I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY 
          [00:20:01]
HAS ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT PROCESS OR, AND THEN I THINK THE OTHER THING YOU MIGHT WANT TO DISCUSS WHILE WE'RE WAITING WOULD BE THE ISSUE OF HOW YOU'RE GOING TO USE THE RATING INDICATORS. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, IT COULD BE ONE OPTION TO JUST USE THEM FOR YOUR OWN PERSONAL INFORMATION AND IDENTIFYING CANDIDATES THAT YOU WANT TO ADVOCATE FOR, TO THE GROUP AS A, AMONG THE FIVE RECOMMENDED FOR APPOINTMENT. 
          UM, OR WE COULD DO SOME TYPE OF COMPILATION OF THE SCORING AND LOOKING AT THAT. 
          BUT I THINK THAT'S PROBABLY A LITTLE RIGID SINCE THE INTERVIEW IS REALLY ONLY ONE PART OF THE DECISION MAKING PROCESS, YOU KNOW, THERE'S OTHER FACTORS TO CONSIDER, INCLUDING THEIR APPLICATIONS AND, AND, UH, BACKGROUNDS THAT WERE SHARED IN THE INITIAL APPLICATION MATERIALS. 
          SO IT'S REALLY BE UP TO YOU GUYS TO DECIDE I WOULD JUST MISS I'M SORRY. 
          NO, THAT'S OKAY. 
          GO AHEAD. 
          KNOWLEDGE IS, YOU SAID YOU COULD START WITH THAT WITH THE COPY OF THE STATION, SEE WHERE THINGS ALIGN AND THEN BECAUSE OF THE OTHER FACTORS, RIGHT. 
          IN TERMS OF DIVERSITY AND WHAT HAVE YOU, THEN WE CHOOSE TO, YOU KNOW, UH, MAKE CHANGES AT THAT POINT AS AN OPTION, RIGHT. 
          AND MAYBE WELL, WAY TO, TO MOVE THINGS ALONG, UM, YOU KNOW, KIND OF LIKE WHAT WE DID WITH THE, WITH THE RESUME SCORING, WHERE WE PUT THE APPLICATION SCHOOL. 
          LET ME SAY THAT AS ONE OPTION IS TO COME UP WITH YOUR TOP FIVE AND COMPILE IT, AND THEN AGAIN, BASED, BUT THEN AGAIN, LIKE YOU SAID, BASED ON HOW THAT SHAKES OUT, WE RECOGNIZE WHAT WE NEED TO HAVE THIS INDIVIDUAL NOW, BECAUSE OF, BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT WE WANT TO CONSIDER THE DIVERSITY OF THE GROUP, JUST OPTIONS THERE, BUT NEVER JUST ONE THING WITH WHAT YOU'RE RECOMMENDING. 
          AND I THINK ME, I ASKED THIS QUESTION AT ONE OF THE PREVIOUS MEETINGS, UH, THE RATINGS INDICATORS, IF YOU'RE USING THEM JUST FOR YOUR PERSONAL USE, IN TERMS OF NOTATION OR KIND OF RANKING THE PEOPLE IN YOUR OWN MIND, THOSE WOULD NOT BE PUBLIC RECORDS. 
          HOWEVER, IF WE COMPILE THOSE ALL TOGETHER AND DISTRIBUTE THEM AMONGST THE COMMISSION MEMBERS, UH, THEN THAT WOULD BECOME A PUBLIC RECORD THAT WOULD HAVE TO BE AVAILABLE TO DISTRIBUTE TO ANYONE, EVERYBODY REQUESTING. 
          I WOULD JUST USE THEM AS OUR OWN PERSONAL. 
          YEAH. 
          SO I DON'T HAVE TIME TO REALLY DO A COMPLIMENT OR WE'RE GOING TO BE RIGHT AFTER THE LAST FOUR. 
          THERE'S NOT REALLY GOING TO BE ENOUGH TIME TO REALLY PUT TOGETHER A FULL, FULL LIST AND TRY TO SET UP FOR AN EXECUTIVE SESSION. 
          SO I WOULD JUST USE IT AS A TOOL FOR US TO CHOOSE OUR TOP FIVE. 
          AND I THINK YOU CAN KIND OF LOOK IN YOUR SCORING, YOU KNOW, THE TOTALS AND IDENTIFY THE PEOPLE THAT YOU THINK ARE YOUR TOP TWO, YOUR APPLICANTS. 
          RIGHT. 
          OKAY. 
          I AGREE UNTIL WE CAN BRING OUR TOP CANDIDATES, UM, TO THAT EXECUTIVE SESSION TO DISCUSS, RIGHT. 
          YEP. 
          THAT SOUNDS GOOD. 
          SO MAYBE WE CAN PLAN ON AFTER THE LAST INTERVIEW IS CONCLUDED MAYBE A 15 MINUTE BREAK. 
          WELL, WE TRANSITIONED THE EQUIPMENT AND EVERYBODY CAN PULL THEIR NUMBERS TOGETHER AND THEN WE COULD GO INTO THE EXECUTIVE SESSION FROM THAT POINT. 
          YEAH. 
          SOUNDS GOOD. 
          SOUNDS GOOD. 
          AWESOME. 
          SO, UH, OUR NEXT APPLICANT HOPEFULLY WILL BE JOINING US MOMENTARILY. 
          UM, I DID ASK THEM TO JOIN AT FIVE MINUTES PRIOR TO THE MEETING TIME. 
          SO WE'RE JUST ABOUT AT THAT POINT. 
          SO HOPEFULLY THERE'LL BE SIGNING IN, IN THE NEXT FEW MOMENTS. 
          AND WHAT IS THE NAME OF THE NEXT CANDIDATE? UH, EBONY FARRELL. 
          THANK YOU. 
          IS THAT F E R R E L L AFI, R R E L L. 
          YES. 
          DORIS FIX MINE. 
          THERE SHE IS. 
          ARE YOU GUYS, ARE YOU WELL, THANK YOU. 
          WELL, WELCOME. 
          WELCOME TONIGHT, EBONY, UM, TO YOUR INTERVIEW FOR THE CULTURE AND DIVERSITY CITIZEN ACTION COMMISSION, I'M YOLANDA STEVENS AND I'M THE CHAIRPERSON AND WE HAVE OUR OTHER THREE COMMISSION MEMBERS WITH US, RHONDA SUMLIN, MIA HONAKER, ERIC STEVENS OF I CAN'T SEE ERIC'S FACE. 
          UM, AND 
          [00:25:01]
TONY IS, ARE FROM THE CITY AND WE HAVE KATIE WITH THIS ALSO AS FAR AS CITY REPRESENTATIVES. 
          SO, UM, WELCOME. 
          AND WE'RE THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO MEET WITH US TONIGHT AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN THE COMMISSION. 
          SO WE'RE KIND OF DIVE RIGHT IN. 
          WE HAVE 30 MINUTES, UM, WITH YOU TONIGHT, SO IT'LL MOVE PRETTY QUICKLY. 
          SO I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND ASK THE FIRST QUESTION. 
          OUR FIRST QUESTION IS HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A RESIDENT OF HUBER HEIGHTS? UM, SINCE I GRADUATED FROM WAYNE HIGH SCHOOL, UM, AND I WORK COME BACK OUT HERE. 
          SO SINCE 2005 DECEMBER. 
          SO WAS THAT 14 YEARS? YEAH, 14 AND A HALF YEARS. 
          OKAY. 
          AND ARE YOU A REGISTERED VOTER? I AM. 
          AND IF YOU WERE SELECTED TO SERVE ON THIS COMMISSION, ARE YOU WILLING TO UNDERGO A BACKGROUND CHECK? YES, I MIGHT ALREADY WENT THROUGH ONE ALREADY. 
          I DON'T KNOW. 
          I SIGNED THE PAPERS WHEN I DID THE, UM, INTERVIEW FOR THE BEAUTIFICATION, UH, COMMITTEE AND I SIGNED THEM BEFORE I LEFT. 
          SO MAYBE THEY DID IT. 
          I'M NOT SURE, BUT YES, I'LL DO A BACKGROUND CHECK. 
          OKAY. 
          ALRIGHT. 
          UM, CAN YOU PLEASE SUCCINCTLY TELL US ABOUT YOUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND PERTINENT SKILLS AND ABILITIES AS IT RELATES TO DIVERSITY AND RACE RELATIONS? OH, THAT'S A MOUTHFUL. 
          UM, AS FAR AS COMMUNITY, UM, INVOLVEMENT, MOST OF MY COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT HAS BEEN IN DAYTON, UM, BECAUSE I'VE BEEN TRYING TO KIND OF FIGURE IT OUT AROUND HEARING HUBER, UM, AS TO WHAT I CAN DO AS A CITIZEN, UM, AND A LONG TIME RESIDENT. 
          UM, AND USUALLY I TAKE JOBS IN THE SOCIAL SERVICE FIELD, HELPING OTHERS, AND I HAVE TO BE CONNECTED TO THE COMMUNITY TO, UM, ADVISE RESOURCES FOR THE INDIVIDUALS THAT I WORK WITH. 
          UM, I AM A PART OF THE REENTRY COMMITTEE FOR, UM, EX-FELONS SO THAT'S COMMUNITY. 
          UM, I SERVE ON THE BOARD FOR THE DATE AND WOMEN'S CLUB, UM, AND I'M IN THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING SOME THINGS THERE TO, UM, ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY YOUTH. 
          SO I DON'T REALLY KNOW IF THAT IN DATING HELPS HERE IN HUBER, BUT, UM, I WANT TO, AND THAT'S THE PURPOSE OF ME APPLYING FOR THE CULTURAL DIVERSITY, UM, COMMISSION, CITIZENS ACTION COMMISSION TO KIND OF ENGAGE A LITTLE BIT MORE, CAUSE I'VE BEEN OUT HERE MOST OF MY LIFE. 
          I HAVE CHILDREN THAT GRADUATED FROM THE HIGH SCHOOL, YOU KNOW, AND FROM THE TIME THAT I WAS IN SCHOOL TIL NOW THERE'S BEEN THINGS. 
          SO I REALLY THINK THAT YOU GUYS ESTABLISH IN SOMETHING LIKE THIS AS BEING PROACTIVE IN A WORLD THAT HAS A LOT GOING ON RIGHT NOW. 
          OKAY. 
          OKAY. 
          TELL US ABOUT YOUR UNDERSTANDING AND PURPOSE OF THE COMMISSION AND WHY YOU'RE INTERESTED IN SERVING. 
          I'M INTERESTED IN SERVING BECAUSE I BELIEVE THAT CULTURAL DIVERSITY IS VERY IMPORTANT IN ANY SETTING. 
          IT ALLOWS DIFFERENT PEOPLE TO COME TOGETHER WITH DIFFERENT VIEWS AND VALUES AND BACKGROUNDS AND KIND OF SHED LIGHT AND, AND OPENING UP, UM, OTHER PEOPLE'S POINT OF VIEW SO THAT EVERYTHING IS NOT SO ONE TRAP OR YOUR TUNNEL VISION, YOU'RE ACTUALLY ABLE TO ENGAGE WITH PEOPLE THAT DON'T NECESSARILY LOOK LIKE YOU AND HAVE DIFFERENT DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS. 
          AND IT'LL KIND OF ENLIGHTEN, YOU KNOW, OTHERS, YOUR BACKGROUND VERSUS THEIR BACKGROUND AND HOW YOU SERVE IN YOUR COMMUNITY, YOU KNOW, WHERE YOU WORK, THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, ET CETERA. 
          OKAY. 
          SO THIS IS, UM, THIS IS A NEW COMMISSION AND IT IS, IT WILL BE A PRETTY TIME INTENSE COMMISSION. 
          WHAT IS YOUR LEVEL OF TIME 
          [00:30:01]
THAT YOU HAVE TO COMMIT? UM, I'M PRETTY, I'M PRETTY BUSY. 
          UM, I HAVE A, A LEVEL OF COMMITMENT FOR THINGS THAT I'M INTERESTED IN. 
          AND SINCE I'VE SET UP A FOUNDATION HERE IN THE CITY, UM, FOR MY FAMILY, UM, EVIDENTLY APPLYING BECAUSE I'M INTERESTED. 
          SO WHATEVER IT REQUIRES, I'M WILLING TO PUT THE TIME IN TO BE A PART OF SOMETHING THAT IS VERY MUCH NEEDED HERE. 
