All tagged Human Relations
At the Swarthmore Borough Council meeting on September 21, Swarthmore resident Samina Iqbal reported on efforts to improve accessibility in the borough. Also: council voted unanimously to prohibit overnight parking on several streets near Michigan Avenue and the Environment Committee moved that council approve the purchase of 12 trees through the Tree Tenders Program. Council also voted unanimously to keep parklets in the center of town through the end of 2020.
Swarthmore architect Samina Iqbal attended the Swarthmore Human Relations Commission (HRC) meeting on August 6 to raise the commission’s awareness of accessibility issues in the borough. Iqbal described the slow history of increasing accessibility in the United States, and the disabled community’s frustrations with how little progress has been made in the 30 years since the passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act. She described her family’s challenges navigating the public world with her husband, Tony Denninger, in a wheelchair.
“One day, about seven years ago, we found ourselves looking at each other in frustration in our too-quiet house.” That’s how Swarthmoreans Julie Mayer and Barry Jacobs, both clinical psychologists, begin their new book, “Love and Meaning After 50: The 10 Challenges to Great Relationships — and How to Overcome Them.” After their children left for college, Mayer and Jacobs found themselves “feeling older and unsure about what should come next.” They began to reassess their marriage and find new ways to connect. This book, they say, is their attempt to help others do the same.
As the country wrestles with racial justice in the wake of the May 25 killing of George Floyd, Swarthmore’s Human Relations Commission (HRC) is attempting to finalize a mission statement, draft a diversity and inclusion statement for the borough, and identify concrete steps to improve Swarthmore’s racial climate.
At the Swarthmore Borough Council meeting on June 1, council member Sarah Graden read a special statement from the Swarthmore Human Relations Commission.
The Swarthmore Borough Human Relations Commission (HRC) is expanding and looking for additional members to serve our community. The HRC was originally established by ordinance in 2006 to respond to complaints regarding discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identification, as these are not protected by the state’s anti-discrimination laws. Swarthmore Borough Council recently amended the ordinance to include the ability to provide education and outreach to prevent discrimination and address incidents of bias that may lead to tension between racial, ethnic, and other groups. To address this larger scope, more members are needed.
