Okay, thank you, son.
Good morning, everyone.
The May 27, 2022 regularly scheduled meeting of the Neighborhood Education, Civil Rights and Culture Committee will come to order.
It's 9.32 a.m.
I'm Tama Morales, chair of the committee.
Devin, will you please call the roll?
Council Member Strauss.
Present.
Vice Chair Sawant.
Present.
Chair Morales.
Here.
Three present.
Perfect, thank you.
Council Members Lewis and Nelson have been excused from this meeting, so we will go ahead and get started.
If there's no objection, today's agenda will be adopted.
Hearing no objection, today's agenda is adopted.
We'll go ahead and open the public comment period.
I do not see anyone signed up.
Can we confirm that?
There are no public comment registrants.
In that case, I will now close public comment, and we will move on to today's agenda.
We've got several appointments today, and I'm very excited to begin with Agenda Item 1. Clerk, will you please read Agenda Item 1 into the record?
Agenda Item 1, Appointment 2188, Appointment of Hamdi Mohamed as Director, Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs, for briefing, discussion, and possible vote.
Perfect.
Well, thank you so much.
Welcome back, Interim Director Mohamed.
I'm very glad to see you and looking forward to what I think will probably be a very quick conversation.
And good morning, Adiem Emery.
I'm going to hand it off to you to introduce the Mayor's appointee.
Thank you, Council Member.
Council Members, I'd like to thank you for hosting the Mayor, Mayor Heller's Nominee for Director of the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs.
It's my privilege to introduce Hamdi Mohamed to you today.
As Chief Equity Officer, the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs is foundational to my work to uplift the disenfranchised and provide greater access to opportunity.
Since Hamdi took helm at OIRA, she has served as a trusted partner with a deep understanding of the challenges immigrants and refugees experience.
Not only does she bring her personal lived experience, she has built strong connections to dozens of immigrant and refugee populations through her career and through her volunteerism.
This connection with community leaders inspire her ideas and drive her to push her office's mission forward.
The Neighborhoods and Education Civil Rights and Cultural Committee has had the opportunity to hear from Hamdi about OIRS 2022 impressive work plan, and you each had the opportunity to learn more about Hamdi at her first confirmation hearing two weeks ago, which I unfortunately missed.
You've met her, you've met with her, you've heard her ideas, so you don't have to take my word for it.
She's amazing.
I believe that we could not be more fortunate that she's accepted Mayor Harrell's offer to serve.
With that, I'd like to turn it over to Interim Director Hamdi Mohamed for her opening remarks.
And I hope after hearing from her today that none of us will use the word interim title much longer.
So appreciate it.
Thank you, Chief Equity Officer Adhiyam Imri for that introduction.
Thank you for your many years of service to the city of Seattle.
It is truly an honor to work so closely with you.
Good morning, honorable council members of the committee, Council Member and Chair Morales, Council Member and Vice Chair Sawant, Council Members Dan Strauss, and and Sarah Nelson and Andrew Lewis.
I know some of the council members are not here with us, but I still do give them regards.
It is with great honor and privilege to come in front of you again as the interim director of the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs and to seek your appointment.
My drive to serve as the director of OIRA is truly rooted in my personal story and my professional experience.
My story includes the many struggles that our immigrant and refugee communities across this region and nation are experiencing even today.
I often share the history of my family fleeing war and living unhoused for many years.
Because of my lived and professional experience, I have a deep need.
I've gained a deep need and want to advocate and serve our communities and to ensure that they have access to services, programs, and pathways to economic success.
Like many families, my family came to Seattle to build a better life and to contribute to our new home.
Also, like many young refugee and migrant children, I watched my relatives work multiple jobs and still struggle.
I grew up watching my mother juggle her job at SeaTac Airport, her job as a daycare provider, and her home responsibilities.
I watched My siblings work in the food service industry.
They were proud members of union members.
When I was 15 years old, I started working at our local elementary school tutoring and at our local businesses in Westwood Village in West Seattle to help my family make ends meet.
My family somehow really managed to survive and thrive throughout this region.
And today my goal is to ensure that OIRA meets that unique needs, the unique needs of our Seattle's most vulnerable immigrant and refugee communities and to help provide the services and programs that truly allows me to be here today.
My goal is to ensure that newcomers have equitable opportunities to thrive by helping streamline our services throughout the city of Seattle's infrastructure.
I believe that our local government is uniquely positioned to deliver equitable services, programs, policies through collaboration between our city departments, our counties, to ensure that our immigrant and refugee populations can survive and thrive.
