Focus Areas
1. Community Education
The increasing diversity of our community has brought a number of people into contact with unfamiliar cultural practices. This is true both of long-term residents of the majority community, as well as of immigrants from other countries adjusting to the culture of Minnesota. The magnitude of this issue is indicated by the fact that there are students from 58 different countries attending Rochester schools, having as their native tongues almost as many languages and countries of origin in Olmsted County schools as occur in all the school systems in California.
Rochester and Olmsted County benefit from the skills, cultures, and life experiences that newcomers bring to our community. We need to ensure that our neighborhoods, schools, service establishments, and work places present a welcoming environment to newcomers in order to realize these benefits.
The Strategic Plan identifies the following six focus areas for community -oriented diversity education efforts:
- Community leaders
- Criminal justice system
- Landlords and real estate professionals
- Neighborhoods
- Retail trade and service establishments
- Work places
1. Community Leaders
If diversity issues in this community are to be resolved positively, it can only be through the full engagement and active involvement of the community's opinion leaders. These include not only elected officials at the local and state level, but also business and religious leaders, print and broadcast media managers, and the board chairs and directors of the non-profit sector. The 21st Century Partnership Diversity Task Force recognized this fact when it called for putting diversity "on the community's agenda." Involving community leaders in diversity requires their participation in becoming educated about diversity issues. The following addresses this need.
| Program | Provide opportunities for elected officials and other community leaders to learn about diversity issues and successful programs. |
|---|---|
| Customers | City, County, and School District elected officials; leaders of religious organizations; owners and CEO's of private businesses; and leaders of non-profit organizations |
| Responsible Parties | Community entities such as local government, businesses that are leaders in terms of employing minorities and promoting diversity awareness in the work place; other area diversity resources |
| Measures of Effectiveness | Increased awareness of "best practices" and the extent to which the area's work force in becoming diverse |
| Specific Strategy | Area employers should arrange visits by elected officials of area governing bodies by December, 2001. |
2. Criminal Justice Systems
The 21st Century Partnership Diversity Task Force Report recommends mandatory annual diversity training for law enforcement officers and other criminal justice system personnel. The purpose of such training would be to sensitize law enforcement and other elements of the criminal justice system to cultural differences. It is critical that the criminal justice system treat all residents of our communities evenhandedly, and that newcomers to the community come to recognize that law enforcement staff in particular and the criminal justice system in general can be relied on to help newcomers who are victimized.
In addition, with initiatives such as Crime-Free Multi-Housing and the progress in problem-oriented and community-oriented policing, the Police Department is increasingly a source of information for the majority community on diversity issues. It is important that this information be current and accurate.
| Program | Provide annual education programming on cultural differences and other aspects of diversity |
|---|---|
| Customers | Area law enforcement and criminal justice system personnel, including public and private attorneys, area judges and court system personnel, probation officers and corrections officers. |
| Responsible Parties | Area units of local government; the Community Justice Forum; area Bar Association; area Diversity Resources and the Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce |
| Measures of Effectiveness | Substantiated complains of unfair treatment; analysis of outcome of similar incidents by majority/minority status; community surveys assessing how the criminal justice system is perceived. |
3. Landlords and Real Estate Professionals
| Program | Develop and deliver customized diversity education for all individuals involved in the residential location decisions on the part of the minority and majority communities. The training should address cultural differences, community concerns about segregation, and legal issues. |
|---|---|
| Customers | Area real estate professional and staff; area lenders; area apartment and manufactured home park owners and managers. |
| Responsible Parties | Area of organizations of real estate professionals, lenders and rental property owners and managers; area Diversity Resources |
| Measures of Effectiveness |
The "dissimilarity index"; surveys of home purchasers and tenants; audit teams to assess differences in customer treatment by majority/minority status Records of complaints received by the Human Rights Commission related to landlord tenant issues, suspected block-busting, redlining, and racial or other steering. |
4. Neighborhoods
| Develop and distribute an educational program addressing neighborhood concerns related to diversity, especially related to lower cost housing and racial diversity. | |
|---|---|
| Customers | Area neighborhood and block watch groups, whether officially organized or not. |
