Best Practices
Racism and Bullying Survey
Teresa Wasko, VISTA with the Waterloo Commission on Human Rights, teamed up with the sixth grade of a middle school in the community for a service learning project. The students wanted to address racism, though discussion revealed bullying was the larger issue. The students created a survey that over 500 fellow students at all the public middle schools took to discover the prevalance and attitudes regarding racism and bullying. The students will present their findings at the 2010 Waterloo Human Rights Celebration.
By: Teresa Wasko, Waterloo Commisson on Human Rights VISTA
ADA Toolkit
In preparation for the 20th Anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), VISTA members at the Iowa Civil Rights Commission established a toolkit for groups interested in holding their own events and activities. The toolkit is available on the ADA Iowa website (listed below).
By: Shawna Anderson, Iowa Civil Rights Commission VISTA
Black History in Iowa Quiz
To celebrate Black History Month, the Iowa Civil Rights Commission created a ten question quiz that is featured on the League website and on the ICRC Facebook page. The quiz is hosted on a free online quiz site.
By: Crystal Schrader, Iowa Civil Rights Commission VISTA
Community Hate Crimes Plan
The City Council of Decorah adopted a community hate crimes plan created by the Decorah Human Rights Commission.
Commission Facebook Page - Sioux City Human Rights Commission
The Human Rights Commission is transitioning from a Facebook Group to a Facebook Page. This will allow the Commission to better spread its information and connect with the community. It also allows its followers to have the most up-to-date information about outreach events and the commission's free services.
By: Sioux City Human Rights Commission VISTA Members and Summer Associates
Additional Diversity Facebook Pages/Groups: Ames Street'N'Greet, Cedar Rapids, Center for Human Rights, Des Moines, Fort Dodge, Iowa Civil Rights, Iowa Immigration Education Coalition, United Ames
ADA Iowa Website - Iowa Civil Rights Commission
Iowa's online source for ADA events and information. July 26th, 2010 is the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. In order to celebrate this day, Iowa is recognizing events all over the state that educate, recognize or spotlight the ADA.
By: Anna McGlaun, E.B. DeBruin, Shawna Anderson, Katie Petrak, Iowa Civil Rights Commission VISTAs
Know Your Civil Rights Website - Waterloo Commission on Human Rights
This user-friendly website teaches people about their civil rights in Iowa by addressing each of the protected areas: employment, housing, public accommodation, education, and credit. All resources published by the Waterloo Commission on Human Rights refers people to the website, along with verbal encouragement to check out the site given during presentations. The website is state-focused, thus allowing other commissions to refer people to the site as an education resource.
By: Teresa Wasko, Waterloo Commission on Human Rights VISTA
Commission Twitter Page - Des Moines Human Rights Commission
Tapping into the social networking arena, the commission created a Twitter page to provide short updates to supporters of the commission.
By: Jordan Homer, Des Moines Human Rights Commission VISTA
Additional Commission Twitter Pages: Cedar Rapids, Sioux City
Diversity Activities for PreK-12 Students - www.crayola.com
Crayola.com offers a variety of lesson plans and activites devoted to teaching students about diversity and caring. While created for teachers and parents, these activities can easily be adapted for use by local and state agencies.
Lesson Plans
Additional Activities
Fair Housing Impediment Public Forums - Every five years the State of Public forum Welcome Narrative Public forum posters in English and Spanish Public forum press releases: Example 1, Example 2 Fair Housing Impediment Survey - Iowa Civil Rights Commission Refugee Youth Blogs - Commission on the Status of Asians and Pacific Islanders Fair Housing Presentations Street'N'Greet Block Parties and Trailer - United Ames
Every five years the State of Iowa conducts a fair housing impediment study. For the 2009 study, ICRC encouraged people living throughout the state to take a fair housing impediments survey. The responses then went into two groups: larger cities that would be conducting their own studies and the rest of the state. Iowans could take the survey, available in both English and Spanish, online through SurveyMonkey or completed printed forms at the Iowa State Fair and the four fair housing public forums.
VISTA Summer Associate, Thao Pham, worked with two Asian refugee youth on a blogging project to record their experiences here in the United State as refugees. The youth posted photos and wrote in both English and their native languages.
Farah Hashim's blog and Nabin Khadka's blog
By: Thao Pham: CAPI VISTA Summer Associate
The Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Commissions offers fair housing presentations for the general public and housing providers. Presenters use PowerPoint slides as visuals.
30 minute general overview, general public overview, and housing providers presentations
By: Naali Vats, Cedar Rapids Civil Rights VISTA Summer Associate
To strengthen communities, one of the work groups within United Ames focuses on Street'N'Greet block parties. The city secured a trailer for the block parties. VISTA members created short video on YouTube showcasing the trailer. United Ames, formerly Ames Community Conversations on Diversity, is a city-wide effort to address diversity issues in the community.
Website and YouTube Video
By: Adam Cotton, Laura Logsdon, and Josh Kriz Ames Community Conversations on Diversity VISTAs
Civil Rights History Quizzes - Iowa Civil Rights Commission
Each year the Iowa Civil Rights Commission sponsors an educational booth at the Iowa State Fair. The highlight of the booth are the civil rights quizzes where children, youth, and adults take short quizzes and try to win prizes. The quizzes vary in length (up to 10 questions) and difficulty based on age.
What Do YOU Know about Fair Housing Quiz - Des Moines Human Rights Commission
As part of the Des Moines Human Rights Commission's fair housing training program during the summer of 2009, the VISTA members asked participants to take the quiz on Facebook and see how many of their friends they could get to also take the quiz. The use of the Facebook application provided easy access to a new group of stakeholders and did not require much work on the part of the commission.