I want my story not to be an exception, but to be the rule and the norm for families in Seattle.
I want the norm to be that you can arrive in Seattle, a welcoming region, and access the resources and tools you need to succeed.
Thank you all for this opportunity to seek your appointment today.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
I think I've said it many times already, but I couldn't be happier to have you in front of us for this vote.
As you've said, as everybody has been talking about, your deep commitment, your deep involvement with our immigrant and refugee community members for years has been well-noted, well-documented.
Both your professional and personal life really demonstrate the work that you do and your commitment to serving our neighbors.
I have seen just in your short time in this position already, you know, accompanying us to or inviting us to accompany you to Chinatown International District to hear from immigrant owned business owners about the challenges that they're facing and the needs that the city still needs to meet in order for them to be successful.
So I'm looking forward to continuing to work with you and I'm very thankful that you are here.
Colleagues, are there any questions or comments before we take a vote?
I do not see any.
So thank you very much.
Thank you, Chief Equity Officer Emery for being here.
Council members, I move that the committee recommends approval of appointment 02188. Is there a second?
Second.
Thank you, Council Member Sawant.
It's been moved and seconded to recommend approval.
Will the clerk please call the roll?
Council Member Strauss?
Absolutely, yes.
Vice Chair Sawant?
Yes.
Chair Morales?
Yes.
Three in favor.
Excellent.
Thank you very much.
The motion carries.
The committee recommendation that the council approve this appointment will be sent to the June 7th City Council meeting.
So we will see you there, Director Muhammad, and looking forward to it.
Congratulations.
Thank you.
See you later.
Okay.
Very good.
Will the clerk please read item two into the record?
Agenda item 2, appointment 2192, reappointment of Stephen Prey as member of Seattle LGBTQ Commission for a term to October 31st, 2023, for briefing, discussion, and possible vote.
Thank you very much.
So this is a reappointment, which means that Mr. Prey is not here, but we do have Janet Stafford from the Office of Civil Rights to speak to the appointment.
So Janet, I'll hand it off to you.
Yes, thank you so much for the introduction.
Again, my name is Janet Stafford, and I am one of the commission liaisons within the Seattle Office for Civil Rights.
One of the four commissions that are housed under our office is the Seattle LGBTQ Commission.
And some of the work that they have supported during COVID has included video series surrounding Pride spirit and working to propose budget increases to fund trans-centered programming within the city.
Currently, they are working in collaboration to hold the annual flag raising for Pride at City Hall on June 1st.
And so with that, I do want to share a little bit more about Stephen Prey.
Stephen Prey grew up in the Kent, Washington area and attended Central Washington University for his undergrad.
He then moved to Seattle in 2015 to start a law degree at Seattle University and has been in the city ever since.
And after law school, he began working as a union rep at Protech 17 with his primary assignment being the city of Seattle.
And for the last year, he has been serving as a commissioner on the Seattle LGBTQ Commission.
He is currently serving as a chair of the Commission Operations Committee, and he's looking forward to his continued work on the commission.
Thank you.
Thank you so much, Janet.
As Mr. Prey isn't here, we will not ask him questions, but I'm glad to know that he is willing to continue serving.
That's, as I've said many times before, these commissions are important.
They offer guidance to us as policymakers and really hold us accountable as policymakers as well.
So I appreciate his willingness to continue to serve.
Council members, if anybody has comments or questions, I will make that offer.
Okay.
In that case, I move the committee recommends approval of appointment 02192. Is there a second?
Second.
Thank you.
It's been moved and seconded.
Will the clerk please call the roll?
Council Member Strauss?
Yes.
Vice Chair Sawant?
Yes.
Chair Morales?
Yes.
Three in favor.
Thank you.
The motion carries and the committee recommendation that the council approve the appointment will be sent to the June 7th City Council meeting.
Thank you very much for being here, Janet.
Appreciate it.
Thank you.
OK.
Will Fenway please read items three through eight into the record?
Yes, and Chair, I just want to let you know that we just got word from the Department of Neighborhoods that item six, appointment 2177 for Julian Chong, they've chosen to withdraw themselves.
So we'll just want to pull that one out and vote individually.
So I'll read 3 through 5 and then 7 through 8. So agenda items 3 through 5 and 7 through 8, 2174, 2175, 2176, 2178, and 2179. Appointments of Paulina Adonis, Tati Wyatt Buck, Caroline Carter, Kayla Haley, And Nyla Moxley is members of the Seattle Youth Commission for a term to August 31st, 2023 for briefing discussion and possible vote.