| Responsible Parties | Neighborhood Resource Center and other coordinating groups; area Diversity Resources |
| Measurements of Effectiveness | Awareness of diversity issues and attitudes as measured by community surveys. |
5. Retail Trade and Service Establishments
| Program | People opportunities for diversity and cultural awareness education training to retail trade and service establishment employees and managers |
|---|---|
| Customers | Retail and service businesses too small to support in-house diversity programs; especially security personnel in businesses, retail and service establishments. |
| Responsible Parties | Retail business employers and shopping center owners, the Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce, and area Diversity Resources |
| Measures of Effectiveness | Number and seriousness of complaints related to treatment of customers at retail trade and service establishments referred to the Olmsted County Human Rights Commission. |
6. Work Places
| Program | Provide opportunities for diversity and cultural awareness education training to employees and managers |
|---|---|
| Customers | Business too small to support in-house diversity programs |
| Responsible Parties | The Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce in cooperation with the Diversity Council and other Diversity Resources |
| Measures of Effectiveness |
Number and seriousness of employment related complaints to the Olmsted County Human Rights Commission. Job satisfaction and retention as measured by surveys. |
2. Allfordable Housing and Diversity
All Olmsted County jurisdictions, and in particular the City of Rochester, are suffering from a critical shortage of affordable housing. Rental vacancy rates for market rate units were estimated at around 1-2 % in the 1998 Housing Study prepared for the Olmsted County Housing and Redevelopment Authority.Preliminary data from the 2000 Census indicates an overall rental vacancy rate of 4% (which may include units under construction or already called for and therefore not truly on the market). By comparisons, the national average rental vacancy rate from 2000 Census data is 6.8%.
Many area employers need entry level and other lower paid employees to fill the jobs that they are creating. ......
Opposition to affordable housing in areas in adjacent to established neighborhoods threatens to exclude affordable housing from newly developing areas. Such exclusion results in a shortage of affordable housing and a community that is segregated by income class. Segregation by income class can lead to de facto segregation by race in our community. Continuing to curtail the supply of land for affordable housing in fringe locations jeopardizes the supply of affordable housing and will result in concentrating affordable housing in a few heavily impacted neighborhoods.
Recommendations
1. Units of local government:
- support low income tax credit housing and other subsided housing.
- accommodate private development proposal that include townhouses, apartments, and manufactured housing as part of neighborhood development areas.
- enforce minimum standards for housing and enforce such ordinances as the Disorderly Use Ordinance in order to address neighborhood concerns about crime and potential impacts on property values.
- increase the supply of land zoned for lower cost housing, especially providing for mixtures of housing by style and cost.
- provide for neighborhoods with housing that is integrated by income class as well as by race.
2. Area Developers:
- accommodate affordable housing up front as part of well-planned communities.
- provide for affordable housing as an integrated part of neighborhood development plans
- address concerns related to traffic and property values.
3. Real Estate Marketers and Landlords:
- provide accurate information to new or relocating residents about all neighborhoods, without making assumptions about the preferences those residents may have based on their race or income; avoid steering.
- treat all housing customers equally
- characterize all neighborhood accurately
4. Neighborhoods and Community Members
- We need to remind ourselves
- lower income households are not equivalent to lower quality families
- that the "goodness" of a neighborhood is not measured by the price of its structures but by the character of its residents
- that the quality of a community is not measured by the degree to which it is exclusive
- We need to focus neighborhood concerns about housing on legitimate issues that can be remedied (accommodating traffic without disrupting neighborhoods, ensuring good management of rental housing, and so on).
- We need to create a welcoming environment in all neighborhoods for persons of diver ethnic and economic backgrounds.
Measures of Effectiveness
- For affordable housing, vacancy rates by price range for owner and renter occupied housing.
- For the enforcement of minimum standards of housing and crime-free neighborhoods, crime, police calls, and housing violation data.
- For segregation, the "dissimilarity index,' which represents the percentage of a minority population that would need to move to a different neighborhood in order to result in an even distribution of the population across the community. Race segregation in the urbanized area of Olmsted County is quite low compared to other metropolitan areas in the U.S. Dissimilarity indices for persons in poverty and housing styles in 1990, and racial minorities in 1990 and 2000 have been calculated and presented in Appendix 1: Demographics.