          OKAY. 
          SO I'M NOT SURE IF I CAN SAY I KIND OF DEVOTE 40 HOURS A WEEK. 
          SURE. 
          YOU KNOW, I AM A TEAM PLAYER, SO I'M WILLING TO BE AVAILABLE FOR THINGS THAT, UM, I'M NEEDED FOR. 
          OKAY. 
          OKAY. 
          SO WHAT WOULD YOU SAY ARE YOUR TOP THREE INITIATIVES THAT YOU ENVISIONED FOR THE COMMUNITY BY THIS COMMISSION INITIATIVES? LIKE THINGS THAT CAN ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY, ANYTHING THAT YOU, SO WHEN YOU FIRST HEARD ABOUT THE COMMISSION, MAYBE THERE WERE SOME THINGS THAT POPPED INTO YOUR HEAD THAT YOU THOUGHT WOULD BE GREAT THINGS FOR THIS COMMISSION TO WORK ON. 
          UM, I, WHEN I FIRST HEARD ABOUT IT, I THOUGHT THAT IT WAS, UM, FORWARD THINKING AND IT WAS IT. 
          AND I FELT IN A TIME LIKE NOW WHERE WE'RE GOING THROUGH THINGS ACROSS THE WORLD FOR YOU GUYS TO PUT TOGETHER A COMMISSION TO KIND OF BE PROACTIVE SO THAT IT CAN PREVENT CERTAIN THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY. 
          UM, I DON'T KNOW WHAT I ENVISION OUTSIDE OF. 
          THIS IS A GREAT IDEA AND IT'S DEFINITELY NEEDED, UM, TO ENGAGE OUR RESIDENTS MORE. 
          YOU KNOW, I, I WANTED TO BE ABLE TO SEE PEOPLE OF COLOR IN IMPORTANT ROLES THAT MAKE DECISIONS FOR THE PLACE THAT I HAPPEN TO CALL HOME. 
          SO I DON'T KNOW IF I THOUGHT OF INITIATIVES, I'M PRETTY CREATIVE AND YOU KNOW, WHEELS ARE SPINNING WHEN THINGS COME UP LIKE THIS, BUT IT'S HARD TO KIND OF PUT INTO WORDS, THE ANSWER THAT YOU'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT QUESTION. 
          OKAY. 
          OKAY. 
          CAUSE I CAN TELL YOU A WHOLE BUNCH OF STUFF AND THEN I'M ALL THE WAY OVER HERE AND YOU'RE LIKE, OOH, THAT'S NOT WHAT WE WERE LOOKING FOR. 
          WELL, IT'S WHAT, WHAT, WHAT'S IN YOUR HEART IN YOUR MIND, JUST TO BRING MORE DIVERSITY TO, UM, THE AREAS OR THE PLACES OR THE PEOPLE THAT MAKE DECISIONS FOR THE, THE PLACE THAT I'VE BUILT THE FOUNDATION IN. 
          OKAY. 
          OKAY. 
          OKAY. 
          GIVE US AN EXAMPLE OF A TIME WHEN YOU HAD TO RESPOND TO A SITUATION, DEALING WITH CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND RACE AND TELL US HOW YOU RESPONDED. 
          UM, WELL, MY JUNIOR YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL AT WAYNE, MY ENGLISH TEACHER WAS HAVING SOME TROUBLE GETTING THE CLASS TOGETHER AND EVERYBODY WAS JUST TALKING, WOULDN'T SETTLE DOWN. 
          AND JUST A LOT OF EXTRA, I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THE ISSUE WAS THAT PARTICULAR DAY. 
          SHE JUST COULDN'T GET A HOLD OF THE CLASS. 
          AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT SHE WAS THINKING, BUT SHE JUST, ALL OF A SUDDEN SLAMMED A BOOK DOWN ON THE DESK AND LOOKED STRAIGHT AT ME AND WAS LIKE, HOW WOULD YOU LIKE IT IF SOMEONE CALLED YOU A NIGGER? AND I WAS SO TAKEN BACK BY THAT AND EVERYBODY JUST STOPPED. 
          AND THE FACT THAT I WAS THE ONLY BLACK PERSON IN THERE STUDENT, THERE WERE TWO MIXED RACE STUDENTS IN THERE AND 
          [00:35:01]
EVERYBODY WAS JUST QUIET. 
          AND I WONDER LIKE, WHY DID YOU SINGLE ME OUT? AND WHY WOULD YOU USE THAT TERMINOLOGY IN ENGLISH CLASS OF ALL PLACES WHERE WE'RE TAUGHT TO COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY. 
          SO OTHER THAN MAKE A BIG DEAL OUT OF IT THERE, I JUST QUIETLY TOOK MY THINGS AND LEFT AND WENT AND TALKED TO THE PRINCIPAL AT THE TIME, BARBARA TOWNSEND, YOU KNOW, SHE LET ME CALL MY MOM AND WE DISCUSSED SOME THINGS. 
          SHE TALKED TO THE ENGLISH TEACHER. 
          I'M NOT SURE WHAT HAPPENED IN THAT SITUATION, BUT AFTER IT WAS RESOLVED ON THEIR END AND AFTER I WENT HOME AND TALKED TO MY MOTHER, UM, SHE WAS A LOT NICER TO ME, BUT IT JUST MADE ME FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE IN THAT SITUATION. 
          I'VE NOT HAD ANY OTHER, UM, TIMES WHERE I HAD TO DEAL WITH SOMETHING THAT JUST BLATANT IN YOUR FACE, BUT STILL I CHOSE TO ESTABLISH A FOUNDATION HERE FROM MY FAMILY. 
          OKAY. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          UH, GIVE US AN EXAMPLE OF A BIAS AS IT RELATES TO, LIKE, WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT CAN BE A PERSONAL BIAS THAT YOU HAVE OR A BIAS THAT YOU'VE SEEN EXPERIENCED? UM, NO, I CAN'T THINK OF ONE RIGHT OFF HAND. 
          MAYBE WE'LL COME BACK TO THAT ONE IF WE HAVE LITTLE TIME LEFT AT THE END. 
          OKAY. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          SO TELL US HOW YOU WOULD ADVOCATE FOR DIVERSITY INITIATIVES, WITH PEOPLE WHO DO NOT SEE THE VALUE. 
          I'M A BIG, YOU STILL HAVE TO BE KIND TO PEOPLE AND ALLOW THEM TO VOICE THEIR, YOU KNOW, CONCERNS OR DISAGREEMENTS. 
          CAUSE SOMETIMES YOU JUST HAVE TO AGREE TO DISAGREE, BUT I THINK, UM, BEING KIND ALLOWS THEM TO HEAR YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE CLEARLY. 
          SO EDUCATION THROUGH CONVERSATION. 
          OKAY. 
          ANYTHING ELSE? UM, OH, NO. 
          ABOUT THAT WITH ME THERE. 
          I MEAN, YOU'RE BASICALLY SAYING IF THEY DON'T SEE YOUR POINT OF THINGS, RIGHT. 
          I'M TRYING TO, UM, SHED SOME LIGHT ON CULTURAL DIVERSITY, I GUESS, GIVING THEM INFORMATION FROM YOUR POINT OF VIEW BACKGROUND. 
          I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE I'M GOING IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION. 
          IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING? WELL, IF YOU'RE TRYING TO ADVOCATE FOR SOMETHING OR YOU'RE TRYING TO STAND UP FOR DIVERSITY INITIATIVES FOR TWO PEOPLE OR TWO PEOPLE THAT DON'T SEE THE VALUE OF DIVERSITY, HOW WOULD YOU DO THAT? UM, YOU HAVE TO EDUCATE PEOPLE, MAYBE EVEN EXAMPLES HELP YOU SEE A PERSON'S POINT OF VIEW, A LITTLE BIT MORE CLEAR, UM, LIVING EXAMPLES OF HOW, UM, CERTAIN, UM, THINGS FROM OTHER CULTURES CAN BE A BENEFIT TO ALL. 
          OKAY. 
          RIGHT. 
          BECAUSE ONE POINT OF VIEW, JUST ISN'T GOING TO GET IT. 
          THERE'S MANY WAYS TO DO SOMETHING AND THERE'S MANY VIEWS, NOT ALL OF THEM ARE RIGHT. 
          BUT THE ONES THAT ARE RIGHT, YOU KNOW, I FEEL LIKE WE HAVE TO EMBRACE THOSE AND THEY MAY BE DIFFERENT FROM WHAT YOU ACTUALLY THINK OR FEEL OR WERE TAUGHT. 
          OKAY. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          SO THIS IS OUR LAST QUESTION. 
          UM, AND THEN WE'LL GO BACK TO THE QUESTION ABOUT BIAS, BUT IN YOUR EXPERIENCE, WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES FACED BY MEMBERS OF HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS, THE ADVANTAGES OR THE DISADVANTAGES SPACE? WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES FACED RAISE? OH, I'M MEMBERS 
          [00:40:01]
OF HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS. 
          THERE'S A LAUNDRY LIST OF, UM, UM, SYSTEMATICALLY, UH, SCHOOLS. 
          YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE CHALLENGES THERE FOR MINORITY POPULATIONS, UM, HEALTHCARE, THE WORKPLACE IT'S EVERYWHERE, IT'S EMBEDDED. 
          AND UNLESS WE KIND OF UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S OKAY TO BE DIFFERENT AND TO ALSO EMBRACE THAT, UM, THEY'RE GOING TO BE CONTINUOUS CHALLENGES WITH, YOU KNOW, THE, EVERYTHING IT'S IN EVERYTHING. 
          OKAY. 
          CAN YOU, UM, GIVE US AN EXAMPLE OF MAYBE A CHALLENGE IN ONE OF THOSE AREAS THAT YOU MENTIONED, UH, SCHOOL SYSTEMS. UM, I HAVE BEEN IN QUITE A FEW OF THE DANE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, UM, IN MY ADULT LIFE, YOU KNOW, THROUGH DIFFERENT JOBS. 
          AND I SEE THE DIFFERENCES AND FUNDING FOR THE CHILDREN OVER IN THE CITY, AS OPPOSED TO THE SUBURBAN AREAS WHERE THERE ARE MORE FUNDING, UM, THERE'S MORE ECONOMIC GROWTH AND MORE DOLLARS FLOATING THROUGH. 
          UM, YOU SEE THAT THERE ISN'T, UM, ENOUGH RESOURCES AVAILABLE, UM, BECAUSE OF FUNDING, YOU KNOW, FROM SCHOOL SYSTEM SCHOOL SYSTEM, DEPENDING ON IF IT IS THE CITY VERSUS A SUBURBAN AREA. 
          AND I FEEL LIKE THE CHILDREN LOOK THE SAME, YOU KNOW, AS FAR AS LOOKING INTO THEIR EYES, SEEING THAT THEY WANT TO LEARN, YOU KNOW, THEY DESERVE THE SAME, UM, RESOURCES, SUPPLIES, CAPABLE TEACHERS THAT ARE GOING TO GIVE THEM THE INFORMATION THAT THEY NEED TO FLOURISH AND TO MOVE ON. 
          SO I DEFINITELY SEE IT IN THE SCHOOLS. 
          I SEE IT EVERYWHERE, BUT YOU KNOW, IT WAS SHOCKING, YOU KNOW, GOING INTO SOME OF THE SCHOOLS THAT HAVEN'T BEEN UPDATED AND, YOU KNOW, NOT HAVING JUST SIMPLE SUPPLIES. 
          SO I THINK MAYBE EVEN STARTING THERE, MY, UH, HELP WITH CHANGE. 
          OKAY. 
          OKAY. 
          NOW, DID YOU COME UP WITH AN EXAMPLE OF A BIAS SHE'S HELPED ME TO COME BACK TO THAT ONE BIAS FOR PEOPLE? REPEAT THE QUESTION AGAIN? GIVE US AN EXAMPLE OF A BIAS. 
          UM, I DON'T KNOW. 
          LET'S REPHRASE THE QUESTION PLEASE. 
          CAUSE I'M KINDA STUCK ON THAT ONE. 
          I DON'T KNOW. 
          YOU GIVE ME AN EXAMPLE AND THEN THAT MONEY THEN THAT MIGHT HELP ME ALONG A LITTLE BIT. 
          CAUSE I'M REALLY STUCK ON THAT ONE. 
          WELL, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU THINK OF THE WORD BIAS? UM, I DON'T KNOW. 