Okay, thank you very much, Devin, for that clarification.
Okay, so I am going to pass it to our Department of Neighborhoods representative, Oswaldo Hernandez-Sagun, to speak to the appointments, and then we will discuss the other, the person, I think we've got two people who have withdrawn, so we'll discuss that afterwards.
So please, Oswaldo, I'll hand it off to you.
You are still muted.
Can you hear me?
Okay.
Please go ahead.
Can you hear me?
Yes.
Hold on a second.
I am having an issue.
Okay.
I think I can hear you now.
Okay.
We don't see you, but we can hear you.
So please go ahead.
Perfect, yeah, I'm having a bad technical issue today.
So you're gonna hear me today, but you have a beautiful picture on there for you to see.
Thank you so much for opening this up for the Seattle Youth Commission.
My name is Osvaldo and I am the liaison with the Department of Neighborhoods.
I'm also the community engagement coordinator in the north end of the city.
Is there a particular order you want me to, but I would like to speak a little bit about each of the appointees today.
So I have Pauline.
Pauline Adonis is an 11th grader from Franklin High School.
And I'd like to read.
I asked him to provide a little bit about themselves that I could share with the council for the committee today.
So I'm going to share a little bit about them.
But they are first time appointee to the Youth Commission.
And I'm going to read and I'm going to do a couple of quotes per appointee first.
Pauline says she applied to the Youth Commission because she wanted to get more involved in community.
She heard about the ability to be able to form relationships, not only with city officials, but also with peers who are interested in serving the communities as well.
She believes it's a chance for her to voice her opinions, especially when it comes to youth of color voices, because she believes they're often undermined by those in power.
There are many issues that she wants to tackle, and she'd like to bring her skills and experience to help advise those in city council to make decisions to benefit youth and take them into consideration.
I asked him about what issues they think are very important to them, but here Pauline said that One of the things that brings her to the Youth Commission are the issues that affect BIPOC youth the most.
The lack of funding in southern schools and just the ability to provide a better quality of education and experience for students of color in schools are very important to her.
And then I asked him, what is one of the challenges that is very, what is a current pressing challenge that brings him to be an active member of society?
And she said, the most important challenge with race studies for her is racism.
Without a doubt, racism affects, quote, many of the institutions in our society, with Seattle government being no exception.
Racism is an issue that is woven into the fabric of a country it's founded on.
And I think it is important we do all we can to combat the issue on all levels, big and small.
Pauline is not on the call, so I don't believe she'll be able to, we'll have no questions for her.
And then you said, what's the other one, Council Member?
I'm sorry if I'm mispronouncing your name, Tatubia.
Oh yeah, okay, yeah.
Yeah.
Who is on the call, so.
Yeah, hi.
So Tati Wyatt is, I'll speak a little bit about her.
She's a ninth grade freshman at the Northwest School in the Capitol Hill neighborhood.
A couple things about her.
She says she's very passionate to create positive change in my communities, especially for youth.
Historically, my communities have been marginalized from civics leadership opportunities.
I think the Seattle Youth Commission will be a great opportunity for me to get experience collaborating with other youth who are interested in organizing and leadership.
When I asked about things that, what are the issues affecting youth that she thinks, she said there's so many issues and topics that she's very passionate about, but the most one is the increasing number of underrepresented minority healthcare professionals.
She's always wanted to be a doctor since second grade, and in her life she has overcome many health challenges as a scholar athlete.
My indigenous quote, my indigenous community suffer from numerous health disparities, and she'd like to be part of solving that problem.
One of the pressing issues she wants to tackle, she says there are many pressing challenges happening around the world, climate change, war, food insecurity, There are many present challenges happening in the city of Seattle, including homelessness, salmon recovery, and drug addiction.
There are many present challenges happening here in the US, but she's excited to be able to bring her passion of athletics, but also her representation into the work of the Youth Commission.
Terrific.
Well, let's take a pause for just a minute there, Mr. Hernandez, and allow Tatuay a chance to speak, if you don't mind.
Can you just talk for a minute about what you're interested in and the role that you think you can play on the Seattle Youth Commission?
Yeah, thank you for that.
Um, yeah, I'm Tutu Wyatt.
I use sheer pronouns.
I'm a freshman.