- Also for segregation, the concentration of minority population, which can determined by calculating the weighted mean percentage of minority residents living in blocks with minority residents. For Olmsted County's minority population in 2000 (based on Census data), blocks with any minority residents had an average of 28% minority residents compared to a County average of 11% minority residents. This level of concentration is low compared with other metropolitan areas in the U.S.
- For segregating practices, records of complaints received by the Human Rights Commission related to suspected block-busting, redlining, and racial or other steering.
3. Environmental Justice Analysis
Local governments should prepare an "environmental justice analysis" when they propose capital expenditures that trigger and environmental impact statement that affect part of the community. State and local governments investments in infrastructure often create attractive facilities that may increase property values in adjacent areas, such as bridges and roads, bike-ways and bus systems, parks and schools. Other investments (some highways, sewage treatment facilities, landfills, and so on) may distract from adjacent neighborhoods.
The federal government requires that infrastructure investments using federal funds be evaluated in terms of their impacts (favorable and unfavorable) on neighborhoods.
Such an evaluation should be required for all infrastructure investment that trigger environmental impact statements, whether they involve federal funds or not.
| Program | Develop a model environment justice analysis procedure and use it to evaluate local government infrastructure investment impacts, ensuring that neighborhoods are treated equitably. |
|---|---|
| Customers | Area units of local government (school boards, city councils, township boards, and the Olmsted County Board). |
| Responsible Parties | Rochester Olmsted Planning Department and the Rochester Olmsted Council of Governments, with participation by community resources and environmental advisory board. |
| Measures of Effectiveness | Infrastructure investment show balance impacts across the community. |
4. Programs Oriented to Minorities
4.1. Minority Employment
In a time of labor shortages, it is in the interest of both employers and words to facilitate the full employment of all residents who wish to work.
| Program | Develop and distribute a set of "best practices" related to minority recruitment, training, and retention specific to occupation and industry. |
|---|---|
| Customers | |
| Responsible Parties | All area employers (public, private, non-profit). |
| Measures of Effectiveness | Awareness of "best practices" among area employers; ultimately, labor participation and retention rates and wage rates for minorities identified by race, ethnicity, ability/disability and native language |
| Specific Strategies |
Develop workplace mentoring programs for minority employees Provide training in English for Speakers of Other Languages, with in the workplace or at other locations Through Rochester Community Education and other public and private organizations such as the Private Industry Council (Workforce Center), provide assistance to under-employed persons to achieve employment consistent with education and experience. Assist in the formation of job networking groups among minority populations Make greater use of minority-based employment agencies |
4.2. Residential Envrionment
Newcomers to area neighborhoods, especially those coming from other countries, sometimes need help becoming familiar with the expectations associated with occupying a residence. Just as majority community neighborhoods need education in cultural differences and other diversity issues, so do newcomers to those neighborhoods need education about the majority culture. As a community, we need to respect the board range of cultural traditions that our residents represent. We also need to be aware of the differences among us and to be clear on the rules that regulate our behavior.
| Program | Familiarize minority newcomers with the laws and cultural expectations related to owning or renting residences in Olmsted County, especially landlord-tenant responsibilities, lease requirements, home maintenance expectations, and expectations related to the neighborhood. |
|---|---|
| Customers | Minority newcomers to the community. |
| Responsible Parties | Inter-cultural Mutual Assistance Association; Olmsted County Housing and Redevelopment Authority; Community Housing Partnership; and area Diversity Resources. |
| Measures of Effectiveness | Measures of Effectiveness Complaints related to misunderstood expectations received by Human Rights Commission or others; neighborhood and minority resident surveys. |
4.3. Civic Engagement
The 21st Century Partnership Task Force on Diversity called for improving the internal diversity performance of community institutions and ensuring that institutions in the community include diversity as a priority in their own planning and programming. The network of relationships that knit the majority community together should be made accessible to the minority communities in the community as well. Strategies to extend opportunities for greater civic involvement to minorities could include:
- involvement in neighborhood groups,
- appointment to citizen committees serving local government
- recruitment by service clubs
- involvement in non-profit board
- involvement in interest groups such as the League of Women Voters, and
- involvement in committees advising business organizations, such as the Chamber of Commerce
4.4. Adult Literacy Program
English language training is critical for the job success and community participation of non-native English speakers. As a community, we need to continue to support programs such as those offered in adult literacy though the Rochester Public Schools. In addition to adult basic education for native speakers of English, G.E.D. preparation, and diploma opportunities for adults, a variety of English language training classes are available.