          I HAVE A BRAIN FREEZE FOR SOME REASON FOR THAT ONE. 
          I DON'T. 
          OKAY. 
          NO BIASES, STEREOTYPES KINDA, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW. 
          I WOULD SAY STEREOTYPES, UM, OF WHAT YOU MIGHT THINK OF A CERTAIN GROUP OF PEOPLE. 
          UM, BUT THEN WHEN YOU GET TO MEET OR, YOU KNOW, UNDERSTAND THAT GROUP OF PEOPLE A LITTLE BIT, YOU FIND THAT WHAT YOU THOUGHT YOU KNEW YOU DON'T ACTUALLY KNOW. 
          SO I THINK THAT IT CHANGES YOUR WHOLE PERCEPTION OF WHAT THE STEREOTYPICAL, UM, THING WAS, YOU KNOW, ABOUT THEM ALL THIS, YOU KNOW, I THOUGHT THIS OR, AND IT'S NOT EVEN THAT. 
          AND YOU KNOW, THIS GROUP OF PEOPLE WAS ACTUALLY PRETTY NICE PEOPLE SMART, HELPFUL, YOU KNOW? 
          [00:45:04]
SO GIVEN THAT, CAN YOU THINK OF SOMETHING YOU SAID THAT MAYBE A GROUP MIGHT THINK, BUT MAY NOT NECESSARILY BE TRUE? YEAH. 
          UM, THAT, UM, ALL BLACK PEOPLE ARE LAZY OR SELF CENTERED OR ONLY CARE ABOUT THEMSELVES OR, YOU KNOW, AND THEN ONCE YOU ACTUALLY SEE PEOPLE OUT DOING DIFFERENT THINGS AND YOU'RE EDUCATED A LITTLE BETTER AND YOU'RE ABLE TO CARRY ON A CONVERSATION WITH ANOTHER GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE A, UM, A STEREOTYPICAL, YOU KNOW, UM, BUT YOU THOUGHT ONE THING UNTIL YOU ACTUALLY GOT TO KNOW THEM, AND THEN IT OPENS UP YOUR THINKING TO, HEY, I MIGHT'VE BEEN TAUGHT THIS, BUT THAT'S NOT TRUE OR THAT'S NOT RIGHT. 
          OR YOU'RE ABLE TO FEEL EMPOWERED WHERE YOU CAN STAND UP, LIKE, HEY, THAT'S NOT TRUE. 
          OKAY. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          WELL THAT WAS OUR LAST QUESTION. 
          I'LL UM, SEE IF ANY OF THE COMMISSION MEMBERS HAVE ANY FOLLOWUP QUESTIONS THAT THEY'D LIKE FOR ME TO ASK YOU? RIGHT? NO FOLLOWUPS. 
          OKAY. 
          OKAY. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR US? WHAT IS THIS, UM, COMMISSION LOOK LIKE AS FAR AS, YOU KNOW, WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO START, DO YOU KNOW SOME OF THE INITIATIVES THAT YOU'RE GONNA BE STARTING FOR THE COMMUNITY? SO RIGHT NOW WE'RE IN THE PROCESS, OF COURSE, AS YOU KNOW OF INTERVIEWING, UM, AND WE HAVE FOUR, FOUR SEATS THAT WERE, UM, ASSIGNED BY THE MAYOR. 
          AND THEN, SO WE HAVE FIVE ADDITIONAL SEATS OPEN. 
          SO ONCE WE GET THOSE VACANCIES FIELD, UM, THEN WE WILL START MEETING AS A FULL COMMISSION, BUT THIS, THIS CAME ABOUT, THE COMMISSION CAME ABOUT DUE TO, UM, VARIOUS THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING RIGHT NOW, JUST IN THE NATION IN GENERAL. 
          UM, AND ALTHOUGH HUBER HEIGHTS IS A PRETTY DIVERSE, WE ARE VERY DIVERSE. 
          UM, BUT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE INCLUSIVE OF EVERYONE. 
          AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A CREATE A SAFE ENVIRONMENT FOR EVERYONE THAT'S IN AND MAKE IT INCLUSIVE. 
          WE ALSO WANT TO LOOK AT, UM, SOME OF OUR THINGS LIKE OUR HIRING PRACTICES, MAKE SURE THAT OUR CITY STAFF IS REFLECTIVE OF OUR DEMOGRAPHICS. 
          UM, THERE ARE QUITE A FEW DIFFERENT INITIATIVES THAT WE ENVISIONED THE COMMISSION TAKING ON. 
          UM, BUT AGAIN, PART OF THAT WILL WILL COME THROUGH ONCE WE HAVE THE COMMISSION TO ESTABLISH REALLY FIRMING UP SOME OF THOSE THINGS. 
          AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE INTERESTED IN KNOWING WHAT TYPES OF INITIATIVES FROM OUR CANDIDATES WOULD BE INTERESTED IN SEEING HAPPEN, WHICH IS WHY WE ASKED THAT QUESTION. 
          UM, ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD TO THAT? THEN THAT'LL BE ONGOING. 
          IS THIS SOMETHING THAT'S JUST RIGHT NOW? WILL IT BE LIKE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S SOME STUFF YOU'LL BE DOING ELECTIONS EVERY YEAR OR, YOU KNOW, WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? THIS IS AN ONGOING COMMISSION. 
          SO FOR THE COMMISSION, UM, IT IS A THREE YEAR TERM FOR THE COMMISSION. 
          SO AS I MENTIONED, THIS IS THE FIRST FOR HUBER HEIGHTS. 
          SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT. 
          AND IT WILL BE SOMETHING THAT WILL BE ONGOING. 
          WELL, THAT'S GOOD. 
          I GET TO HEAR ABOUT IT. 
          SO I'M LIKE, WOW, THEY'RE REALLY GETTING, YOU KNOW, AHEAD OF THINGS HERE. 
          YES, YES, ABSOLUTELY. 
          THAT'S GOOD. 
          OKAY. 
          ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR US? I DON'T THINK SO. 
          OKAY. 
          ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR ME? SO MANY PEOPLE HERE FOR EBONY. 
          I'M SORRY. 
          WHEN WAS THE LAST PERSON? OKAY. 
          THANK YOU, EBONY. 
          THANK YOU ALL. 
          HAVE A GOOD EVENING. 
          BYE BYE. 
          BYE. 
          BYE. 
          [00:50:07]
YOU'RE ON MUTE TONY. 
          I WAS TRYING TO TYPE, SO I DIDN'T WANT TO BE CLICKING WITHOUT THE SOUND CUT OFF. 
          UM, OR NEXT TIME I GET SHOULD BE JOINING US IN THE NEXT FEW MINUTES. 
          SO YOU WANT TO DISCUSS ANYTHING ELSE YOU CAN FEEL FREE TO. 
          SO, SO THEY JOIN US OR GRAB A BEVERAGE OR A BATHROOM BREAK. 
          I'M GOING TO DO THAT BE RIGHT BACK. 
          SO FOR ANYONE ON THE LIVE STREAM RIGHT NOW, UH, WE'RE JUST IN A SHORT RECESS WAITING FOR THE NEXT APPLICANT TO JOIN US. 
          AND THEN WE WILL RESUME WITH INTERVIEWS. 
          GOTTA GO GRAB ME A QUICK SNACK. 
          IT LOOKS LIKE OUR APPLICANT IS HERE SO WE COULD ASK THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION TO REJOIN THE MEETING. 
          HI. 
          HELLO. 
          HI ASIA. 
          HELLO EVERYONE. 
          CAN YOU HEAR ME? CAN YOU HEAR YOU? HOW ARE YOU DOING TONIGHT, ASIA? I'M GOOD. 
          WELL, WELCOME TO YOUR INTERVIEW FOR THE CULTURE DIVERSITY CITIZEN ACTION COMMISSION. 
          I AM YULE EVENS AND I AM THE CHAIR FOR THE COMMISSION. 
          UM, WE THANK YOU FOR SPENDING SOME TIME, BUT THAT'S WHEN I WAS THINKING FOR YOUR INTEREST IN THIS NATION. 
          THANK YOU. 
          WE'RE GOING TO GET STARTED. 
          WE HAVE 30 MINUTES WITH YOU TONIGHT. 
          WE'RE GETTING A LITTLE FEEDBACK AND ACT OUT FOR SURE. 
          I'M GETTING FEEDBACK TOO. 
          I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST ME. 
          IS IT JUST RIGHT? MAYBE TALK AGAIN. 
          OKAY. 
          IS IT BETTER? OKAY, GOOD. 
          ALRIGHT. 
          FINGERS CROSSED. 
          OKAY, SO WE'RE GOING TO GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED. 
          UM, OUR FIRST QUESTION IS HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A RESIDENT OF HUBER HEIGHTS? AND ARE YOU A REGISTERED VOTER? UM, WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I GREW UP IN PARKTOWN, I GUESS THAT'S KIND OF OUTSIDE OF HUBER HEIGHTS, BUT IT IS HUBER HEIGHTS. 
          UM, SO I GRADUATED FROM BUFFALO BACK IN 2008. 
          UM, I LIVED IN CUBER, I WOULD SAY FOR ABOUT THREE YEARS AFTER I GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL. 
          UM, AND THEN I PURCHASED MY FIRST PHONE BACK IN 2016 IN HUBER AND THEN, UM, MY FAMILY, WE JUST PURCHASED ANOTHER HOME IN CUBA. 
          SO I'VE LIVED HERE, I WOULD SAY PROBABLY FOR A GOOD CONSISTENT 10 YEARS. 
          OKAY. 
          AND IN PARKTOWN IS PART OF HUBER HEIGHTS. 
          UH, IT'S JUST IN A DIFFERENT SCHOOL DISTRICT BECAUSE THE PARTS OF, UH, HUBER HEIGHTS THAT ARE IN MIAMI COUNTY GOT A BAFFLE SCHOOLS AND THE PARTS OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY GOT A HUBER HEIGHTS SCHOOLS, BUT IT'S ALL EROTIC. 
          SO YOU LIVE IN HUBER HEIGHTS THEN ANNEX WHEN I WAS GOING TO HIGH SCHOOL, BUT IT WASN'T ALWAYS HUBER, I THINK LIKE EARLY IN THE EARLY TWO THOUSANDS. 
          YEAH, THEY DID ANNEX THAT AREA. 
          YEAH. 
          OKAY. 
          ARE YOU A REGISTERED VOTER? YES, I AM ALSO A REGISTERED VOTER. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          IF YOU WERE CHOSEN TO SERVE ON THIS MISSION, ARE YOU WILLING TO UNDERGO A BACKGROUND CHECK? YES, I AM. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ALL RIGHT, PLEASE SUCCINCTLY, TELL US ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND PERTINENT SKILLS AND ABILITIES AS IT RELATES TO DIVERSITY AND RACE RELATIONS. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, SO I'VE BEEN WORKING AT SYNCHRONY FOR ALMOST SEVEN YEARS. 
          UM, SEEING BERNIE OFFERS DIVERSITY NETWORK PROGRAMS. SO, UH, THE PROGRAMS THAT I PARTICIPATED WITH SINCE I WOULD SAY ABOUT 2014 IS WHEN I STARTED GETTING ENGAGED, UM, THE DISABILITY NETWORK, THE WOMEN'S NETWORK AND THE AFRICAN AMERICAN NETWORK. 
          UM, SO FOR ME, STARTING OFF, WHEN I STARTED TO GET ENGAGED OR UNDERSTAND WHAT DIVERSITY WAS FIRST OFF, I DON'T HAVE A DISABILITY, BUT THEY ALLOW YOU TO PARTICIPATE IN THEIR NETWORKS TO LEARN ABOUT THE DIFFERENT PEOPLE OR DIFFERENT SKILLS, UM, OR ABILITIES THAT EVERYONE HAS. 
          UM, SO I PARTICIPATE IN DIFFERENT NETWORKING EVENTS THAT THEY OFFER. 
          UM, OUR COMPANY ALSO OFFERS A DISABILITY PROGRAM THROUGH ST. 
          CLAIRE, WHERE THEY HELP YOU GET A POSITION 
          [00:55:01]
AFTER YOU TAKE A FEW COURSES, UM, AT SYNCHRONY. 
          SO I PARTICIPATED WITH THEM. 
          UM, AND THEN FOR THE AFRICAN AMERICAN NETWORK, UM, I WOULD SAY PROBABLY FOR ABOUT FOUR YEARS, UM, I PARTICIPATED IN THE NORTH BRIDGE. 
