There were approximately 20 members in attendance at our February meeting. Lay Pastor Charles Moerdyk, representing North Presbyterian Church, gave the opening reflection, which dealt with the topic of implicit bias. There was a brief evaluation of the Bias Workshop. Members who attended found it fascinating and powerful. Differences between implicit bias and explicit bias were discussed. The conclusion reached is that there is still a lot of work to be done when it comes to managing our implicit biases.

Vice Mayor Patrese Griffin and her husband Community Organizer Ed Genesis were in attendance to report on the proposed efforts around an equitable Housing Ordinance and to share a personal narrative about the obstacles of housing. This is intended to pave the way for more equity in renting by reducing obstacles that primarily target people of color, including those who are poor, have past convictions or evictions, single women with children experiencing domestic violence, etc. Homeownership and the wealth gap were also discussed. The term “affordable” housing was discussed and whether or not affordable would mean a difference in the quality/safety of construction. We were invited to attend a City Commission work session on Monday evening, Feb. 24 at City Hall, with all input welcome. Because there were many great questions and comments made by members, Vice Mayor and Ed were asked to stay extra time to speak. We would like them to return to future meetings with updates throughout this process of adopting the ordinance. We later discussed individuals to invite for future power one-on-ones.

– Emily Dood, Anti-Racism Task Force member