From: Kimberly Bomar
To: Council, City
Subject: Uzma Minhas for HRC
Date: Thursday, May 2, 2024 8:28:00 AM
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Council members,
I'm writing you in support of appointing Uzma Minhas to the Human Relations Commission. I believe Uzma will bring broad representation of our community to the attention of the Commission, especially those whose concerns may be overlooked or not known by the general public. Uzma makes it her business to advocate for the underserved as well as those whose voices are already being heard. I believe she can bring broad perspectives and facilitate communication on difficult topics among the Human Relations Commission. Although not a Palo Alto resident, as a Stanford resident and close neighbor, I am part of the broader community that shares space, schools, and community concerns.
In difficult times like these, it is important for local leaders to be inclusive, open to listening to others and willing to be open to difficult conversations. I believe Uzma will do this.
Kim Bomar
From: [email protected]
To: Council, City
Cc: Human Relations Commission
Subject: Uzma Minhas for HRC
Date: Wednesday, May 1, 2024 11:37:10 PM
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Council members,
I'm writing to ask that you appoint Uzma Minhas to the Human Relations Commission. I listened to the interviews for all the candidates yesterday. You have solid options. You have in Uzma however, someone volunteering to lend insight into segments of our community who have been sorely absent. That the crisis overseas have given rise to someone willing to be vulnerable and committed enough to help strengthen the fabric of our community is a gift.
Inherently, human relations happens in a framework where community members trust they can share, be heard, and respected for their contributions. The inclusion of a perspective that has never, or rarely, been heard can be unsettling initially. It is imperative though, that our city leadership facilitate pushing through discomfort to build a truly inclusive community. This Is where the value of a Human Relations Commission lies.
Even as a community-active 18-year Black resident of Palo Alto, I am particularly sensitized to the insecurity around belonging and perceptions of normal in our city. I have raised/am raising 3 children in a community that is ~2% Black. It can be lonely and exhausting to live here, with latent fear for the social-emotional wellbeing of my children. For me, it has been imperative to build an extended community beyond Palo Alto that reflects me, and our family’s perspectives and culture, without having to educate or highlight implicit biases of thinking. For this, I value the role of the Human Relations Commission.
We all have our “bubbles” of community, so it is easy for City Council to remain erroneously over-confident about what Council members know about people. Doing so however, undermines the potential power of the HRC to bring information back to City Council that truly represents the spectrum of our community. We all need to feel as though our perspective is being considered, that there are active attempts to understand that which we are less familiar with. We will be better as a Palo Alto community around inclusion and belonging by doing so.
Uzma brings authenticity to an identity she shares with an invisible many in Palo Alto. As is clear from the interview, we can learn a lot from her about belonging, identity, and by profession, the constructs around communication, free expression and related policies. I know that she will be a tremendous asset to the HRC, and applaud that Uzma had enough fortitude to open her self up in this moment for this appointment. I urge you to appoint Uzma to the HRC.
Respectfully,
Sara Woodham