And I think on the Seattle Youth Council, like I'll be able to, like provide, like a new perspective, like as an indigenous person, like we're really underrepresented in like many roles, especially like in political leadership roles.
Like growing up, I never had that role model who was that like leader who I could identify with.
And it's like being here on this commission, I'll be able to be like the role model I didn't have, but also like learn and gain new skills and share my perspective.
Terrific.
Well, thank you.
Thank you for applying and thank you for being here this morning.
Please go ahead, Mr. Anambis.
Who do you have next on your list?
Next I have Caroline Carter who is also here with us.
Perfect, yes.
I was thinking a little bit more confusing.
Caroline Carter.
Caroline, also for just awareness, because of the pandemic, I have had not the pleasure of meeting them in person or having a lot of chance to spend with them because we have not been appointed.
So I'm reading off other application and questions that I asked, but I hope that you don't think that the relationship will begin once the appointment is made.
But Caroline is a ninth grader at Lakeside School.
She lives in the Ravenna Bryant neighborhood.
She, in her getting to know her a little bit, she wrote why she applied for the Youth Commission.
She said in the fall of 2020, when she was starting the eighth grade, she helped lead a club called Green SIG, Student Interest Group, which spread awareness about climate change to our local community.
Two fellow members and I were on a Zoom call discussing how we could have a bigger impact in Seattle, and we were looking for ways we can get involved with local politics.
We wish there was some sort of panel committee or commission where the youth of Seattle could come together to share their ideas and concerns for the city.
And she says she found the youth commission.
When I asked her about what are some of the topics or issues that she's very passionate about, Caroline said she's interested in awareness about how the youth voice matters in Seattle.
I want to make sure that there's a platform for youth to share their ideas around politics and government.
She's also interested in education and ensuring the students have access to good, a high quality education while having mental health resources to do their best in school.
She's also passionate about the issues around homelessness and ensuring the homeless youth, particularly find good homes, safe good homes, have a good access to education and an ability to move forward with a positive future.
And lastly, she really thinks in creating a diverse perspective and bringing diverse cultures and backgrounds into the space because she finds it to be incredibly valuable to create a thriving city where everyone has a chance of belonging, a sense of belonging.
This can be done through art, festivals, celebrations, and advocacy for marginalized communities in Seattle, and she hopes to be able to do that.
When it comes to the most pressing issue or challenge we face today in the city, country, world, she said climate change is the biggest issue we face.
And she would like to be able to bring that into the forefront of some of the work of the Youth Commission.
Caroline, do you want to add anything else to the committee?
Yeah, well, thank you so much for having me here today.
It's really an honor.
And I guess just to reiterate, thank you for the introduction.
I really do care about youth voice and involvement in politics.
And I think it's important that as the next generation of leaders who are going to be eventually taking political positions as leaders in the community, it's really important that we start learning about advocacy now.
And I think there are many ways that we can get youth voice represented, even though, you know, I can't legally vote.
I'm still really impacted by decisions that are happening in government.
And I think this is going to be a really great opportunity for me and to share my ideas about politics and also to get other youth involved.
So thank you so much for having me.
Thank you for being here, Caroline.
You're absolutely right.
We need to make sure that youth voices are included, that your ideas and your priorities are reflected in the work that we do.
And the best way for us to make sure that happens is for young people to be involved and have a way to connect with their leaders.
So thank you both for being here and for being interested in serving in this role.
Before we move on, Oswaldo, while we have these two young people here, I'm going to ask my colleagues if there are any questions or comments that you want to make.
I don't see any.
So next we have Kayla and Naila.
Thank you.
Yeah, Kayla.
Kayla Ali is an 11th grader at Lincoln High School.
This is what she wrote and why she applied to the Youth Commission.
She said, I applied because of my personal goals and love for community.
I love helping people and being active in community.
I'm very determined and always strive for the best.
Because my mom immigrated from Eritrea to America, she was only wanted the best for me in life.
This motivated me to be a hard worker, to be kind and empathetic towards others.
I also strive in many areas, especially academically, but I'm looking to extend my horizon and feels like the Youth Commission will be a good fit for her, but also to be able to bring other voices that she's seen often are neglected.
Issues that are very important to her is she feels like youth have been very affected by COVID, not necessarily the disease itself, but the way it has changed their lives.
There's a huge mental health crisis going on within teenagers.
around our community.
Because of isolation, due to COVID, people have lost their friends, family, and even feel like they've lost themselves.
Depression, anxiety, and suicide rates have all gone up, and many youth feel like they have no one to talk to.