          UM, BASICALLY IT'S LIKE A MENTORSHIP PROGRAM. 
          SO BASICALLY WE TAKE SOME AT RISK YOUTH, TEENS, AND THAT'S THROUGH GRADES NINE THROUGH 12. 
          AND BASICALLY WE HAVE AN INDIVIDUAL MENTOR. 
          WE TALK ABOUT DIFFERENT TOPICS. 
          SO FOR ME, THAT WAS ABLE TO GET ME OUT IN THE COMMUNITY, UM, INTO A SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT I REALLY DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT. 
          AND THEN IT ALSO GOT ME ENGAGED WITH OTHER PEOPLE WITHIN THE AFRICAN AMERICAN NETWORK. 
          THAT ENGAGEMENT THEN LED ME TO A LEADERSHIP POSITION FOR MEMBERSHIP ENGAGEMENT. 
          SO MY WHOLE GOAL WAS TO HOW CAN I GET MORE MEMBERS INVOLVED IN A N AND THEN HOW CAN I ALSO GET US MORE INVOLVED IN THE COMMUNITY? UM, SO DIFFERENT THINGS THAT I'VE DONE WAS A FAMILY DAY. 
          UM, I HOSTED EVERY YEAR IN HUBER. 
          SO BASICALLY, UH, WE ENCOURAGE LIKE ALL AAN MEMBERS TO BRING THEIR FAMILIES. 
          AND THEN SOMETIMES WE'LL PARTNER WITH A DIFFERENT ORGANIZATION OR DIFFERENT COMPANY JUST TO GET THAT ONE-ON-ONE EXPERIENCE. 
          CAUSE SOMETIMES WHEN YOU'RE TOO PROFESSIONAL, YOU DON'T NECESSARILY GET TO KNOW PEOPLE, BUT BEING ABLE TO BRING DIFFERENT CULTURES AROUND, CAUSE EVERYONE WITHIN THE A AND NETWORK DOESN'T NECESSARILY HAVE TO BE AN AMERICAN, UM, ANYBODY CAN PARTICIPATE, BUT IT ALSO ALLOWS THE ABILITY TO HAVE A PLACE WHERE AFRICAN AMERICANS CAN TALK ABOUT DIFFERENT THINGS THAT DIVERSIFY THEM WITHIN THE BUSINESS. 
          SO WHETHER IT'S MOVING UP OR, UM, LATERAL MOVES OR, UM, DIFFERENT WAYS THAT THEY CAN SAY, FOR INSTANCE, YOU HAVE NO DESIRE TO MOVE UP. 
          HOW CAN I GET MORE ENGAGED IN MY COMMUNITY? UM, SO I KNOW WE DO A SCHOOL READING PROGRAM OR GO TO DIFFERENT SCHOOLS AND READ. 
          UM, SO THAT'S A PROGRAM THAT I'VE ALSO PARTICIPATED IN. 
          AND, UM, I KNOW WITH THE WOMEN'S NETWORK, I'VE ALSO, UH, VOLUNTEER WITH THE ARTEMIS CENTER. 
          UM, SO BEING ABLE TO HELP DIFFERENT WOMEN IN NEED OR SEE WHAT THEIR NEEDS ARE, I'VE NEVER MYSELF BEEN IN A DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SITUATION, BUT BEING ABLE TO LEARN THE DIFFERENT STEPS OR BEING ABLE TO REFERENCE ANYBODY THAT I'VE KNOWN THAT HAS WENT THROUGH THOSE DIFFERENT THINGS, HAVE DIFFERENT PROGRAMS OR THINGS THAT THEY OFFER. 
          UM, SO THAT'S KIND OF SOME EXPERIENCES THAT I'VE HAD, UM, THROUGH DIVERSITY. 
          SO WHETHER IT WAS WORKING WITH THE WOMEN'S NETWORK, UM, JUST KIND OF SEEING WHAT THEY OFFER OR, UM, DIFFERENT PROGRAMS THAT THEY OFFER IN THE COMMUNITY, LIKE WHETHER IT WAS WITH WOMEN SPECIFICALLY OR WHETHER IT WAS JUST GROWTH PROFESSIONALLY. 
          CAUSE THAT'S THE BIGGEST THING. 
          UM, I THINK FOR NIA IS YOUR PROFESSIONAL GROWTH, BUT HOW CAN WE ALSO GIVE BACK? UM, AND THEN, LIKE I SAID, WITH THE A AND NETWORKS AFRICAN AMERICAN NETWORK, UM, MY WHOLE ROLE IS JUST TO FIGURE OUT DIFFERENT WAYS TO BE ENGAGED, WHETHER THAT'S CREATING DIFFERENT FAMILY NIGHTS, CREATING LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES, OR, UM, SOMETIMES WE'LL DO DIFFERENT HEALTH FAIRS, WHETHER IT WAS, UM, I KNOW WE'VE DONE AFRICAN AMERICAN HEALTH OR WE BROUGHT A DOCTOR AND TO KIND OF TALK ABOUT DIFFERENT THINGS THAT WE CAN DO AND AFRICAN AMERICAN MEN OR WOMEN. 
          SO THERE'S JUST DIFFERENT THINGS THAT I PARTICIPATED IN WITHIN OUR NETWORKS THAT I'VE DONE FOR THE NOVICE ALMOST SEVEN YEARS. 
          I'M SORRY, I CAN'T HEAR YOU. 
          WHO WAS THE TARGET FOR THE FAMILY DAY? THE TARGET FOR THE FAMILY DAY IS THE MEMBERS THAT ARE CURRENTLY ENGAGED WITH A N, BUT WE'RE ALSO TRYING TO GATHER MORE ENGAGEMENT. 
          SO FOR INSTANCE, WE'LL SEND AN INVITATION OUT TO THOSE WHO ARE CURRENTLY A PART OF OUR NETWORK, BUT THE IDEA IS, IS HOW CAN WE GET MORE PEOPLE INVOLVED THAT AREN'T NECESSARILY IN A N AND GIVE THEM A COMFORTABLE PLACE TO BRING THEIR FAMILIES, TO BE ABLE TO START CONVERSATIONS THAT WAY THEY CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT THOSE WHO PARTICIPATE IN OUR NETWORK AND THEN HAVE, UM, MORE OF A GENUINE RELATIONSHIP BUILDING. 
          OKAY. 
          RIGHT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          TELL US ABOUT YOUR UNDERSTANDING AND PURPOSE OF THE COMMISSION AND WHY YOU'RE INTERESTED IN SERVING. 
          MY UNDERSTANDING IS JUST TRYING TO BRING IN MORE, UM, UNDERSTANDING WHETHER IT WAS, UM, DIFFERENT DIVERSITY EDUCATION AS FAR AS VOTING. 
          I KNOW THAT'S A BIG THING, CAUSE THIS IS A VOTING HERE. 
          UM, ANOTHER THING THAT I WOULD LIKE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT IS, I DON'T KNOW ALL THE PROGRAMS THAT ARE OFFERED THROUGH YOU BRIAN'S, WHETHER IT WAS FOR THE SCHOOLS IN PARTICULAR OR, UM, IS IT JUST EDUCATION ABOUT DIFFERENT BUSINESSES, UM, WHETHER IT'S AFRICAN AMERICAN OR DIFFERENT CULTURAL BUSINESSES. 
          I KNOW THERE ARE A FEW THAT ARE UP AND COMING. 
          UM, SO I WOULD LIKE TO LEARN MORE. 
          I KNOW I'VE DONE DIFFERENT THINGS AROUND THE DAYTON AREA, BUT HAVEN'T NECESSARILY DONE ANYTHING WITHIN COOPER HEIGHTS OR KNOW ABOUT HUBER HEIGHTS ITSELF. 
          UM, I KNOW I RECENTLY HAD A SON, SO HE'S 
          [01:00:01]
GOING TO GO TO SCHOOL HERE AND HE'S GONNA PARTICIPATE IN DIFFERENT THINGS HERE. 
          SO I WOULD LIKE TO LEARN MORE AND HOW CAN I BE MORE INVOLVED, UM, AND THEN ALSO GIVE BACK, CAUSE THAT'S A, THAT'S A BIG THING FOR ME IS HOW CAN I GIVE BACK WITH THE SKILLS I ALREADY HAVE? SO THIS IS A, UM, A NEW COMMISSION, SO NEWLY FORMED COMMISSION. 
          AND AS PART OF THAT, IT, IT WILL BE VERY TIME INTENSE. 
          JUST THE TOPIC OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY IS TIME INTENSE. 
          HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU THINK THAT YOU HAVE TO COMMIT TO THE COMMISSION IF YOU WERE SELECTED? UH, I'M A CURRENT I'M CURRENTLY I WORK FROM HOME EMPLOYEE. 
          UM, I PRETTY MUCH MAKE MY SCHEDULE, UM, AROUND WHATEVER IT IS THAT I'M DOING. 
          UM, I HAVE PRETTY MUCH HAVE THE ABILITY TO COMMIT ANY TIME THAT'S THAT'S NEEDED. 
          I DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE A NINE TO FIVE. 
          I HAVE TO STICK TO THAT TYPE OF SCHEDULE TYPE OF POSITION. 
          SO I'M PRETTY OPEN TO WHATEVER EVENTS OR DIFFERENT THINGS THAT I WOULD NEED TO PARTICIPATE IN. 
          OKAY. 
          YOU MENTIONED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE OR THOUGHT THAT THE COMMISSION COULD WORK ON. 
          CAN YOU TELL US YOUR TOP THREE INITIATIVES THAT YOU ENVISIONED FOR THE COMMUNITY BY THIS COMMISSION? UM, ONE IS THERE ARE A LOT OF HIGH SCHOOL GRADS THAT JUST GRADUATED. 
          UM, I'D LIKE TO SEE WHAT ARE THE INITIATIVE TO GET THEM REGISTERED, TO VOTE AND EDUCATING THEM ON HOW CAN THEY MAIL IN THEIR BALLOT. 
          I MEAN, IF THERE'S, IF THEY'RE STILL GOING OFF TO SCHOOL, THAT'S ALL REALLY DEPENDING ON THEIR CORONA SITUATION. 
          UM, BUT I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SEE WHAT IS THE INITIATIVE THERE TO EDUCATE THEM AS FAR AS THEIR OPTIONS ON HOW TO STILL REGISTER AND MAIL WITH THEIR BAGS, IF THEY WANT TO DO IT FROM HOME. 
          UM, FOR TO NOW, LIKE I SAID, I, I DON'T KNOW EVERY PROGRAM THAT'S AVAILABLE, UM, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE HOW THE COMMUNITY IS HELPING THE INDIVIDUAL ELEMENTARY OR HIGH SCHOOLS. 
          UM, HOW ARE WE, IS THERE ANY TYPE OF VOLUNTEERS OR ANY TIME TYPE OF MENTORSHIP PROGRAMS? UM, CAUSE I FEEL LIKE HE PROBABLY DOES A GREAT SCHOOL DISTRICT, BUT THERE ARE STILL A LOT OF NEEDS, UM, WITH INDIVIDUAL KIDS, WHETHER THEY'RE SINGLE PARENTS, ESPECIALLY DURING TIME WITH PARENTS HAVING TO TAKE ON THAT ROLE OF BEING THE PARENT, THE, THE TEACHER AND EVERYTHING, WHAT KIND OF DIFFERENT VIRTUAL OPTIONS CAN WE GIVE THE KIDS OR, UM, I KNOW THE COMPANY I WORK FOR, THEY'RE KIND OF DOING LIKE A SUMMER CAMP AND THEN THEY HAVE LIKE DIFFERENT PROGRAMS THAT THEY CAN DO OR LOG INTO TO OFFER KIND OF THE PARENTS A BREAK. 
          SO WHAT CAN HUBER HEIGHTS DO TO OFFER THEIR STUDENTS? UM, AND THEN I THINK ANOTHER THING WOULD BE, UH, I KNOW THERE ARE SOME DIFFERENT FAMILY EVENTS OR DAYS THAT HAPPEN, UM, BUT JUST, UH, A FEW MORE BROADER OPTIONS POSSIBLY. 
          UM, I KNOW LIKE I'VE DONE THE FAMILY UNION PICNIC. 
          I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES WE HAVE AROUND THAT. 
