Civil Rights and You….

1. Civil Rights and You…. Presented By: The Civil Rights Advisory Committee

2. Committees • Civil Rights • Federal Women’s Program

3. Civil Rights CommitteeMake Up • Chair—Assistant State Conservationist (FO) • Members from each area and State Office • Executive Director of CDI • Sponsors • Advisors

4. Civil Rights Committee The committee advisors: • Black Emphasis Program Manager • Disability Emphasis Program Manager • Hispanic Emphasis Program Manager • Federal Women’s Program Manager • Asian Pacific American Program Manager • American Indian/Alaska Native Program Manager

5. Civil Rights CommitteeSponsors • Assistant State Conservationist (Technology) • State Administrative Officer • Staff Advisor

6. Vision • Equity for People and Programs • Mission • Ensure compliance with Agency policies for conservation and equal opportunity programs, and accountability for the delivery of quality and timely service to our customers

7. Charge To provide the State Conservationist recommendations to assure NRCS programs are delivered and that NRCS employees are treated in a fair and equitable manner.

8. Civil Rights & EEO • Beginnings with the Constitution and Bill of Rights • Civil Rights Act of 1964 • Addresses employment discrimination

9. Title VI • “no person in the U.S. shall, on the basis of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

10. Title VII • prohibits unlawful employment practices such as discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability. It also prohibits reprisal or retaliation for participating in the discrimination complaint process or for opposing any unlawful employment practice.

11. Chair – Jim Frederick, ASTC – FO Area 2 Vice Chair – Bruce Trautman, ASTC – FO Area 5 Area 1 Rep. – Carroll Oskvig, DC Spirit Lake Field Office Area 2 Rep. – Brad Harrison, DC Adel Field Office Committee Members

12. Committee Members • Area 3 Rep. – Tamara Buitenwerf, SC Elkader Field Office • Area 4 Rep. – Nick Morrell, DC Indianola Field Office • Area 5 Rep. – Christine Lousias, SCT Wapello Field Office • State Office Rep. – Laurel Foreman, Civil Eng.

13. Area Rep Responsibilities • Collect information on Civil Rights in their Area • Provide information and training to their Area • Look for potential conflict before it becomes a problem

14. Special Emphasis Programs • Federal Women’s Program (FWP) • Black Emphasis Program (BEP) • Hispanic Emphasis Program (HEP) • Asian Pacific American Program (APAP) • American Indian/Alaska Native Emphasis Program (AIANEP) • Disability Employment Program (DEP)

15. Functions of SEPMs • Resource person for members of EEO protected groups • Principle staff advisor of under represented groups • SEPs headed by Managers who directly report to State Conservationist

16. Functions of SEPs • Remove discriminatory barriers to equal opportunity • Promote cultural diversity awareness • Take to management group issues and concerns

17. Black Emphasis James Zeigler Program Manager

18. Program Objectives • Increase the total number of Blacks in all Professional, Administrative, Technical, Clerical, and others (PATCO) categories, series, and grade levels • Encourage the participation of Blacks in all NRCS-sponsored programs and activities • Provide a network of professional support for Blacks • Ensure that the Black community receives equal treatment in all aspects of employment • Provide opportunities to participate in training and training programs such as career enhancement, graduate studies, and others.

19. Policy • It is NRCS policy to conduct a positive and continuing BEP that provides equal employment opportunity for Blacks in all personnel management policies and practices, as well as in NRCS-sponsored programs and activities.

20. Federal Women’s Program Dick Tremain FWP Chair Dick Tremain Program Manager

21. FWP Committee • Chair – Dick Tremain, PAS State Office • Vice-Chair – Stephanie Hill, SC Manchester Field Office • Past Chair – Lori J. Altheide, District Conservationist, Ottumwa • Kathy Schneider, DC Onawa Field Office • Aaron Musselman, DC Nevada Field Office • Sandi Hunerdosse, SS Chariton Field Office

22. Federal Women’s Program FWP is a special emphasis management program within the Equal Opportunity Program of the federal government. The FWP was established in 1967. Focuses on women, but disseminates information and items relating to all employees regardless of gender.

23. FWP Purpose • Improve the recruitment, job retention and advancement opportunities for women • Encourage the participation of women in all NRCS sponsored programs and activities

24. FWP Goals • Increase respect for the abilities and accomplishments of women employees • Address current issues of importance to women and men in today’s changing world.

