Kane County Reporter

City of Aurora African American Heritage Advisory Board met Feb. 10.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

I. Call to Order

• Meeting was called to order at 5:40 p.m. in City Council Chambers

II. Roll Call

• Present: Derek Drew, Dr. Peggy Hicks, Glenda Blakemore, Marc Dale, Jr., Marquell Oliver (via phone), Pairlee Hunter, Sandra Harrison, Sharonda Roberson, Cynthia Latimer, William Whitfield, Keith Wise

• Excused Absence: Deborah Goss Johnson

III. Others Present

• Guest: Tonya Majersky

• City Staff: Clayton Muhammad, Nick Thompson

IV. Public Comment

• No public comments

V. Agenda Items

• Introduction of AAHAB Members: Members introduced themselves and shared their reasons for joining AAHAB. It was announced that Dr. Yolanda Stovall was in process of being appointed as the thirteenth and final member of the board. Her approval is slated for the March 8 City Council Meeting.

• Introduction of City staff: Clayton Muhammad, Chief Communications & Equity Officer, will serve as the primary City liaison. Nick Richard-Thompson, Communications Coordinator, was in attendance as well.

• Introductions of Others Present: Tonya Majersky, a resident and teacher, joined the meeting in support of AAHAB member Pairlee Hunter

• Overview of Member Guidelines: The new Member Guides were distributed to each member. Each member was asked to review the guide prior to future meetings. C. Muhammad highlighted the ‘Officers’ section of the guide.

• Brief History of AAHAB: C. Muhammad provided a history of the AAHAB since it was launched in 2004, highlighting the board’s history through the annual Heritage Dinner and the leader of the year who was nominated.

• Nomination of Officers: A general discussion was held on the current offices open for AAHAB, including Chair, Vice Chair and Secretary. The following individuals were nominated, seconded and accepted the respective nomination:

o Nominated for Chair: Dr. Peggy Hicks

o Nominated for Vice Chair: Sharonda Roberson

o Nominated for Secretary: Cynthia Latimer

Voting on the slate will take place at the next AAHAB Meeting on March 10, 2022

• Overview of ‘Aurora in Black’: C. Muhammad provided an overview of the City’s monthlong series of events for Black History Month, inviting members of AAHAB to participate. The complete list can be found at www.aurora il.org/AuroraInBlack.

• For the Good of the Board: This open section on the agenda provides and opportunity for AAHAB members to make announcements and give updates on items not on the agenda, with no need for voting.

Members discussed such topics as: AAHAB Social Media (P. Hunter), the need for a citywide Black History Month calendar of events (P. Hicks), community education on topics such as long-term planning, real estate, and decentralized autonomous zones (D. Drew), the process for AAHAB Scholarships (K. Wise, M. Dale, G. Blakemore) and a new book relevant to the culture, Hood Healing (S. Harrison).

• The next AAHAB Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 10 at Aurora City Hall on the 5th Floor.

• Meeting was adjourned at 6:45 p.m.

https://www.aurora-il.org/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_02102022-2817