          UM, BUT I KNOW FOR ME THAT BEING A NEW FAMILY, I'D LIKE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT MY NEIGHBORS. 
          UM, ARE THERE BLACK PARTIES OR ARE THERE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT HUBER HEIGHTS CAN OFFER TO KIND OF GET MORE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT? UM, OR IS IT JUST THE PLATFORMS ITSELF? IS IT THAT I DON'T, I DON'T HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE. 
          IS IT THE, IS IT THE SOCIAL MEDIA? IS IT THE COMMUNICATION? CAUSE I DON'T NECESSARILY KNOW ABOUT ALL THE DIFFERENT EVENTS THAT ARE CURRENTLY HAPPENING, SO MAYBE THERE COULD BE SOME POSSIBLE CHANGES THERE. 
          OKAY. 
          GIVE US AN EXAMPLE OF A TIME WHEN YOU HAD TO RESPOND TO A SITUATION DEALING WITH CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND RACE AND HOW DID YOU RESPOND? MMM. 
          I WOULD SAY THERE WAS A, THERE WAS A CULTURAL CONCERN. 
          SO WITHIN THE AFRICAN AMERICAN NETWORK, WE HAVE DEFINITELY BEEN THINGS THAT WE PUT ON AT WORK. 
          UM, ONE OF THE CONCERNS THAT HAD COME UP AS WE DO, WHAT'S CONSIDERED A LIP SYNC BATTLE. 
          EVERYONE KNOWS, EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. 
          THAT WAS KIND OF PLAYED MUSIC AND EVERYBODY WAS SINGING AND DANCING. 
          BASICALLY YOU PUT ON THIS COMPETITION OF WHO CAN DO IT BETTER. 
          UM, SO IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'VE DONE CONSISTENTLY EVERY YEAR. 
          WHAT WAS FEEDBACK THAT I RECEIVED WAS IS THIS, IS THIS THE ONLY THING THAT WE WANT THE COMPANY TO SEE AS THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN INITIATIVE? IS THIS THE ONLY WAY WE WANT TO SEE BLACK PEOPLE? ARE WE JUST ENTERTAINING OR WOULD YOU USE FOR MUSIC? YOU KNOW, WHAT OTHER THINGS CAN WE SHOW SYNCHRONY THAT WERE WERE ABOUT, YOU KNOW, CAUSE THIS IS OUR BIGGEST EVENT OF THE YEAR. 
          YOU KNOW, WE HAVE OVER 300 PEOPLE THAT COME OUT AND SEE US, BUT DO WE REALLY WANT THAT TO BE OUR STAPLE? CAUSE THAT'S A LOT OF THE FEEDBACK THAT I WAS GETTING, UM, WAS IT WAS LIKE A NEGATIVE CONNOTATION TO, YOU KNOW, THE AFRICAN AMERICAN NETWORK. 
          SO THE BIGGEST THING WAS THERE WERE A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT FELT THAT IT WAS NECESSARY BECAUSE YOU HAVE THIS BIG PLATFORM, YOU HAVE ALL THESE PEOPLE THAT ARE COMING 
          [01:05:01]
IN, HOW CAN WE CHANGE THE WAY THAT THEY SEE US? SO FOR ME IT WAS HOW CAN WE ARE GOING TO KEEP THE LIP SYNC BATTLE, BUT HOW CAN WE DO DIFFERENT PLUGINS? SO USING THAT PLATFORM TO SAY, HEY AND SUPPORTING, UM, INTERVIEW SKILLS ARE A IT'S SUPPORTING KIND OF BUILD YOUR RESUME. 
          WE HAVE DIFFERENT PROGRAMS THAT THEY OFFER AT SYNCHRONY. 
          HOW CAN WE PUT IN THOSE PLUGINS ABOUT DIFFERENT THINGS THAT AAN IS DOING WHILE ALSO STILL BEING ABLE TO DRAW ON THE CROWD WITH SOMETHING THAT WE WERE ALREADY GOING TO DO ANYWAY, WHICH IS LIP SYNC. 
          SO I FEEL THAT IT WAS A TOUGH SITUATION BECAUSE WE DIDN'T WANT TO LOSE, UM, PEOPLE ATTENDING OUR EVENTS. 
          UH, BUT WE ALSO WANTED TO THINK ABOUT, OR ADJUST OUR THINKING WITH THOSE EVENTS BECAUSE WE DIDN'T WANT OUR IMAGE JUST TO BE WHERE IT JUST ENTERTAINMENT, WANTING THEM TO ALSO GET SOMETHING OUT OF IT. 
          OKAY. 
          AND HOW DID THAT TURN OUT? UM, SO I WOULD SAY THE BIGGEST TURNOUT FOR ME WAS HAVING MORE PEOPLE WANT TO JOIN. 
          SO WHEN THEY SEE US HAVE FUNNY EVENTS, THEN YOU'RE, I WOULD SAY FROM THE LAST LIP SYNC THAT WE DID LAST YEAR, CAUSE WE DIDN'T GET TO DO IT THIS YEAR FOR THE LIP SYNC THAT WE DID LAST YEAR. 
          I HAD MORE PEOPLE ACTUALLY SIGN UP TO PARTICIPATE. 
          SO WHAT I MEAN BY SIGN UP TO PARTICIPATE IS HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE GOING TO ATTEND THE NEXT EVENT. 
          SO I WILL, IF I KEEP THE METRICS, WHICH IS ALSO WHAT I DO, UM, I'LL SAY IF THERE'S 300 PEOPLE THAT ATTEND THIS EVENT, HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE GOING TO ATTEND OUR NEXT? UM, LET'S SAY WE'RE HAVING A PANEL. 
          I BELIEVE WE HAD LIKE A PANEL FOR MONIES INTO AN EXEMPT JOURNEY. 
          UM, I WOULD COMPARE THE PREVIOUS YEAR, WHICH I BELIEVE WE ONLY HAD MAYBE LIKE 50 PEOPLE, BUT THEN HOW CAN I ATTAIN KEEP THE 50, BUT ALSO INCREASE IT BY SOME SO THAT GOING, I WAS ABLE TO STILL OBTAIN THE 50 PEOPLE THAT WE HAD, BUT ALSO HAVE MORE PEOPLE THAT ARE INTERESTED JUST TO JOIN AA AND THEY DIDN'T NECESSARILY JOIN THE NEXT EVENT, BUT I HAD THEM AT LEAST INTERESTED TO JOIN OUR DISTRIBUTION LIST. 
          SO THAT WAS, THAT WAS A BIG WIN FOR US. 
          WE DIDN'T NECESSARILY GAIN ALL OF THE NEW MEMBERS TO GO TO OUR NEXT EVENT, BUT I AT LEAST GOT THEM TO GET OUR DISTRIBUTION. 
          OKAY, GOOD. 
          GIVE US AN EXAMPLE OF A BIAS. 
          I WOULD SAY I CAN, I COULD USE HAIR. 
          I'M A BIAS, COULD BE A FRIEND OF MINE COULD HAVE BLUE HAIR AND IT COULD STILL BE CONSIDERED PROFESSIONAL. 
          UM, BUT LET'S SAY ME AS AN AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMAN, LET'S SAY I WEAR MY NATURAL HAIR. 
          IS IT CONSIDERED AN UNTAMED? IS IT CONSIDERED NAPPY? IS IT CONSIDERED, UM, UNMANAGED? I CONSIDER THAT TO BE A BIAS BECAUSE IF WE'RE ALLOWED TO EXPRESS OURSELVES, UM, WITH OUR HAIR OR WHATEVER WAY THAT WE WANT IS ONE WAY MORE ACCEPTABLE THAN THE OTHER. 
          NOT NECESSARILY NOT IN MY BOOK, I WOULD CONSIDER THAT A BIAS AND THAT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT'S IN A WORKPLACE. 
          OKAY. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          HOW WOULD YOU ADVOCATE FOR DIVERSITY INITIATIVES WITH INDIVIDUALS WHO DO NOT SEE THE VALUE? I THINK IT'S MORE UNDERSTANDING OF WHY ASKING THEM WELL, WHY DON'T YOU SEE THE VIAL, YOU, THE VALUE? WHAT EXACTLY WOULD YOU SEE THE CHANGE FOR? SO IF I WAS ADVOCATING FOR, I DON'T KNOW, AN APP SAY IT'S A BLACK CULTURAL FEST AND THERE'S PEOPLE THAT AREN'T INTERESTED, I WOULD SAY, WELL, WHAT IS IT THAT YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT AFRICAN AMERICANS? IS THERE ANYTHING THAT YOU WANT TO KNOW? IS THERE ANYTHING THAT YOU WANT TO LEARN? AND I WOULD SHOW THAT THESE ARE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT YOU COULD POSSIBLY GET OUT OF IT. 
          THESE ARE THE BENEFITS FOR YOU. 
          SO FOR ME, IT'S HOW CAN I CONVINCE YOU THAT THIS IS THE BENEFIT VERSUS IT'S A WASTE OF YOUR TIME? AND THE BIGGEST THING IS IT'S HOW THEY APPROACH OF IT AS WELL. 
          UM, I'VE NOTICED OF HOW I, HOW I ADVERTISE SOMETHING. 
          UM, AND THEN WORD OF MOUTH OF OTHERS THAT SPEAK GREAT ABOUT THE BANK CAN ALSO, UM, GAIN MORE PEOPLE THAT ARE, WOULD BE INTERESTED TO ATTEND. 
          UM, AND THEN ALSO, UM, I WOULD SAY PRODUCT PLACE, BUT PEOPLE PLACEMENT. 
          SO IF I'M ABLE TO CONVINCE MY BOSS, WHO'S NOT A PART OF THIS NETWORK. 
          IF I CAN CONVINCE HER TO GO, THEN SHE COULD ALSO, UM, CONVINCE HER PEERS THAT AREN'T NECESSARILY PARTICIPATING THAT, HEY, THIS MIGHT BE A GOOD EVENT TO GO TO. 
          UM, SO I FEEL LIKE THOSE ARE DIFFERENT WAYS, WHETHER IT'S HAVING THE CONVERSATION OF WHY OR WHAT, WHAT EXACTLY WOULD YOU WANT OUT OF IT? UM, AND THEN ALSO WHO'S ATTENDING AND THEN HOW CAN I GET THEM TO TOP A FRAME AND SAID, HEY, WOULD YOU MIND BRINGING SOMEONE 
          [01:10:01]
OR SPEAKING OF POSITIVE ABOUT THE EVENT? ALL RIGHT. 
          OUR LAST QUESTION IN YOUR EXPERIENCE, WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES FACED BY MEMBERS OF HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS? I WOULD SAY FOR ONE THAT I CAN STILL SEE TODAY WOULD BE A GLASS CEILING. 
          I CAN SAY FOR BEING WITHIN THE NETWORK THAT I WORK IN AFRICAN AMERICAN NETWORK, UM, BEING ABLE TO SEE DIFFERENT AFRICAN AMERICAN LEADERS, UM, GROWTH THROUGHOUT THE BUSINESS IS DEFINITELY A STRUGGLE. 
          AND IT'S A LOT THAT I DON'T SEE OR IS IT WOMEN? NOW YOU CAN SAY THAT THERE IS A WOMAN THAT LEADS SYNCHRONY, BUT THERE ARE A LOT OF DIFFERENT PLACES IN THE BUSINESS WHERE YOU DON'T SEE WOMEN OR IS IT AFRICAN AMERICAN MEN? UM, LET'S SAY IN OUR MARKETING DEPARTMENT AND SYNCHRONY AND KETTERING, THERE'S 2,500, BUT THERE'S ONLY ONE AFRICAN AMERICAN. 
          I'M ACTUALLY SEEING THE MARKETING DEPARTMENT. 
          AND THAT'S, THAT'S A BARRIER FOR ME WHEN I SEE IT. 
          UM, OR IS IT THE FACT THAT WE'RE SO HEAVILY LOADED IN SALES DEPARTMENT? HOW CAN WE, UM, GET OUR VOICES HEARD TO BE ABLE TO EXPAND OUR NETWORK AND SAY, HEY, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THESE DIFFERENT PLACES WITHIN OUR BUSINESS THAT COULD USE MORE AFRICAN AMERICAN PRESENCE OR IS IT FEMALE PRESENCE? YOU KNOW, WHY IS THERE ONLY TWO FEMALES THAT NECESSARILY WORK IN A ONE AREA OF MARKETING? OR WHY IS THERE ONLY ONE BLACK MALE OR WHY IS THERE, YOU KNOW, 10 SALES LEADS THAT ARE AFRICAN AMERICAN? ARE WE ONLY, UM, ENCOURAGED TO GO THIS ROUTE? IS THAT THE ONLY ROUTE THAT WE HAVE? AND TO ME, IT'S BEING ABLE TO OVERCOME THAT GLASS CEILING. 
