On Wednesday October 17th, the St. Cloud Regional Human Rights Commission held an open forum for the community to discuss discrimination. We had a great turnout--at least 40 people showed up--and everyone had a chance to voice their questions and concerns.
Some common concerns that people shared:
1. Employment discrimination in the region. People released from prison, unaccompanied youth (often young adults out of the foster care system), youth under 18 years old, transgender people, and people with disabilities have a difficult time finding employment in central Minnesota. While times are hard for everyone, some employment applications still ask questions that are against state law. Forum attendees asked what groups in the region assist disenfranchised people in finding employment, and they wanted to know how they could find out more.
2. Discrimination against people of color. Somalis who live in a particular section of St. Cloud live in fear of their apartment manager and a security force. In the St. Cloud 742 school district, a clinical study of 25 African-American boys is being conducted without parental consent. Not all of central Minnesota is as diverse as St. Cloud; some children of color feel isolated in their schools because they may be the only ones.
3. Communications and connections. While the St. Cloud Regional Human Rights Commission meetings are open to the public, they have not been advertised. Some people requested future updates to issues brought up at the forum. Commissioners reminded attendees about the blog and Facebook page.
4. Forum as Safe Space. Some of the most at-risk populations in central Minnesota who would benefit from some support and guidance from the Human Rights Commission may not feel safe in a public forum outside of their comfort zone. People suggested that, to attract more participation from groups in need, Human Rights Commissioners should organize population-specific forums in those places where those groups feel safe.
Please watch this space--as well as our Facebook page--for information about upcoming forums.
