Signal Hill’s two-year-old Diversity Coalition Committee (DCC) is looking for five new volunteer members to join its ranks.
The Diversity Coalition Committee is a feature of Signal Hill’s Race and Equity Framework, which was created in 2020 in response to the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.
Committee members are tasked with examining the City’s policies and engaging with the community on different aspects of race and equity “as part of an evolving effort to address systematic racism and bias in the policies and practices of municipal government,” according to the City’s website.
“It’s actually a lot of fun to celebrate the cultures of our community. There’s a lot of self-satisfaction that you get for the impact you make on bringing people together,” said Fred Abdelnour.
Abdelnour is the committee’s City-hired facilitator and board member of the Signal Hill Police Foundation.
The committee has three major focus areas: education, facilitation and continuous improvement.
For the past two years, Abdelnour has led the group through three phases: learning about Signal Hill diversity initiatives and the Race and Equity Framework, researching community input about the City and its diversity and, now, implementing programs.
In January, the committee spearheaded a long-planned initiative to survey the community’s perceptions of diversity, racism and equity in the city of Signal Hill.
Recent topics of discussion at meetings include plans for a diversity showcase at the Concerts in the Park series.
New members will take part in planning a cultural celebration in 2023, leading up to the City’s centennial celebration in 2024. Plans are also in the works for a speaker series to “build awareness and engagement with residents and the City in a very sensitive and inclusive manner,” Abdelnour said.
Committee seeks to replace former members
The committee has bled members over the past two years, starting with an initial 22 applicants. One never responded after submitting their application, and over time others have left the committee for various reasons: business commitments, relocating out of Signal Hill or inability to attend meetings, according to Abdelnour.
Others left because they “wanted it to be more, almost political,” according to Abdelnour.
At a January 2021 DCC meeting, then-member Triphina Moore asked, “Are we making sure that we are staying focused or true to the objectives that the City has laid out? How does a festival relate to racial equity?” in response to members’ suggestions to host a cultural festival.
Abdelnour said the DCC was not framed to take political actions.
“They’re there to improve the community, build relationships, things like that,” Abdelnour told the Signal Tribune. “There were some that felt that there should be a ‘defund the police’ push, racial evaluations of the police department. We found that none of that existed and they weren’t happy about that.”
The five new appointees will replace outgoing committee members.
The ten continuing DCC members include Pam Dutch Hughes, Lupe Reyes, Samona Michelle Caldwell, Harshan Jeyakumar, Diana Phillips, Todd Sahara, Jon-Stephen Scott, Kenyetta Suggars, Christopher Wilson and Lisa Wong.
Abdelnour said “anybody and everybody” is invited to apply.
“What we’re really looking for in potential candidates are folks that are passionate about the city of Signal Hill and want it to be a very engaging and connected city for all residents,” Abdelnour said.
The Diversity Coalition Committee meetings are held at 6 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesday of the month. The hybrid meetings usually last one to two hours, Abdelnour said, making the total time commitment about three to five hours per month.
Eligible applicants will be notified no later than Wednesday, July 20. Current committee members will review applications and conduct interviews on Thursday, July 28 at 6 p.m. or during a special meeting date to be determined.
The City of Signal Hill is accepting applications until Thursday, July 14 at 4:30 p.m. Applicants must be Signal Hill residents or business representatives.
The application is available online at www.governmentjobs.com/careers/signalhill. For more information, call 562-989-7304, 562-989-7307 or 562-989-7726.
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