          YOU KNOW, ALSO KNOWING THAT 60% OF THE POPULATION OF AFRICAN AMERICANS ARE NONEXEMPT EMPLOYEES. 
          HOW IS IT THAT WE CAN BREAK THAT BARRIER OF SAYING LIKE, HEY, CAN WE GET MORE OF THEM TO BECOME MANAGEMENT OR LEADERSHIP? UM, SO FIRST ACKNOWLEDGING THAT IT'S AN ISSUE. 
          AND THEN ALSO BEING ABLE TO GO TO THE TABLE AND SAY, HEY, WE'VE NOTICED THIS, WE'VE NOTICED THIS TREND. 
          HOW CAN WE ENCOURAGE OUR LEADERS TO PULL THE NEXT PERSON UP? WHETHER THEY ARE BLACK, BROWN OR BLUE OR WHATEVER COLOR, BECAUSE THAT'S, THOSE ARE CHALLENGES THAT I SEE IS THERE'S JUST ROADBLOCKS AND YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE THE STEPS TO CHANGE THAT, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE ANYONE THAT'S IN SENIOR LEADERSHIP. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, DO ANY OF THE COMMISSION MEMBERS HAVE ANY QUESTIONS TO PIGGYBACK OFF OF THOSE THAT YOU WOULD LIKE FOR ME TO ASK ASIA? NO. 
          OKAY. 
          DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR US? UM, SO WHAT DOES BEING A PHYSICIAN? I KNOW YOU GUYS KIND OF HAD AN OUTLINE, UM, ON THE APPLICATION. 
          YOU ALREADY KNOW WHAT, THE DIRECTION THAT YOU'RE GOING, YOU KNOW, HOW IT'S GOING TO BE EFFECTIVE WITH COVID. 
          I HAD TO MUTE MY MIC AND A MUTED AND A MUTED. 
          I'M GETTING FEEDBACK. 
          ARE YOU GETTING FEEDBACK FROM ME? NO. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, I'M SORRY. 
          I SAID, THAT'S YOUR QUESTION TO GET, SO IN TERMS OF THE IMPACT OF KOBE IT'S THIS, THIS IS A NEW COMMISSION. 
          WE'RE GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS NOW OF FILLING THE FIVE VACANCIES THAT WE HAVE. 
          UM, AND ONCE WE HAVE THOSE VACANCIES FEEL, THEN WE WILL, UM, REEVALUATE SOME OF THE, UH, INITIATIVES. 
          AND THAT'S WHY WE ASKED DURING THE INTERVIEW PROCESS, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE INITIATIVES THAT YOU'D LIKE TO SEE, UM, BECAUSE WE REALLY WANT TO BE REFLECTIVE OF THE ENTIRE COMMISSION. 
          UM, BUT THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS THAT WE HAVE SET FORTH TO, TO LOOK AT TERMS OF THE CITY. 
          UM, MAKING SURE THAT IT'S NOT ONLY DIVERSE, BUT IT'S INCLUSIVE OF ALL. 
          UM, AND THAT EVERYONE FEELS WELCOMED. 
          EVERYONE FEELS INCLUDED AND THAT PEOPLE DO NOT FEEL, UM, IN ANY WAY, UH, DISCRIMINATED AGAINST. 
          UM, WE REALLY WANT TO DEAL WITH THE ISSUES OF RACIAL DISPARITY. 
          UM, WE WANT TO LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, OUR, UH, KIND OF HIRING WHAT OUR CITY HAS REFLECTED OF IN TERMS OF OUR STAFF, SOME DEMOGRAPHICS, UH, POLICE, THINGS OF THAT NATURE. 
          SO THERE'S LOTS OF THINGS THAT, UM, WE PLAN TO LOOK AT, BUT AGAIN, WE'LL START TO REALLY STABILIZE THOSE THINGS AS WE GET OUR COMMISSION UP AND GOING, UM, RIGHT NOW BECAUSE OF COVID, UH, WELL, WE DON'T KNOW HOW LONG THIS LASTS, 
          [01:15:01]
BUT RIGHT NOW ALL OF OUR MEETINGS ARE PUBLIC, BUT THEY ARE LIVE STREAM. 
          LIKE THE INTERVIEWS ARE LIVE STREAM, SO EVERYONE HAS ACCESS TO THOSE. 
          I HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION AS WELL. 
          SO WITH THIS PARTICULAR POSITION, ARE, WOULD THERE BE, WOULD THERE BE ADVOCATION FOR MORE AFRICAN AMERICAN BUSINESSES TO JOIN CUPE RIGHTS? WE WOULD LOVE FOR THAT TO HAPPEN. 
          SO THAT IS ONE OF THE INITIATIVES THAT WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT IS REALLY LOOKING AT, UM, MAKING SURE THAT OUR CITY IS WELCOMING TO MINORITY BUSINESSES. 
          YES. 
          THAT WOULD PRETTY MUCH ANSWER MY QUESTION. 
          YEAH. 
          WELL, IF THAT'S EVERYTHING THEN, UM, THIS CONCLUDES OUR INTERVIEW WITH YOU. 
          IF YOU HAVE NO FURTHER QUESTIONS. 
          THANK YOU, ASIA. 
          I APPRECIATE YOU TAKING THE TIME TO LISTEN TO ME, SPENDING TIME WITH US. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          HAVE A GOOD EVENING. 
          BYE. 
          BYE. 
          YOU'RE ON MUTE TONY. 
          IF YOU'RE TALKING, HE'S TALKING TO ITSELF, WE HAVE JUST A COUPLE OF MINUTES PROBABLY UNTIL THE LAST APPLICANT JOINS US THIS EVENING. 
          SO, UH, JUST AS AN INFORMATIONAL PIECE, I DID, UH, WHILE WE WERE SITTING HERE, SENT OUT THE MEETING NOTICE AND PACKET FOR THURSDAY AS WELL. 
          SO YOU HAVE ALL THAT AVAILABLE TO YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          GOOD STUFF. 
          WHAT WAS HER LAST NAME? WAS IT DARKO? IT'S DARKO, D A R K O. 
          AND THE LAST APPLICANT TONIGHT IS MICHAEL BEST APPLICANTS. 
          [01:20:02]
THIS EVENING. 
          YOU SHOULD BE HERE MOMENTARILY. 
          AND THEN THAT WILL BE OUR LAST INTERVIEW FOR THIS EVENING'S MEETING. 
          I JUST GOT THE EMAIL FROM MR. HE'S HAD SOME TASKS TO DO WITH THE CALENDAR LINK. 
          SO I'M GOING TO RE SEND HIM THE LINK AND HOPEFULLY HE CAN CONNECT WITH US, SO, OKAY. 
          OKAY. 
          I'VE SENT HIM THE LINK AGAIN. 
          SO HOPEFULLY HE'LL BE JOINING US IN THE NEXT FEW MINUTES. 
           GOOD EVENING, MR. YAN. 
          I THINK YOU'RE MUTED. 
          MR. GUY. 
          HOW ABOUT NOW? CAN, CAN HEAR YOU NOW. 
          OKAY, GREAT. 
          GOOD EVENING. 
          THANK YOU. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, ARE YOU JOINING US BY VIDEO, MR. JAEGER? OR WERE YOU, I, UH, LET ME, LET ME LOOK. 
          WE CAN'T SEE YOU. 
          THAT'S WHY I ASKED. 
          OKAY. 
          I LOST MY LINK. 
          SO LET ME HIT THIS THE FIRST TIME EVER USED THIS. 
          SO, UH, I DID SEND YOU ANOTHER LINK IF YOU GOT IT. 
          HOW ABOUT NOW? THERE YOU GO. 
          WE SEE IT. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          OKAY. 
          WE CAN SEE YOU NOW. 
          HOW ARE YOU TONIGHT? I'M DOING GREAT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND YOU ALL, WE ARE DOING VERY WELL. 
          SO WELCOME TO YOUR INTERVIEW FOR THE CULTURE AND DIVERSITY CITIZENS ACTIONS, COMMISSION. 
          UM, THANKS FOR SPENDING SOME TIME WITH US TONIGHT. 
          I AM YOLANDA STEVENS AND I AM, HOLD ON ONE SECOND. 
          I AM THE CHAIRPERSON FOR THE COMMISSION. 
          SORRY ABOUT THAT. 
          AND WE HAVE THREE OTHER COMMISSION MEMBERS WITH US TONIGHT. 
          WE HAVE, UM, MIA HONAKER, RHONDA SUMLIN, AND ERIC STEVENS. 
          UM, AND WE HAVE TONY AND KATIE WITH US FROM THE CITY AS WELL TONIGHT. 
          PLEASED TO MEET YOU ALL PLEASURE TO MEET YOU AS WELL. 
          SO WE'RE GOING TO SPEND ABOUT 30 MINUTES TOGETHER 
          [01:25:01]
TONIGHT, UM, AND GET AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOU. 
          UM, AND THEN YOU CAN ASK US ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE FOR US. 
          SO WE'RE GO AHEAD AND DIVE IN OUR FIRST QUESTION FOR YOU IS HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A RESIDENT OF HUBER HEIGHTS? AND ARE YOU A REGISTERED VOTER? UH, IN A RESIDENT OF SHUBER HEIGHTS? UM, SEPTEMBER, 2002. 
          OH, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO. 
          2001 SEPTEMBER OF 2001 AND YES, I AM A REGISTERED VOTER. 
          OKAY. 
          IF YOU'RE A TOWSON TO SERVE ON THIS COMMISSION, ARE YOU WILLING TO UNDERGO A BACKGROUND CHECK? YES. 
          OKAY. 
          PLEASE SUCCINCTLY, TELL US ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND PERTINENT SKILLS AND ABILITIES AS IT RELATES TO DIVERSITY AND RACE RELATIONS. 
          OH, MAN, IT GOES BACK. 
          UH, UH, I'LL BE HONEST SINCE I WAS A DIVERSITY EVER SINCE I WAS A KID, SOMETHING I'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN. 
          UM, UM, I'M A MENTOR. 
          I'VE ALWAYS BEEN A MENTOR, UH, ON MY I WORK CONSTRUCTION. 
          I WORKED FOR DANA'S AND CURRENTLY I WORK FOR, UH, UH, MESSER CONSTRUCTION. 
          AND EVEN RIGHT NOW WITH MESSER, I'M INVOLVED IN A DIVERSITY, I'M MENTORING DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION, UH, PROGRAM RIGHT NOW. 
          UH, I JUST BEEN HELPING PEOPLE OUT MY LIFE. 
          I USE, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT I, THAT'S WHAT I DO. 
          I HELP PEOPLE AND BECAUSE SOMEBODY HELPED ME. 
          AND SO I BELIEVE EVEN GIVING BACK AND KIND OF SOMEBODY TOOK THE TIME WITH ME. 
          SO I TAKE THE TIME WITH PEOPLE, BUT ALSO I BELIEVE THAT, UH, PEOPLE SHOULD BE GIVEN AN OPPORTUNITY THAT SOMETIMES PEOPLE ARE NOT, UH, GIVEN, UH, THE CONSIDERATION THAT THEY SHOULD BE GIVEN. 
          SO, UH, UH, I BELIEVE EVERYBODY SHOULD BE GIVEN SOME CONSIDERATION IN WHAT IT IS THAT THEY'RE DOING OR WOULD LIKE TO ACCOMPLISH FOR THE CHURCH. 
          AND I PASTOR A CHURCH, TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE DNI, UM, PROGRAM AND THE MENTORING PIECE, UH, ON MY JOB THAT YOU JUST MENTIONED. 
          YEAH, WE JUST, WE JUST STARTED IT. 
          UM, IT'S SOMETHING THAT, UM, UH, THE COMPANY MESSER, UM, AS A VERY PROACTIVE COMPANY, UH, IN REGARDS TO, UH, MINORITIES MOVING UP UP IN THE COMPANY, THEY, THEY WEREN'T SATISFIED WITH THE NUMBER OF MINORITIES WHO WERE ADVANCING AND WITHIN THE COMPANY. 