The English program provides seven sequential levels of instruction in the English language and U.S. Culture. The classes are open to all non-native speakers of English in the Rochester area. In addition, the following programs are also available:
- Assistance for foreign-born residents preparing for the U.S. Citizenship Exam,
- Refugee tutoring assistance
- Work skills program
- Parenting classes and preschool education for speakers of other languages.
Classes are offered in several locations, including the Rochester Community and Technical College Heintz Center, Ability Building Center, Corrections Department and on-site employer customized educational assistance through the Work Skills Project.
4.5. Health Care
Olmsted County is a diverse community made up of many cultural groups bound together by common life experiences, traditions, behaviors, and values. Health care institutions should provide education programs for all staff members regarding cultural and cross-cultural health care traditions to ensure effective outreach and provide equal access to services. Education programs for health care employees should include background regarding the differences in customs, traditions, language and history as well as the positive health care practices that exist within cultures.
Many refugees who come to this region in search of safety and a new life have experienced overwhelming suffering and loss as a result of war, torture and the hardship of life in refugee camps. Differences in language, income, education and access to appropriate health care may also compromise the physical and mental health of residents. It is important for health care providers to support community education and outreach programs beyond the mainstream or majority culture to meet the needs of all residents, including those in the immigrant and newcomer population.
The following goals and objectives will ensure that the health care needs of all residents are met: :
- Ensure that the employees of health care institutions have the opportunity to learn the health care traditions of the community members they serve
- Improve access to health care by providing education and outreach to all cultural and cross-cultural communities with Olmsted County.
- Ensure appropriate and timely interpreter staff in health care systems for English language learners and non-native speakers.
4.6. Youth Participation
Some of the youth in our community cannot afford to participate in youth sports and other community activities. While scholarship programs are available through some youth organizations, many still have fewer lower income participants than would be expected based on community population characteristics. It is not enough merely to passively accommodate minority and low income youth participation. To increase the level of participation on the part of lower income youth and the minorities:
- Youth oriented organizations should make a deliberate, proactive effort to involve lower income and minority youth in their programs. Such efforts should include waiving fess, assisting with the purchase of equipment, providing assistance with transportation when necessary, and active recruitment efforts.
- Youth oriented organizations should also make an effort to attract minority adult leaders to their boards and youth contact positions
- Public entities should establish as a condition for the use of public facilities (meeting rooms, sports fields, and gymnasiums) that the organization using the facility has established efforts to increase participation among low income and minority youth.
5. Schools
All of the public school systems in the Rochester Olmsted community should have completed state required diversity plans and placed them on file with the Minnesota Department of Children Families and Learning. School districts should also provide staff development programming and resources to ensure that teachers and other staff members understand the value of integrating diversity education strategies into all aspects of K-12 curriculum. As a suggestion for private school systems or for public school systems considering revisions, the 21st Century Partnership, in consultation with Diversity Council Education Committee and Rochester Public Schools offer the following curriculum suggestions intended to: (1) Create a safe and welcoming learning environment for all students, and (2) Support an environment that nurtures diversity and strives to eliminate name-calling, racism, gender bias and other forms of discrimination.
5.1. Introduction
All of the public school systems in the Rochester Olmsted community should have completed state required diversity plans and placed them on file with the Minnesota Department of Children Families and Learning.
School districts should also provide staff development programming and resources to ensure that teachers and other staff members understand the value of integrating diversity education strategies into all aspects of K-12 curriculum.
As a suggestion for private school systems or for public school systems considering revisions, the 21st Century Partnership, in consultation with Diversity Council Education Committee and Rochester Public Schools offer the following curriculum suggestions intended to:
(1) Create a safe and welcoming learning environment for all students, and
(2) Support an environment that nurtures diversity and strives to eliminate name-calling, racism, gender bias and other forms of discrimination.