By: Patrick Choquette and Jordan Homer, Des Moines Human Rights Commission VISTA members
Slavery Reparations Survey - Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Commission
The US Senate issued a formal apology for slavery and Jim Crow on June 18, 2009. The Commission conducted an online survey using SurveyMonkey to gauge the public’s response to the apology. The link to the survey was posted on the Commission’s facebook page and emailed to contacts. Individuals were also encouraged to share the link in order to garner sufficient participation. Responses were collected from July 7-15, 2009.
Report and Results
By: Naalti Vats, Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Commission VISTA Summer Associate
Case Checklist and Processing Form - Dubuque Human Rights Commission
This form ensures standard procedures for handling discrimination complaints and makes sure all necessary documentation is gathered to fully investigate complaints.
By: Ryan Denman, Dubuque Human Rights Commission VISTA Summer Associate
Juneteenth Playbook - Sioux City Human Rights Commission
Sioux City held its first Juneteenth celebration in June 2009. The VISTA members at the Sioux City Human Rights Commission organized the event in conjunction with the local chapter of the NAACP. The playbook contains all the documents, minutes, and publications used in the creation and implementation of the event that the commission hopes to hold annually.
By: Austin Granzow, Sioux City Human Rights Commission VISTA
Community Reference List - Dubuque Human Rights Commission
Ryan Denman, a VISTA Summer Associate, compiled a short list of the most frequent referrals the Dubuque Human Rights Commission makes while talking with people about allegations of discrimination. The two-page document can be printed front-to-back, creating an easy reference that does not require looking up contact information every time.
By: Ryan Denman, Dubuque Human Rights Commission VISTA Summer Associate
Postville Food Pantry Manual - Postville Recovery Efforts
VISTA members from the Iowa Civil Rights Commission enhanced a community food pantry as part of their work in providing humanitarian relief to a four county region following Iowa's largest immigration raid. In order to quickly expand the food pantry's efforts as it found itself inundated with hundreds of people lacking adequate food, one VISTA member created a detailed manual to sustain and explain the procedures of the panty.
By: Kathleen Borowski, Postville Recovery VISTA
City Journal: Accessible Housing Design - Dubuque Human Rights Commission
On February 20, 2009, Public Information Officer Randy Gehl spoke with Human Rights Director Kelly Larson on location at 759 Bluff Street about the Step by Step program and the apartment building that was renovated for low-income, disabled tenants. The program includes video and speeches from the February 24, 2009 ribbon-cutting event. A video-guided-tour with Kelly Larson shows the renovation and the special features of the building that make it architecturally siginifcant as well as the changesto make the building accessible to those with disabilities. Universal design features are also discussed. Also featured in this episode is why this project conforms to the City's objective to be Sustainable Dubuque.
Fair Housing Activities for Outreach Events - Des Moines Human Rights Commission
Using the attached diagram to make puzzle piece designs, two pieces of foam board were cut into puzzle pieces. People visiting the table could then decorate the puzzle pieces to depict what fair housing looks like to them. Those pieces were then taped to a piece of felt and put back together into two boards. Two activity booklets were also made available for kids.
By: The Des Moines Human Rights Commission VISTA Members: Jordan Homer, Bridget Fischels and Mikel Johnson
Neighborhood Safety Watch Toolkit - Fort Dodge Human Rights Commission
This toolkit was distributed during Fort Dodge's 2008 National Night Out Celebrations.
By: Milton Thurmond, Fort Dodge VISTA Summer Associate
Youth Civil Rights in Iowa Presentation - Iowa Civil Rights Commission
This one hour presentation is geared for middle school students.
By: Jake Beckwith, Iowa Civil Rights Commission VISTA
Fair Housing Utility Bill Insert - Des Moines Human Rights Commission
This ad was included in the water bills of Des Moines area residents.
By: Rudy Simms, Des Moines Human Rights Commission
Edna Griffin Wordsearch - Iowa Civil Rights Commission
2008 marks the 60th anniversary of the Edna Griffin public accomodations case.
By: Crystal Schrader, Iowa Civil Rights Commission VISTA
Inclusive Community - Des Moines Human Rights Commission
Des Moines strategic plan to become a model Inclusive Community
By: Rudy Simms, Des Moines Human Rights commission
Human Rights Commission Presentation - Cedar Falls Human Rights Commission
A general overview of the Cedar Falls Human Rights Commission
By: Brenda Balvanz, Cedar Falls Human Rights Commission
Building Our CommUNITY - Dubuque Human Rights Commission
This powerpoint provides a brief overview of a multi-year project of the City of Dubuque. The City is working to improve the ability of City employees to work more effectively with co-workers and residents of diverse backgrounds, and also is evaluating the City organization as a whole in order to determine how best to recruit and retain employees of all backgrounds.
By Kelly Larson, Dubuque Human Rights Commission
Waterloo Human Rights Commission and Waterloo Police Department Tazer Usage Report
By: David Meeks, Waterloo Human Rights Commission
Options for Parents with School Issues
An outcome of the Council Bluffs Civil Rights Commision and the Iowa Civil Rights Commission Community Hearing on this issue.
Self-Assessment Checklist for Real Estate and Housing Transactions
A tool to check for compliance with nondiscrimination on the bases of sexual orientation and gender identity.
By: Washington State Human Rights Commission
Response to Hate Crimes:
Responding to Hate Groups
Response to Hate Crime-Act Booklet
Dubuque Speakers' Bureau
A short presentation by a gay or lesbian person and/or the parent(s) of a gay or lesbian child about civil rights law and what it is like to be gay or lesbian in Dubuque, Iowa.
Fair Housing First
Design & Construction Resource Center: ADA Accessibility Questions Answered
http://www.fairhousingfirst.org or 1-888-342-7781 (V/TTY)
By: HUD
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