04-17-2007 City Council Study Session PacketCity of Grand Island
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Study Session Packet
City Council:Mayor:
Margaret Hornady
City Administrator:
Vacant
City Clerk:
RaNae Edwards
T
u
7:00:00 PM
Council Chambers - City Hall
100 East First Street
Tom Brown
Carole Cornelius
John Gericke
Peg Gilbert
Joyce Haase
Robert Meyer
Mitchell Nickerson
Vacant
Scott Walker
Fred Whitesides
Call to Order
City of Grand Island City Council
A - SUBMITTAL OF REQUESTS FOR FUTURE ITEMS
Individuals who have appropriate items for City Council consideration should complete the Request for Future Agenda
Items form located at the Information Booth. If the issue can be handled administratively without Council action,
notification will be provided. If the item is scheduled for a meeting or study session, notification of the date will be given.
B - RESERVE TIME TO SPEAK ON AGENDA ITEMS
This is an opportunity for individuals wishing to provide input on any of tonight's agenda items to reserve time to speak.
Please come forward, state your name and address, and the Agenda topic on which you will be speaking.
MAYOR COMMUNICATION
This is an opportunity for the Mayor to comment on current events, activities, and issues of interest to the community.
Call to Order
Pledge of Allegiance
Roll Call
Invocation - Evangelist Gary Bennett, Church of Christ, 2822 West Stolley Park
Road
This is an open meeting of the Grand Island City Council. The City of Grand Island abides by the Open Meetings Act
in conducting business. A copy of the Open Meetings Act is displayed in the back of this room as required by state
law.
The City Council may vote to go into Closed Session on any agenda item as allowed by state law.
City of Grand Island City Council
Item -1
Multicultural Coalition Presentation of the Movie "The Color of
Fear"
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Study Session
City of Grand Island
Staff Contact: Multicultural Coalition
City of Grand Island City Council
Council Agenda Memo
From: Paul M. Briseño, Assistant to the City Administrator
Meeting: April 17, 2007
Subject: Multicultural Coalition Presentation of the Movie
“The Color of Fear”
Item #’s: 1
Presenter Odaly’s Perez, Director of the Grand Island
Multicultural Coalition
Background
The Grand Island Multicultural Coalition continues to strive to build bridges of
understanding, tolerance, and cooperation among groups within the area. The
Multicultural Coalition offers a comprehensive service delivery center that reduces the
duplication of services, better utilizes the time of clients and services providers,
eliminates barriers to services, and stretches the limited financial resources of service
providers.
The Coalition’s mission is to provide resources to immigrant families to achieve
aspirations of a better life in the Grand Island area, as well as develop cross-cultural
understanding and promote positive intercultural relations. The Coalition offers multiple
opportunities to develop cross-cultural understanding:
· The annual one day conference titled the “Faces of Diversity” gives participants
an increased awareness of different cultures and how these cultures can infuse
vibrant changes within our community. (www.grandislandmulticulturalcoalition.com)
· Monthly membership meetings provide dialogue between local organizations
· Multiple volunteer opportunities at Coalition sponsored events
· “The Color of Fear” presentation which explores multiple cultural differences and
fosters a deeper understanding and appreciation of our differences
Discussion
The Multicultural Coalition will present and facilitate the movie “The Color of Fear”.
This movie is an internationally acclaimed film about eight men of various ethnicities
engaging in an intimate and honest dialogue about race and the effects of racism on their
lives and families. In 1995, Oprah Winfrey aired a one-hour special on Lee Mun Wah
and the “The Color of Fear” cast, which was viewed by over 15 million people around
the world. The film reveals the unique and intimate relationship that eight men had with
each other as they shared their experiences with racism. It also shows what happened
when the men came to an impasse during their weekend together and who emerged to
break the silence between them.
“The Color of Fear” is an insightful, groundbreaking film about the state of race
relations in America as seen through the eyes of eight North American men of Asian,
European, Latino, and African descent. In a series of intelligent, emotional, and dramatic
confrontations, the men reveal the pain and scars that racism has caused them. What
emerges is a deeper sense of understanding and trust.
This is a dialogue most of us fear, but hope will happen sometime in our lifetime.
This program presentation is designed to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation
of our differences. Through the use of personal stories and psychosocial exercise, the
Council will learn about each other and gain insight into their own cultural histories and
that of their constituents.
The Color of Fear” Discussion Prompts:
1. With whom do you identify most strongly in the video?
2. What seems to be scary and difficult about discussing race and discrimination?
3. What moment in the film is most memorable for you and what did it teach you?
Conclusion
This item is presented to the City Council in a Study Session to allow for discussion and
to create a greater understanding of the issue at hand.