The Champaign Human Relations Commission held a three-hour retreat Oct. 24 at the Hilton Garden Inn to consider its mission, priorities and identity.
The retreat began by gathering feedback from commission members about their motivations for serving on the commission and what they hope to see accomplished. Other than continuing from a previous term, commissioners said race and discrimination motivated them to be on the commission, and that they hoped to make the city and more welcoming, fair place for everyone. The commissioners also said they want to make the presence of the commission itself more visible and energizing.
Commissioners said a successful commission would be diverse, share information and have an active presence in the community that established the commission as a catalyst for community activity.
The group then reviewed the commission's founding mission and by-laws before moving on to a discussion of monthly speakers. The group agreed that speakers should be from various community groups, so that commission meetings became a forum for those active in the community to share their work with a larger group.
The group ended the morning meeting with a discussion of the commission's message going forward.
Alerts Sign-up