August 19, 2024 www.cityofpaloalto.org
Voices of our Community Listening Session
Report from the Human Relations Commission
City Council
Adriana Eberle, Chair, Human Relations Commission
Minka van der Zwaag, Human Services Manager
2 Receive the report from the Human Relations Commission (HRC) resulting from the Voices of our Community Listening Sessions on Local Experiences of Islamophobia/Anti-Arab Hate and Anti-Semitism and provide feedback.
Recommendation
3 Some of the experiences shared at public comment included:
• Fear to identify with their culture, religion or heritage, especially in public settings
• Harassment experienced by local students based on their religion or heritage • Hate incidences
• Feeling unsafe at one’s place of worship
• Feeling unsupported by the larger Palo Alto community • Symbols of hate seen around town in the form of graffiti or other means Listening Session Public Comment Recap
4 Recommendations from the HRC
HRC Recommendation Staff Response Relevant Sections of Equity Action Plan
1. Ensure that training on increasing religious
tolerance and decreasing discrimination based on
ethnicity and nationality is included as part of the
city’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging
(DEIB) training for City employees, boards and
commissions.
Aligns with 2024-2025 Equity Action Plan Cultivating Experiences and Appreciation:
Item 1.2 - Share information on cultural and
heritage months/holidays.
Item 1.2 - Review Citywide events through an
inclusion and equity lens and identify gaps.
Item 1.3 - Create a process that includes the HRC for
annual calendar setting related to holidays/heritage
months.
Fostering an Inclusive Environment:
Item 2.1 - Share DEIB values with New Employees
Item 2.2 - Conduct Quarterly Interactive DEIB
Workshop Training for allEmployees
Applying an Equity Lens
Item 3.3 - Begin to partner with the HRC to work
with other commissions to apply an equity lens to
their work.
2. Increase messaging of efforts by the City on
equity/inclusion and the implementation of a social
media campaign on the “Palo Alto Way”
highlighting the City’s Equity Mission Statement.
Aligns with 2024-2025 Equity Action Plan
3. Ensure that the Council Calendar includes the
major holiday of the faith communities
represented in Palo Alto.
Aligns with 2024-2025 Equity Action Plan
5 Recommendations from the HRC - Cont.
HRC Recommendation Staff Response Relevant Sections of Equity Action Plan
4. Review the legality of sponsoring/co-
sponsoring religious holiday celebrations. This
recommendation might be added to the work
that the City is already doing regarding
the holiday framework the HRC
previously recommended.
Aligns with 2024-2025 Equity Action Plan Cultivating Experiences and Appreciation:
Item 1.2 - Share information on
cultural and heritage months/holidays.
Item 1.2 - Review Citywide events through
an inclusion and equity lens and identify gaps.
Item 1.3 - Create a process that includes the HRC
for annual calendar setting related to
holidays/heritage months.
Fostering an Inclusive Environment:
Item 2.1 - Share DEIB values with New Employees
Item 2.2 - Conduct Quarterly Interactive
DEIB Workshop Training for allEmployees
Applying an Equity Lens
Item 3.3 - Begin to partner with the HRC to
work with other commissions to apply an equity
lens to their work.
5. Research the concept of forming an
interfaith community advisory group to
build bridges within the Palo Alto community,
including schools and libraries. The interfaith
community advisory group would include a liaison
from the HRC.
HRC to convene gathering of Faith Community
6. Establish a Palo Alto Police Department “Liaison”
or first point of contact to the Faith Community
for non-emergency matters.
PAPD is amenable to identifying a liaison
6 Receive the report from the Human Relations Commission (HRC) resulting from the Voices of our Community Listening Sessions on Local Experiences of Islamophobia/Anti-Arab Hate and Anti-Semitism and provide feedback.
Recommendation
Adriana Eberle
Chair, Human Relations Commission
Minka Van Der Zwaag
Human Services Manager, Community Services