25. FWP Goals (continued) • Promote employee’s advancement potential by providing information on career planning, upward mobility, special training, continuing education opportunities and balancing work and family.

26. HISPANIC PROGRAM MANAGER ROBERT MIER DC GRUNDY CENTER Roberto Mier Program Manager

27. HISPANIC PROGRAM MANAGER • Assists NRCS outreach • Help NRCS employees understand Hispanic customs • Provide Spanish language NRCS literature to Field Offices

28. HISPANIC PROGRAM MANAGER • Translates short documents from English to Spanish, or Spanish to English. • Maintain a Hispanic enrollment record of high schools in Iowa. • Assist Human Resources with Recruitment of Hispanics.

29. Disability Employment Program Tricia Dunfee Program Manager

30. “Problems cannot be solved at the same level of awareness that created them.” -- Albert Einstein

31. Disabled People • The largest minority in the United States • Every 1 in 6 persons has some degree of disability • Less than 3 percent of those of employment age are employed full or part time

32. Disabled people are not “those people”. They are our ourselves, or our friends, or our loved ones.

33. Interviewing People With Disabilities During job interviews: • Ask only job-related questions • Do NOT ask about the disability • You can ask about job accommodations during the interview

34. Assistive or Adaptive Technology • Talking /Braille Computers • Speech Amplifiers • Mobility Devices • 508 Compliance

35. Importance of: • Readers • Sign Language Interpreters • Service Animals

36. American Indian/Alaska NativeEmphasis Program Tanya Meyer-Dideriksen Program Manager

37. Program Activities • Increase the total number of American Indians and Alaska Natives applying for positions with Iowa NRCS • Provide a network of professional support for American Indians and Alaska Natives in NRCS • Promote cultural diversity awareness

38. Program Activities • Encourage participation of American Indian and Alaska Natives in all NRCS programs and activities • Establish and maintain effective relationships with American Indian and Alaska Native organizations and groups.

39. Chippewa Dakota Delaware Fox Hidatsa Ho-Chunk Illinois Iowa Kickapoo Mandan Meskwaki Missouria Moingwena Omaha Osage Ottwawa Otoe Pawnee Peoria Ponca Potawatomi Sac Sahnish Sioux Winnebago Over 20 Tribes Lived in Iowa Historically

40. Today, one tribe is federally recognized in Iowa. Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa The tribe self identifies as the Meskwaki Nation.

41. The Omaha and Winnebago tribes are federally recognized in Nebraska and also have a land base in western Iowa, along the Missouri River.

43. Asian Pacific Islander Program Angela Biggs Program Manager

44. APIs are Americans of Asian or Pacific Islander descent.Can you name a country/island?

45. Bangledeshi Bhutanese Bikini Islander Borneon Burmese Cambodian Carolinian Celebesian Cerem Cernam Chamorro (Guam) Chinese Cosmopolitan Eniwetok Islander Eurasian Fijian Filipino Hawai’ian Hmong Indian Indochinese Indonesian Iwo-Jiwan Japanese Javanese Korean Kwajalein Islander Laotian Malayan Maldavian Mariana Is.(Saipan & Tinian) Marshall Islander Melanesian Micronesian Mien Mongolian Nepali US Census List (28 Asian/19 PI) • New Hebrides Is. • Okinawan • Pakistani • Papua New Guinean • Polynesian • Ponapean • Samoan • Sikkim • Singaporean • Solomon Islander • Sri Lankan • Tahitian • Tarawa Islander • Thai • Tokelauan • Tongan • Trukese • Vietnamese • Yapese

46. Program Objectives • Encourage API participation in programs and activities • Provide network of professional support for API employees • Increase the total number of API’s applying for positions with Iowa NRCS • Promote cultural diversity awareness

47. What’s in it for you? • API Resources • Facts and cultural information • Training opportunities • Translation Services (Limited) • Opportunity to increase your awareness

48. API Statistics (from US Census) • As of 2000 – 3.6% - 4.2% of population (12 million) • Fastest growing racial group in US (95% increase from ’80 to ’90 and 48% since ’90) • Est. by 2050 1 out of 10 Americans will be of API descent

49. Civil Rights Issues • We’ve covered a lot of ground in a short time.

50. Civil Rights Review • What the committees do • Committee Makeup • Special Emphasis Programs • Who they report to • Why their work is important to you