          AND SO THEY STARTED A PROGRAM THAT WOULD, UH, UH, ACCELERATE MINORITIES ADVANCING IN THE COMPANY. 
          AND SO, BUT EVEN BEFORE THEY DID THAT, I MEAN, I WAS HELPING PEOPLE. 
          I MEAN, I WASN'T JUST HELPING MINORITY BEFORE THAT. 
          I WAS HELPING PEOPLE, UH, PERIOD, BECAUSE PEOPLE NEED TO, TO BE, UH, TO NEED, I'VE BEEN MENTORED. 
          AND I BELIEVE IN MENTORING PEOPLE AND THE PEOPLE WHO MENTORED ME, HELPED ME TO, UH, GET TO WHERE, UH, MY HOPES AND ASPIRATIONS IN LIFE WERE. 
          AND SO BECAUSE OF THAT, I, I REACHED BACK AND DO THE SAME THING NOW WITH MESSER, IT'S ONLY BEEN GOING ON FOR ABOUT A MONTH. 
          SO WE'RE JUST NOW GETTING STARTED STEP PROGRAM'S JUST NOW BEGIN JUST GETTING STARTED, BUT I'VE HELPED PEOPLE, UH, I'VE TAKEN PEOPLE UNDER MY WING AND TRY TO HELP THEM LEARN A TRADE OR, OR OTHER AREAS IN THEIR LIVES WITH THEY'RE DEALING WITH, WITH SOME SITUATIONS IN SOME CIRCUMSTANCES. 
          YES. 
          RIGHT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          TELL US ABOUT YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF PURPOSE OF THE COMMISSION AND WHY YOU'RE INTERESTED IN SERVING. 
          UM, BUT REALLY I HADN'T TO SEE IT ON A W H I O I WAS LOOKING AT MY PHONE ONE DAY AND I SAW IT ON D W H I O. 
          AND, UM, I HAD A COWORKER WHO, UH, UH, HE AND I, WE WERE TALKING SEVERAL A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO AND HE, HE, HE, UH, HE CHALLENGED ME AND WE WERE CHALLENGING EACH OTHER. 
          AND WE SAID, UH, THE BEST WAY, AND THIS IS SOMETHING I'VE ALWAYS BELIEVED IN THE BEST WAY TO HELP IMPROVE A COMMUNITY IS GET INVOLVED AND GET ENGAGED IN THAT COMMUNITY TO YOU CAN COMPLAIN, OR YOU CAN GET INVOLVED OR GET ENGAGED. 
          AND I BELIEVE IN, UM, GETTING ENGAGED. 
          OKAY. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          DO YOU HAVE A CERTAIN UNDERSTANDING OF THE COMMISSION? NO. 
          NO. 
          I'LL BE HONEST ABOUT THAT. 
          NO. 
          OKAY. 
          THIS, SO THIS SAYS THIS IS A NEW COMMISSION. 
          IT WILL BE PRETTY, UM, TIME, TIME INTENSE. 
          WE ENVISIONED WHAT IS YOUR TIME COMMITMENT THAT YOU HAVE TO GIVE THEM? OKAY. 
          NOW THAT IS WHAT I HAVE BEEN WRESTLING WITH BECAUSE I WORK, 
          [01:30:01]
MY JOB TAKES ME OUT OF TOWN A LOT TODAY. 
          I WAS I'M WORKING IN INDIANAPOLIS LAST WEEK. 
          I WAS IN KENTUCKY A MONTH AGO. 
          I WAS DOWN IN LOUISVILLE AND I'VE WORKED THESE NOT WORK, YOU KNOW, CONSTRUCTION ALL DAY. 
          AND THEN, UH, SO TODAY I'LL BE DRIVING BACK AND FORTH TO, UH, UM, INDIANAPOLIS. 
          AND SO MY, MY, MY BIGGEST CONCERN WAS, AND I FIGURED THE INTERVIEW WOULD, UM, WOULD, UM, WOULD, UH, WOULD HELP, HELP, UH, SETTLED, SETTLED THE ISSUE WITH ME IN REGARDS TO DO I HAVE THE TIME, CAUSE I, IF I DON'T HAVE QUALITY TIME TO COMMIT TO IT, THEN, THEN IN MY MIND, AND IT WOULD BE BEST FOR ME TO STEP ASIDE AND ALLOW SOMEBODY WHO DOES HAVE ALL THE TIME TO COMMIT TO IT, BECAUSE AS IT IS, I'M IN A PROGRAM THERE. 
          AND THEN, LIKE I SAID, I HAVE A CHURCH. 
          AND SO THERE'S A COMMITMENT THERE ALSO IN REGARDS TO, TO THAT. 
          SO I'M A FULL TIME, UH, STRUCTURED WORKER, A PASTOR, AND THEN I STILL DO OTHER THINGS, YOU KNOW, AND, UH, IN MY LIFE AND WITHIN THE COMPANY, UH, THIS INVOLVED IN HELPING PEOPLE. 
          SO IF I DID NOT, I DID NOT KNOW HOW MUCH TIME CAUSE UH, UH, UH, TIME COMMITMENT THIS WOULD TAKE. 
          I KNEW IT WOULD TAKE SOME. 
          SO THAT'S WHAT I, I W I FIGURED THE INTERVIEW WOULD, UH, WOULD, UH, I WOULD FIND OUT IF I HAD THAT, UM, UM, ABILITY TO COMMIT THAT TIME. 
          OKAY. 
          SO RIGHT NOW WE DON'T HAVE A SET, UM, 20 HOURS A WEEK OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, BUT IT, BECAUSE WE, IT IS STARTING UP IN, THERE ARE QUITE A FEW ENDEAVORS AND INITIATIVES THAT THE COMMISSION WANTS TO TAKE ON. 
          WE DO KNOW THAT IT WILL BE MORE OF A TIME COMMITMENT THEN MAYBE A LOT OF THE OTHER COMMISSIONS THAT ARE ALREADY DEVELOPED AND HAVE BEEN IN EXISTENCE FOR. 
          OKAY. 
          OKAY. 
          SO THE OTHER THING I WILL SAY IS, UM, I'M A MAN OF FAITH. 
          AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS I SAID, AND I'LL BE HONEST, I SAID THIS TO THE, TO, UH, MY CONGREGATION A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO. 
          I SAID, I NEED Y'ALL TO PRAY FOR ME. 
          I SAY, BECAUSE I'M TAKING ON, UM, I APPLY FOR WHAT WE'RE DEALING WITH ON TONIGHT IS DIVERSIFICATION DIVERSIFICATION. 
          I SAID, AND I DON'T KNOW HOW I'M DOING OR HOW I'M GOING TO DO IT SAY, BUT LORD, TO MAKE A WAY, SOMEHOW IF IT'S MEANT TO BE IT'LL HAPPEN, IF IT'S NOT MEANT TO BE, THEN IT WON'T HAPPEN. 
          AND EITHER WAY I'M GOING TO BE ALL RIGHT, BUT I'M NOT GOING TO WORRY ABOUT IT, BUT IF I'M AVAILABLE AND THE LORD MAKES AWAY, AND THAT HAPPENS IN THE PROCESS, I HOPE TO GROW FROM IT OR GROW THROUGH IT. 
          BECAUSE LIKE THIS TECHNOLOGY, I'M OLD CONCRETE WORKER, THIS IS SOMETHING NEW. 
          SO, YEAH, YOU'RE NOT THE ONLY ONE. 
          THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN LEARNING THIS NEW TECHNOLOGY DUE TO ALL MY JOB. 
          I JUST, ON MY, ON MY COMPANY PHONE, I JUST DOWNLOAD, IT WAS IT'S CALLED MICROSOFT TEAMS OR WHATEVER. 
          AND I HAD TO ASK A YOUNG MAN, HEY MAN, HOW YOU DOING THIS? HADN'T DOWNLOADED. 
          AND SO ALL DAY TODAY, I'M LIKE, NOW I'VE GOT IT ON MY PHONE. 
          I DOWNLOADED IT YESTERDAY. 
          AND IT KEPT, UH, I SAID, MAN, HOW DO I CONNECT? SO I LOOKED AT THE EMAIL AND I HAD TO EMAIL IT THEN RIGHT BEFORE I WAS SUPPOSED TO CALL THE EMAIL DISAPPEARED. 
          I SAID, YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME. 
          SO WHAT I DID WAS I WENT TO THE LINK THAT YOU FIRST SENT AND I JUST PRESSED ON THE NUMBER AND IT BROUGHT ME RIGHT IN. 
          SO IT'S A LEARNING PROCESS. 
          SO THAT'S WHAT I HOPE TO ALSO GAIN FROM IT. 
          YES. 
          OKAY. 
          WELL, YOU DID WELL TONIGHT GETTING IN. 
          SO, UM, TELL US WHAT YOUR TOP THREE INITIATIVES WOULD BE THAT YOU ENVISION FOR THE COMMUNITY BY THIS COMMISSION, TOP THREE, TOP THREE. 
          WELL, FIRST OF ALL, TO BE HONEST, I WOULD HAVE TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON IN HUBER HEIGHTS. 
          AND NOW THAT IS THE, AND I'M GONNA GO AND I'M GOING TO BE, UH, TRANSPARENT. 
          I LIVE HERE, BUT I'M MOSTLY SLEEP HERE. 
          AND SO, UM, I KEEP, I TRY TO KEEP UP AND KEEP IN TOUCH WITH THE NEWS, BUT I REALLY DON'T KNOW A LOT ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON IN HUBER HEIGHTS. 
          I READ THE NEWS, BUT I REALLY DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE COMMUNITY, THAT MUCH ABOUT COMMUNITY THAT I LIVE IN. 
          I'LL BE HONEST THAT I WILL BE HONEST ABOUT. 
          SO I WOULD HAVE TO KNOW IN WHAT AREAS THEY WERE, UM, I WOULD HAVE TO KNOW WHAT THE AREAS OF NEED WERE THAT NICK, THAT WOULD NEED TO BE ADDRESSED FOR ME TO HAVE A, HAVE A, HAVE A GOAL. 
          OKAY. 
          AND I'M JUST GOING TO BE HONEST ABOUT THAT. 
          OKAY. 
          THAT'S FAIR ANSWER. 
          YES. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          UM, GIVE US AN EXAMPLE OF A, WHEN YOU HAD TO RESPOND TO A SITUATION, DEALING WITH 
          [01:35:01]
CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND RACE, AND HOW DID YOU RESPOND? UH, DEALING WITH A TIME THERE'S SO MANY TIMES. 
          OH, OKAY. 
          I'LL GIVE YOU ONE. 
          UH, I'LL NEVER FORGET THIS. 
          AS A YOUTH MINISTER, I HAD A YOUNG LADY WHO CAME TO ME AND ASKED ME SHE WAS CONCERNED ABOUT, UM, IT WAS AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH AND THE HIGH SCHOOL, UH, THAT THEY WERE ATTENDING AT THE TIME I WAS LIVING IN SPRINGFIELD AND THE STUDENTS, THEY WANTED TO WEAR ETHNIC CLOTHING AND THEY WERE UPSET THAT THE HIGH SCHOOL WOULD NOT ALLOW THEM TO WEAR ETHNIC CLOTHING, AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH. 
          AND THEY WANTED ME TO, UH, GO TO THE SCHOOL AND TALK TO THE PRINCIPAL AT THAT HIGH SCHOOL. 
          AND I SAID, I WOULD NOT DO THAT. 
          AND THEY ASK WHY I SAID, BECAUSE THE SCHOOL, FIRST OF ALL, THE SCHOOL HAS A DRESS CODE. 
          AND IF THEY CHANGE THE DRESS CODE FOR YOU AND THEY CAN CHANGE THE DRESS CODE FOR SOMEONE ELSE, I SAID, SO THEN IF SOMEONE ELSE COMES ALONG AND THEY SAY THEY WANT TO WEAR A SLASH STICKERS ON THEIR ARMS, THEN, THEN BECAUSE THEY CHANGED THE DRESS CODE FOR YOU, THEY WOULD HAVE TO CHANGE THE DRESS CODE FOR THEM. 
          I SAID NOT. 
          AND I CAN'T APPROVE, I CAN'T AGREE WITH THAT. 
