HomeMy WebLinkAbout24.05.13 Minutes - Diversity and Inclusion CommitteeDiversity & Inclusion Committee Meeting
Meeting Minutes
Commissioners Administrative Building - Room 1301
Monday, May 13, 2024 @ 7 pm - 8 pm
I. Call to Order - The meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm.
II. Attendance: ZSun-nee Matema, Terence Ngwa, Fatima Sakarya, Eric
Schwartz, Angela Yamashita
Absent: Commissioner John Barr, Tiara Burnett, Jeanine Salifou, Melissa
Williams, Alaina Washington (sp?, prospective new member)
III. Approval of April 8, 2024 meeting minutes: Minutes were not available;
tabled for next meeting.
IV. Old Business:
a. Membership - Fatima Sakarya presented proof of confirmation of
oath sworn before county clerk, to Chair Zsun-nee Matema
b. Outreach initiatives:
I A. Yamashita and Z. Matema attended NAACP meeting where
a discussion over ‘food deserts’ and the need for a new grocery
story was discussed
2. Z. Matema attended the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights
meeting at HCC
3. F. Sakarya attended the HARC (Hagerstown Area Religious
Council) meeting for Refugee Welcome Network.
4. A. Yamashita is involved in AAPI (Asian American Pacific
Islander) groups and attended an AAPI Open House. After a
discussion on the fact that May is AAPI month, a motion was made,
seconded and carried to request that the County commission
‘commemorate” the month of May as AAPI month, which should be
presented at the Commission’s next meeting in late May. A.
Yamashita will draft the letter recommending commemoration, and
Z. Matema will present it to D. Marcus, County Clerk, for forwarding
to the Commission.
5. E. Schwartz will be joining as a member of the DEI committee
at Hagerstown Community College.
V. New Business
a. Election of new officers: The positions of “Chair” and “Vice-Chair”
need to be filled as the current terms have expired. Angela Salifou is
newly elected as secretary, so the position does not require an
election of a new officer. The duties of both “Chair” and “Vice Chair”
were verbally read out from the Committee by-laws. Terence Ngwa
was nominated to be chair of the Diversity & Inclusion Committee
and Angela Yamashita, was nominated to be Vice-Chair. Motions
were made, seconded and carried for T. Ngwa to serve as Chair and
A. Yamashita as Vice chair.
V. Commissioner comments:
a. Commissioner was not available at meeting to comment.
VI. Member comments:
a. The feasibility of conducting a “listening” event in Smithsburg was
discussed as was the alternative to holding it in Boonsboro instead, close
to the date when the County Commission meets there on June 11th.
Motion was made, seconded and carried to have a “DI Listening” event at
the Boonsboro library on June 10th, instead of Smithsburg. T. Ngwa
agreed to be the ‘point’ person for reserving a room. The County Clerk will
be advised of this event for purposes of disseminating information to the
public. The history of the DI committee was discussed and past initiatives
and reports were discussed. Approximately 5 reports have been submitted
to the County Commission with DI recommendations since the
establishment of the DI committee. T. Ngwa agreed to share copies of the
reports with other committee members. Discussion made on whether
future reports should be submitted quarterly.
VII. Next meeting: June 10th, 2024, 6:00 pm. Boonsboro Public Library.
X. Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 7:57 pm.