By John McLoone

The Hastings City Council worked with THRIVE of Hastings on a workshop on diversity, equity and inclusion on Aug. 3.

The 1-1/2-hour session covered possible workshops city council members could attend but nothing was finalized, as the workshop butted up against a scheduled city council meeting that evening.

The Hastings YMCA web page describes THRIVE as follows: “Beginning in November of 2016, a group of community leaders and citizens, including representatives from the City and the school district, have been engaged in dialog to understand the state of diversity, equity, and inclusion in Hastings. Periodic discussions presented ever growing and changing statistics, a broadening understanding of diversity, and conversations with a variety of residents to understand personal experiences, concerns, needs, and aspirations for the Hastings community.

“Community leaders are now working to expand the conversation and facilitate community-wide learning opportunities in order to embrace cultural differences and commonalities throughout the city. A partnership with the YMCA Equity Innovation Center was approved for funding and began work in September 2018.” Attending the virtual meeting on the Zoom platform with council members were City Administrator Dan Wietecha and City Clerk Julie Flaaten, as well as Derek Yaeger and Scott Petersen of the YMCA. The YMCA representatives gave a presentation to the city council on ‘the evolution of the diversity, equity, and inclusion initiagoing tive, Equity Progress Curve, effective leadership, culture, root causes and development of leaders training opportunities offered through the YMCA and associated costs,” minutes of the meeting state. “Yaeger suggested leadership training should begin at the City Councilmember level and work through the organization. The training would involve multiple sessions with the goal of the City transforming workplace culture and embracing a culture of agility to support equitable outcomes.”

Yaeger spoke first after the introduction.

“I appreciate your willingness to discuss this and challenge yourself on how you’re going to grow personally. I know you’ll agree with me that this work is necessary for all of us as leaders, to engage effectively to lead in today’s challenges,” he said.

Yaeger was director at the East Side YMCA.

“We were really trying to serve a very diverse community and we were really starting to notice challenges and issues that were brought on by our very own policies and procedures. We really got to learn and grow and start to see how to make changes community-wide and really make it truly welcoming to all.”

It was noted that Councilmember Joe Balsanek had asked for the workshop to be held.

“You know, I’ve got a reputation on the council as being one that you know likes to roll up the sleeves and work with constituents on problems,” he said, noting that diversity-type complaints aren’t necessarily prevalent as much as complaints about neighbors are.

“I was playing golf with friends of mine the other day, and when we were done, my foursome sat down. We just started talking about events on not only in the city but around the world and in our nation. My friend is black, and I asked him – he lives in Apple Valley – I asked him ‘Have you had encounters with police over the years that have made you uncomfortable? He proceeded to tell our group about three or four or five incidents along the way,” Balsanek said.

He also noted that he had heard that a Hastings Black Lives Matter group had received “negative comments from people in Hastings.”

“I don’t know if it’s a face to face kind of thing. I don’t know if it’s going on when they’re having their demonstrations, most of which have been at City Hall,” Balsanek said. “But you know it’s out there. I don’t know is it a catcall they’re getting from people driving by in cars or are people actually stopping and getting out? I don’t know.”

While nothing was finalized as far as training, councilmembers appreciated keeping the discussion going.

“This is a long overdue conversation with the council and with the city,” said Councilmember Lisa Leifeld.

Councilmember Tina Folch tried to push the council to action on the workshop topics and urged another workshop to keep the discussion moving.

“I think it’s great that we all recognize that we all need to be on this journey,” she said. “I feel that it’s really important that we start to take constant concrete steps moving our community forward, starting with the city,” she said. “I think we do really have to seriously take a look at not just educating ourselves on all these various issue, but it’s like making sure that we have a concrete plan as we’re working through this, so that we have action steps to move forward.”