Eran Pehan, CPDI Director, introduced the LEARN team that was created during the pandemic to elevate the voices and concerns of the Missoula Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) community.
Laurelle Warner introduced her colleagues and presented on the process and results of the LEARN Missoula (Listen, Engaging, Action, Reflection Network) and the report that was created (see attached).
Council Questions & Comments
Kristen Jordan asked about land acknowledgements. Wilena Old Person responded that the important thing is that land acknowledgments not be perfunctory and be part of the process, not the whole process.
Daniel Carlino asked about municipalities that have a more equitable budget. Laurelle Warner responded that they did not compare Missoula to other municipalities, but there are many recommendations in the report.
Amber Sherrill asked about how stands next to other communities. Laurelle Warner responded that she is trying to get away from comparison-based analysis and more towards the specifics of place-based discovery. Amber Sherrill also asked about associative stereotypes and how we make sense of how we process the broader world. Dr. Warner responded that there are difference with phenotypic differences that are seen regardless of whether or not someone chooses to share.
Sandra Vasecka asked about the contract ending in December 2021. Eran Pehan responded that there was a contract amendment to extend the delivery date. Sandra Vasecka also asked about LGBTQIA language and land acknowledgements. Laurelle Warner and Wilena Old Person responded that land acknowledgements should include commitments to work with the indigenous communities and make the spaces safe for indigenous people in the community. Sandra Vasecka also had comments about the content of the study and that the study should have been more focused on how accessible local government is.
Gwen Jones noted that there had been conversations about a year ago about land acknowledgements and a concern was that they can be divisive, and that the emphasis should be on building relationships.
Heidi West had a question about what examples could be given of barriers to local government, Laurelle Warner mentioned the emphasis on English language for local government engagement. Heidi West also asked about the quantitative aspects of the report, such as how many people were interviewed, that is not included in the report. Laurelle Warner responded that BIPOC city employees engaged in a quantitative survey, but community interviews were primarily qualitative with 50+ BIPOC community members. Heidi West also asked about what a transformative paradigm is. Laurelle Warner responded that it is an invitation to researchers to expand the scope of their work and techniques to include BIPOC voices and perspectives. Heidi West also asked about the questions around the language of "all" and "everyone." Laurelle Warner responded that the point was not to define them formally, but rather to have a conversation about how they are used in city documents.
Mike Nugent asked about how city employees were selected for survey. Laurelle Warner said that employees were selected from public-facing departments and sampled. Mike Nugent asked about the total percentage of city employees who are BIPOC, Laurelle Warner said she had information by department overall. Mike Nugent also asked for advice on avoiding "woke whiteness" when moving forward. Laurelle Warner corrected that in the survey the issue was about woke white shaming and believing there is only one right way to move forward and not listening to alternate solutions or ways of being. Mike Nugent asked how we can avoid this and have it not derail our city goals. Laurelle Warner responded to watch for those who speak from a position of authority or seem to speak for all BIPOC experiences without being willing to listen to other perspectives.
Mirtha Becerra thanked the LEARN Missoula team and acknowledged that a big part of the process is changing the way we think in order to effect meaningful change.
Kristen Jordan also commented on the land acknowledgement process, and that she is in favor of developing a land acknowledgement that incorporates a call to action. Laurelle Warner commented that city council may want to move to a "land, life and labor" acknowledgement.