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The Bloomington Human Rights Commission held two
Welcome Meals in March. The Welcome
Meals are simply a way to bring neighbors of various ethnic backgrounds, ages
and abilities together to share each other’s company and stories about their
culture and food. The first meal hosted by the MN. Wildlife Refuge Center
hosted 34 individuals and families. Lots of fun activities took place including butterfly kite making, bird
watching and a nature hike. A buffet with
food from many cultures was enjoyed by everyone!
The second Welcome Meal was hosted by the Latino Parents
Network. This fun celebration hosted
75 – 80 individuals and families. A
potluck buffet featuring chicken pazole was prepared by the hosts. In addition to sharing a wonderful meal,
there was a Coronation of the Queen of Spring and her Court of Princesses, facepainting and dancing Latino style!
The next Welcome Meal will be an Italian Night on Friday,
April 6, starting at 6 p.m. The meal will be sponsored by Bloomington residents, the Baird family, in their home.
For more information and to register, contact
the Bloomington Human Rights Commission at 952-563-8733 or email reservations@BloomingtonMN.gov.
You may also contact the HRC about upcoming Welcome Meals
or to host a meal. Welcome Meals come in
all sizes and venues and are planned by the host(s).
Human Services and Human Rights representatives were
invited by AFEAP to meet with their board and visit the Karmel Mall in
Minneapolis.
AFEAP is the only organization
serving the East African Community in Bloomington and its surrounding
geographic areas.The goal of AFEAP
is to centralize programs and services for the East African community and
address the growing immigrant communities' critical needs.
The Karmel Mall is a Somali Mall which
contains dozens of businesses ranging from restaurants and cafes to fabric
stores, barber shops and shops selling religious articles.
Representatives from Bloomington were invited
to the mall to fully experience the East African Somali culture. City representatives from Human Services and
Human Rights will be meeting with AFEAP Board members April 12 to explore ways to collaborate and work together in the community.
The Human Rights Commission's 2018 work plan includes efforts to celebrate LGBTQIA (lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender, queer, intersex, asexual) community members. Watch for more information including:
- On June 4, the City Council and Mayor will once
again proclaim June Pride month in Bloomington. Two City employees are scheduled to accept
the proclamation.
- Increase LGBTQIA visibility in City facilities,
flying rainbow flags with City logo flags and online at the City of
Bloomington’s website.
- Participate in Twin Cities Pride through a
possible float or festival booth.
- Support employees to celebrate Pride at work by
participating in Pride activities.
About 425 Bloomington residents, area lawyers and
members of the Jewish community attended this program highlighting Judy Meisel,
Holocaust survivor.
Following a viewing
of the film Tak for Alt,: Survival of a
Human Spirit, Meisel and her son, local attorney Michael Cohen, answered
questions about the film, her life and recent developments including a four-hour interview with the FBI and German authorities in 2017 that lead to her
identification of a former SS guard.
A playback of the event will show on Bloomington’s public
access channel mid-April and will also be available on YouTube.
This program was sponsored by the Bloomington
Human Rights Commission, the MN Chapter of the Federal Bar Association and the
Jewish Community Relation Council of MN and the Dakotas.
Because the Commission and the Office strive to respond to issues impacting Bloomington, we encourage you to report potential human rights issues to the Human Rights staff liaison so that they can be brought to the Commission’s attention.
Bloomington Civic Plaza
952-563-8733, TTY 952-563-8740
1800 West Old Shakopee Road
Bloomington, MN 55431
humanrights@BloomingtonMN.gov |