This will be an important conversation to have through the Youth Commission to find ways for young people to find a sense of belonging again post-pandemic.
Um, a little bit about herself.
She loves being around people.
She loves being able to bring joy to the people that she's around.
She's a very hard worker at school and keeps a very pretty busy schedule.
Currently taking AP classes, well maintaining a 4.0.
GPA, and is very active in clubs at school like Mock Trials, Social Justice Club, Keystone Club, then the Black Student Union.
When it comes to the most pressing issue affecting the city, the youth here is mental health and physical health, especially because of the result of the pandemic.
She also wants to be able to see what the Youth Commission can work with city leaders around gun loss and gun violence.
She sees that in her neighborhood and across the city.
And of course, she mentioned recently, she emailed me afterwards like, and the recent unfortunate shooting that happened at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
And that is Kayla.
Nyla is our last one.
And Nyla is an 11th grader from Mason Hill High School.
She lives in the Northgate neighborhood.
She wrote, while she applied to the Youth Commission, she said, I've been interested in activism from a young age, but I struggled to find an outlet where my voice was heard or valued and where I could create real change.
Her grandmother recommended she apply for the Youth Commission because she's always supported her and has always helped to curate her passion for social justice.
When it comes to issues or topics she's passionate about, she said that she's very passionate about youth mental health, the school-to-prison pipeline manifestations, environmental racism, especially access to healthy food.
She knows about the Healthy Food Fund access program with the Department of Human Rights, and she's very excited to partner with the department around that work.
And then when it comes to a present issue that she's very, that are very important to her, she said she listed to include in Seattle, but typically police brutality, homelessness, police brutality, homelessness, severe gentrification, the lack of equitable access to food and clean water, and not enough funding for schools that are in predominantly white or upper class.
And then she's very concerned about, on a national level, the possibility of Roe versus Wade being overturned and what this means, particularly to low-income women and women of color.
And she hopes to be able to have dialogue around these issues while she's in the youth position.
Perfect.
Well, thank you very much for walking us through these applications.
I just want to say one more time that I really think it's important that you're aware of this opportunity to engage and that you're willing to put yourselves forward to participate.
And I know some of you have been participating for a while already.
So I'm glad that we're able to finally confirm your appointments, which we will be able to do shortly.
If there are no other questions or comments, I would like to ask for a second for approving appointments 02174, 75, 76, 78, and 79. Second.
Thank you.
And Devin, can I just confirm that it is appointment 77 that is withdrawn?
That's correct.
So it's been moved and seconded to recommend approval of these appointments.
Will the clerk please call the roll?
Council Member Strauss?
Yes.
Vice Chair Sawant?
Yes.
Chair Morales?
Yes.
Three in favor.
Thank you.
The motion carries and the committee recommendation that Council approve these appointments will be sent to the June 7th City Council meeting.
You do not need to be there.
So these will all be placed on our consent agenda.
I want to thank you all again.
I know you're probably taking time out of your school day to be here.
So thank you very much and we look forward to working with you.
Have a good day.
Thank you.
Thank you, Councilmember.
I'm so I just want to confirm with the clerk and we did have 2 appointments that were on the agenda that have withdrawn appointment 2, 1, 7, 7, 2, 1, 9, 3, We need to read these into the record.
Or is there any other action we should be taking on those.
You may want to mention at the beginning before you read everything into the record that those 2 have withdrawn and will not be considered.
Okay, so we're going to read them into the record, and then I will note that these two appointees have withdrawn from consideration to the Seattle Youth Commission, appointment 2193 and 2177. Kevin, why don't you read them into the record, and I'll say it again.
Sounds great.
Agenda item six, Appointment 2177, appointment of Julian Chong as member of Seattle Youth Commission for a term to August 31st, 2023. And agenda item nine, appointment 2193, appointment of Phi Tran as member of Seattle Youth Commission for a term to August 31st, 2023, for briefing, discussion, and possible vote.
Okay, thank you.
So the Department of Neighborhoods has informed the committee that these two appointees have chosen to withdraw.
So we're simply reading these into the record, but there is no other action necessary, which means that we have reached the end of our agenda.
Colleagues, I want to thank you for being here.
I'm looking forward to confirming these appointments on June 7th.
This concludes the May 27, 2022 meeting of the Neighborhoods, Education, Civil Rights and Culture Committee.
Our next scheduled meeting is June 10th.
Thank you all for attending.
We are adjourned.