Contact information 

(If you wish to file a complaint of discrimination or discuss filing a complaint of discrimination please visit the Office of Equity and Human Rights)

Human Rights Commission
410 E. Washington Street
Iowa City, Iowa 52240
319-356-5022

To contact the entire Commission, email HumanRightsCommission@iowa-city.org. All correspondence addressed to the Human Rights Commission becomes a permanent public record.

Public meeting 

The Commission holds monthly meetings on the fourth Tuesday of each month. Special meetings are held as needed. The meetings are open to the public. 

Agendas

Agenda and Packet for September 27, 2022

View archived

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Watch previous meetings

Beginning April 29, 2021, City Channel 4 began providing video of Human Rights Commission meetings. You can watch or listen to previous meetings on City Channel 4's website. Video and audio will be uploaded within two business days of the scheduled meeting.

Staff contact 

Stefanie Bowers

Board Members

Term: 01/01/20 - 12/31/22, Jason Glass, Chair

Term: 01/01/20 - 12/31/22, Ashley Lindley, Vice Chair

Term: 01/01/20 - 12/31/22, Mark Pries

Term: 01/01/21 - 12/31/23, Roger Lusala

Term: 01/01/21 - 12/31/23, Bijou Maliabo

Term: 01/01/21-  12/31/23, Kelsey Paul Shantz

Term: 01/01/22 - 12/31/24, Siri Felker

Term: 01/01/22 - 12/31/24, Sylvia Jons

Term: 01/01/22 - 12/31/24, Doug Kollasch

Origin 

Contact staff

Number of members 

Nine

Appointed by 

City Council

Term 

Three years

Duties 

Duties of the Commission include:

1. Disseminating information to educate the public on illegal discrimination and civil rights, such as organizing and facilitating educational public forums that address one or more of the broad range of topics included within the rubric of human rights
2. Making recommendations to the City Council for such further legislation concerning discrimination as it may deem necessary and desirable
3. Cooperating within the limits of any appropriations made for its operation with other agencies or organizations both public and private whose purposes are not inconsistent with those of Title 2 of the City Code (Human Rights Ordinance)
4. Planning programs and activities designed to eliminate racial, religious, cultural and other intergroup tensions including but not limited to sex, color, creed, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, age and national origin.

Sponsorship Funding Request Form 

The Iowa City Human Rights Commission is allocated $2000 annually to provide financial support to organizations and agencies to offset the costs of organizing, planning, and facilitating educational public forums or programs and activities that are designed to eliminate racial, religious, cultural, and other intergroup tensions, including but not limited to, sex, color, creed, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, age, and national origin.

To apply for funding, a request form will need to be filled out. The form can be found at this link.  Please note sponsorship requests are due by 5 p.m. on the third Monday of each month. The Iowa City Human Rights Commission will review the request at their monthly meeting and staff will contact you to let you know whether the request has been approved. If you are awarded funding, you will be required to submit a full (one page) summary of funding impact, including but not limited to, number of persons involved in your project, anecdotal stories to share with the team about the event, frequency of the event, and other essential information. Reporting instructions for full reimbursement of funds are attached to this document. If you have any questions about the application process, please do not hesitate to contact Equity Director Stefanie Bowers at 319-356-5022 or stefanie-bowers@iowa-city.org.

Indigenous Land Acknowledgement of the Ad Hoc Truth and Reconciliation and the Human Rights Commission.