5.2. Elementary School
| Actions/Strategies | Timeline | Persons Responsible | Resources Needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Read books and stories depicting various cultures, men and women in a variety of roles, and people with mental and physical challenges in a variety of roles. | On-going | K-5 Staff and volunteers | School District & Community resources |
| Provide multiple experience creating an understanding of inter-generational experiences, and sharing of family traditions. For example, each student could present an interview held with a grandparent or older family friend. | Once per year | K-5 Staff and volunteers | |
| Provide multiple experiences comparing and contrasting the culture and traditions of people of different countries around the worlds. For example, each student could complete an assessment showing understanding of the differences and similarities. | |||
| Establish family mentorship program by matching ESOL families with native speaking families. | |||
| Include diverse food choices on school lunch menu. | |||
| Set aside an area in each school library for a monthly display of diversity materials. |
5.3. Middle School
| Timeline | Persons Responsible | Resources Needed | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assign books with authors, settings, themes and characters representing diverse cultures and ethnic groups. | On-going | Language Arts Department | School District & community resources |
| Social Studies department should provide experiences at all grade levels on cultural diversity, including cultural diversity in our communities. | Winter Trimester | Social Studies and language arts staff | School district & community resources |
| Provide story problems that include diversity themes. | On-going | Math department | School district & community resources |
| Provide opportunities for native speaking students to meet and get to know ESOL students better to eliminate name-calling and other forms of harassment | September | Staff | |
| Demonstrate what it would be like to be in a situation where one does not know the language. Afterwards, process how the students fell about the experience. | Once a year | Staff | |
| Introduce diverse performing groups and explore a variety of music from various cultures and religions. | On-going | Music Department | School district, PTSA & community resources |
| Encourage frequent discussions regarding racial issues and discrimination of all kinds. | On-going | Staff | School district & community resources |
| Provide lessons on social skills and self-awareness. | On-going | Staff | |
| Enforce zero tolerance of discrimination incidents in school. | On-going | Staff | Appropriate consequences for both positive and negative behavior |
5.4. High School
| Program | Timeline | Responsible | Resources Needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enhance library/media collection to incorporate diverse literature and non-print media | On-going | Staff | Resources to purchase new materials |
| Increase availability of conflict managers. | On-going | Conflict Manager Coordinator and Administration | Time for coordinator to organize and facilitate conflict mediation and to train additional staff and students. |
| Continue to use bulletin boards to display multicultural ideas and themes. | On-going | Diversity Committees | School district & community resources |
| Increase involvement of minority parents through Minority Student Advocate | On-going | School administration and Minority Advocate | Salaries and benefits for minority student advocate position and activities |
| Increase minority student participation in school related activities and athletics through assistance with fees and equipment and through active recruitment. | On-going | Staff and students | Funds for fees and equipment; time for recruitment |
| Develop and understanding of diversity among students, based on respect, success, school pride, spirit, and traditions | On-going | Staff, students, and alumni | Money for fees supplies and materials. |
6. Addressing Discrimination
"The responsibility for change is proportional to the power the individuals and groups hold in society. It is therefore the responsibility of the majority population to provide vision, leadership, and strategies to stop discrimination... A community that works well must promote a "zero tolerance" approach to discriminatory behavior."
-- 21st Century Partnership Diversity Taskforce Report
All of the other programs and policies in this Community Strategic Plan for Diversity address the need for education in one form or another. Education will promote awareness and appreciation of cultural differences and help to create a welcoming environment for diversity. One of the goals of diversity education is to eliminate discrimination. However patterns of discrimination will persist and must be confronted.
This community will have a policy of "zero tolerance" for discrimination.
The following programs are proposed to make such a policy effective:
| Program | Assist in identifying and resolving discrimination concerns and in preventing discrimination | |
|---|---|---|
| Customers | Victims of discrimination; majority and minority communities. | |
| Responsible Parties | Olmsted County Human Rights Commission; Other area Diversity Resources | |
| Measures of Effectiveness | Numbers of complaints resolved; satisfaction of participants; numbers of complaints received | |
| Specific Strategies | Provide counseling to minority residents to resolve potential misunderstandings and identify discrimination problems. | Area Diversity Resources |
| Continue to provide mediation resources for discrimination concerns | Olmsted County Human Rights Commission | |
| Provide education to employers and others on the laws pertaining to discrimination | Olmsted County Human Rights Commission | |
| Create a fund to support legal action as merited to address discrimination concerns not amenable to resolution through mediation | Area charitable foundations, community diversity resources, local Bar Association | |