          SO MY ADVICE TO YOU IS JUST CONTINUE TO WEAR THE, THE, THE, UH, CONTINUE TO, UH, UH, MAINTAIN THE DRESS CODE AT SCHOOL IT'S ALREADY ESTABLISHED BECAUSE IT CAN, IT CAN GET, YOU CAN OPEN UP A CAN AND YOU CAN OPEN UP PANDORA'S BOX. 
          OKAY. 
          OKAY. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          AND HOW DID THAT TURN OUT? TURNED OUT GOOD. 
          AND EVEN ON MY JOB, I HAVE YOUNG MEN WHO COME TO ME AND SOMETIMES THEY ARE MOSTLY MINORITIES AND SOMETIMES THEY THINK THAT THEY ARE BEING HELD BACK AND I, AND I JUST TALK TO HIM AND I JUST TALK TO HIM, I JUST COUNSELING. 
          AND ONE OF THE THINGS I HAVE LEARNED WHEN IT COMES TO DIVERSIFICATION AND INCLUSION IS, UH, OFTENTIMES WHEN A PERSON IS I'M NOT ADVANCING OR THINGS, AREN'T GOING THE WAY THEY THINK IT IS. 
          THEY THINK SOMETIMES THAT SOMEBODY IS TARGETING THEM. 
          AND THAT MAY BE, BUT WHAT I TELL THEM, OFTENTIMES YOU GOTTA LOOK AT THE BIG PICTURE, DON'T LOOK AT THE DONUT HOLE, STEP BACK AND TAKE A LOOK AT THE WHOLE DONOR. 
          I SAID, BECAUSE I CAN NAME YOU SOME OTHER PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT ETHNICITIES, WHO COULD PROBABLY SAY THE SAME THING THAT YOU'RE SAYING. 
          SO THAT'S HOW I DEAL WITH AND THAT'S, AND THAT'S A TRUE FACT. 
          AND THEN THEY SAID, WELL, YEAH, NO, YOU WEREN'T. 
          I SAID, YEAH. 
          I SAID, SO, YOU KNOW, ALL RIGHT, GIVE US AN EXAMPLE OF A BIAS. 
          OKAY. 
          UH, CAN I A PERSONAL ONE? SURE. 
          OKAY. 
          WHEN I WAS A TEENAGER, MY FRIEND, HIS FATHER WORKED AT A, AT A UNIVERSITY, I'LL SAY IT LIKE THAT. 
          AND, UH, UH, BECAUSE IF YOUR PARENT WORKED AT A UNIVERSITY, YOU COULD, UH, USE YOUR PARENTS ID. 
          AND WE WOULD HAVE ACCESS TO THE GYM FOR OPEN GYM. 
          AND IT WAS IN THE SUMMERTIME AND WE WAS AT THIS UNIVERSITY AND WE, IT WAS OPEN GYM AND WE WERE PLAYING BASKETBALL. 
          AND, UH, IT WAS TWO BLACK KIDS PLAYING AGAINST TWO WHITE KIDS. 
          AND THE, UH, UH, UH, ONE OF THE, UH, CUSTODIANS IN THE GYM, THEY CAME TO US AND THEY TOLD US, WE, WE COULDN'T, WE COULDN'T BE IN THE GYM. 
          WE COULDN'T PLAY, WE'D HAVE TO LEAVE. 
          AND, UH, MY FRIEND SAID, BUT I'M SO AND SO, SO, AND I HAVE ID PASS AND, UH, HE SAID TO US, YOU STILL HAVE TO LEAVE. 
          THEN HE TURNED TO THE KIDS WE WERE PLAYING, WHO HAPPENED TO BE WHITE. 
          HE SAID, BUT YOU GUYS, YOU OKAY. 
          SO THAT, TO ME, THAT, THAT'S, THAT'S ONE OF THE BIASES THAT I, I KNOW OF THAT THAT WAS PERSONAL, BUT THERE'S, THERE'S, THERE'S SO MANY, I, I CAN'T EVEN TELL YOU THERE'S BEEN SO MANY THAT I'VE SEEN BOTH SIDES, ANOTHER BIAS. 
          UH, I WENT TO A SCHOOL IN SPRINGFIELD. 
          MY ELEMENTARY AND JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL WERE PREDOMINANTLY, I'D SAY ABOUT 98%. 
          UH AFRICAN-AMERICAN. 
          AND SO, UM, UH, BLACKS WERE THE MAJORITY AND WHITES WERE THE MINORITY, UH, A BIAS THAT I HAD A PROBLEM WITH WAS THAT, UM, BLACKS WERE DISCRIMINATING AGAINST THE WHITES. 
          THE BLACKS WERE DISCRIMINATING AGAINST THE WHITE STUDENTS, AND I HAD A SERIOUS PROBLEM WITH THAT. 
          SO I, AND I DIDN'T APPRECIATE THAT. 
          AND, UM, A COUPLE OF TIMES ALMOST BACK THEN ALMOST GOT IN A COUPLE OF FIGHTS BECAUSE OF THAT. 
          CAUSE I, I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH, UH, UH, ANY, ANY FORM OF DISCRIMINATION OR BIAS PERIOD, REGARDLESS OF WHO IT IS AGAINST ME, WHETHER IT'S RACIAL, ETHNIC, GENDER, UH, SOCIAL, ECONOMIC, ANY KIND. 
          I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT. 
          [01:40:02]
OKAY. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          NEXT QUESTION. 
          HOW WOULD YOU ADVOCATE FOR DIVERSITY INITIATIVES WITH INDIVIDUALS WHO DO NOT SEE ITS VALUE? COOL. 
          THE ONLY THING I KNOW IS, WELL, YOU TALK, BUT THEN SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO HAVE, UH, SOME, UH, UM, HAVE TO HAVE SOME, SOME FOR LACK OF A BETTER WORD, SOME PROTOCOLS, SOME THINGS THAT ALREADY ARE ESTABLISHED, UM, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THE PEOPLE CAN, CAN SEE IT OR NOT CASE IN POINT, UH, SEVERAL YEARS AGO AND WORKING, AND I WAS WORKING WITH A GUY FROM KENTUCKY AND, UM, BASED ON SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WERE GOING ON, UH, I, UH, I MISUNDERSTOOD WHO THEY WERE AND HOW THEY WERE, BUT THE MORE, BUT WE WERE FORCED TO WORK TOGETHER, THERE WAS NO OPTION ABOUT, I DON'T WANT TO WORK WITH HIM AND HE DON'T WANT TO WORK WITH ME. 
          AND BECAUSE THERE WAS A, FOR LACK OF A BETTER WORD, A PLAN IN PLACE, AND THERE WAS NO, UM, AND WE HAD TO WORK TOGETHER, COME TO FIND OUT, MAN, THIS GUY ENDED UP BEING THE BEST OF FRIENDS. 
          AND SO SOMETIMES PEOPLE MAY HAVE A PRECONCEIVED NOTION OR IDEA OR SOMEONE ELSE WHO SOMEONE IS BASED MAYBE ON STEREOTYPES, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, YOU DON'T REALLY GET TO KNOW A PERSON UNTIL YOU SPEND SOME TIME WITH THAT PERSON. 
          YOU GOT TO BE WILLING TO SPEND TIME WITH THAT PERSON THERE'S WORD GATHER OR IN SOME KIND OF HEALTHY AND POSITIVE RELATIONSHIP. 
          AND SOMETIMES, SOMETIMES YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A POSITIVE RELATIONSHIP. 
          SOMETIMES YOU REALLY FIND OUT WHO PEOPLE ARE IN A CRISIS, WHAT THEY'RE REALLY ABOUT IN A CRISIS SITUATION. 
          YOU OKAY. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          UH, WE HAVE ONE LAST QUESTION. 
          OKAY. 
          IN YOUR EXPERIENCE, WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES FACED BY MEMBERS OF HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS? WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES? WELL, ONE OF THE CHALLENGES IS STEREOTYPES. 
          YES. 
          THAT'S ONE OF THE CHALLENGE. 
          UM, THE OTHER CHALLENGE IS, UM, FOR THE ONES WHO ARE, UH, BEING HELD BACK IS, UM, FRUSTRATION AND A SENSE OF HOPELESSNESS. 
          THAT, THAT, THAT IS A CHALLENGE BECAUSE IF YOU'RE NOT CAREFUL, YOU'LL END YOU, THEY WILL GIVE UP. 
          AND THAT'S WHAT YOU DON'T WANT PEOPLE TO DO, UM, THAT YOU WANT PEOPLE TO BE ENCOURAGED AND NOT DISCOURAGED. 
          UM, UH, THE OTHER CHALLENGE YOU NOT. 
          AND I SHARE PEOPLE WITH THIS PERSONALLY, I SAY, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE, YOU NEED TO FOCUS ON WHAT IT IS THAT YOU WANT TO DO AND WHAT IT IS YOU WOULD LIKE TO ACCOMPLISH. 
          UM, UH, IT'S IT'S SOMETIME IS NOT HELPING TO, TO, TO LOOK AT WHAT SOMEONE ELSE IS DOING AND TRY TO BE LIKE SOMEONE ELSE, OR TRY TO, UH, BE IN A PLACE WHERE SOMEONE ELSE IS. 
          NO, BECAUSE YOU MIGHT, THERE MAY BE A PLACE THAT YOU SUPPOSED TO BE THAT, THAT THIS DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY FOR YOU IN THAT PLACE WHERE YOU MAY BE HIGHER THAN OTHER PERSON, IS WHO YOU'RE TRYING TO GET TO, WHERE THEY ARE. 
          MAYBE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE WHERE THEY ARE. 
          MAYBE YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE IN A POSITION OR A PLACE HIGHER THAN WHAT THEY ARE. 
          AND SO THESE THINGS ARE CHALLENGED. 
          THEY, I BELIEVE THAT'S ALSO A CHALLENGE. 
          OKAY. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          THAT WAS ALL OF OUR QUESTIONS. 
          UM, DO ANY OF THE COMMISSION MEMBERS HAVE ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU'D LIKE FOR ME TO ASK MR. YOUNG, ANY CLARIFYING QUESTIONS? NO. 
          OKAY. 
          DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR US? NO. 
          MA'AM NO. 
          MA'AM NO. 
          NO, BECAUSE IF IT'S MEANT TO BE, AND I'M LIKE, THEN WHAT I HAVE LEARNED, LET ME SAY IT LIKE THIS. 
          I DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO COOK. 
          I BECAME A PAPER. 
          I DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO PASS HER UNTIL I STARTED BEFORE I STARTED. 
          I DIDN'T KNOW HOW FORMAL MY JOB UNTIL I STARTED SEEING. 
          SO WHAT LIFE HAS TAUGHT ME, I'LL GO, SOMETIMES I MAY HAVE ANXIETIES. 
          I MAY HAVE DOUBTS. 
          AND I MAY EVEN WONDER, YOU WON'T KNOW UNTIL YOU TAKE THAT STEP. 
          AND THAT'S WHEN YOU FIND OUT WHAT 
          [01:45:01]
YOU'RE CAPABLE OF DOING. 
          AND THAT'S HOW I BASICALLY LIVE MY LIFE. 
          AND THAT'S WITH THAT IS WHY I WASN'T GETTING THE APPLICATION. 
          OKAY. 
          AND YOU NEVER KNOW UNTIL YOU START. 
          THAT'S WHAT I BELIEVE IN. 
          THAT'S WHAT I TELL PEOPLE. 
          AND THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT CHILDREN, AND I TEACH MY GRANDCHILDREN. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          WELL, THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME TONIGHT. 
          AND WE ENJOY GETTING TO KNOW A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, YEAH, I APPRECIATE IT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ALRIGHT. 
          HAVE A GOOD EVENING. 
          GOOD NIGHT AND Y'ALL STAY SAFE. 
          ALRIGHT. 
          OKAY. 
          THAT WAS, HOLD ON. 
          HOLD ON, HOLD ON, HANG UP. 
          YOU'RE ON MUTE, TONY. 
          WE CAN GO AHEAD AND CLOSE OUT THE MEETING. 
          OKAY. 
          THAT WAS OUR LAST ITEM OF NEW BUSINESS. 
          UM, DO WE HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL BUSINESS? NOPE. 
          I THINK WE TOOK CARE OF ALL THAT EARLIER. 
          YEAH. 
          WE TOOK CARE OF EVERYTHING. 
          OKAY. 
          SO WE CAN ADJOURN THE MEETING TONIGHT AT 7:23 PM. 
          SEE YOU ALL ON THURSDAY. 
          GOODNIGHT.
* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.