Human Rights Commission - February 19, 2026
The Regular Meeting of the Human Rights Commission of the City of Fargo, North Dakota, was held in the Commission Chambers at City Hall at 12:00 p.m., Thursday, February 19, 2026
The Human Rights Commissioners present or absent were as follows:
Present: Sekou Sirleaf, Xavier Welty, Cody Severson, Nancy Boyle, Carolyn Becraft, Tambah Saah (virtual).
Absent: Aaron Kawreh, Kristin Nelson, Ritchell Aboah.
Other attendees: Brenda Derrig, Assistant City Administrator, Alyssa Farrell Czapinski, Assistant City Attorney, John Strand, City Commissioner.
Item 1. Welcome and introductions.
Item 2. Approve or amend agenda:
o Carolyn moved, second by Nancy to approve the agenda. All the members present voted aye and the motion was declared carried.
Item 3. Approval of meeting minutes:
o Nancy moved, second by Cody to approve the minutes for October 16, 2025, November 20, 2025, December 23, 2025, January 15, 2026, January 29, 2026 and February 12, 2026. All the members present voted aye and the motion was declared carried.
Item 4. Reaffirm Chair/Vice Chair Positions:
o Cody moved, second by Carolyn to reaffirm the current leadership until June 20, 26. All the members present voted aye and the motion was declared carried.
Item 5. New HRC Proposal:
o Sekou said the City Commission moved to eliminate the Native American, Arts and Culture and Human Rights Commissions, giving these Boards two months to restructure or face dissolution. He said he has a proposal and a resolution, developed after meetings with various stakeholders, City Commissioners and the Mayor.
o Nancy said while members might not always be on the same page, the goal is to protect the human rights of Fargo’s citizens.
o In response to a question from Nancy asking about the possibility of extending the two-month deadline, Sekou said in a meeting with the Mayor, he was told there was flexibility to continue consultation as long as work on the restructuring was active.
o Cody said this challenge could be a silver lining by forcing the HRC to become more collaborative with the community.
o Carolyn said she had strong concerns regarding the proposal, labeling it unworkable due to the fact it suggested the HRC raise money, which a volunteer advisory board cannot do. She wholeheartedly supports the resolution, she stated, suggesting a minor technical edit to include Ordinance 1502.
o Sekou said the edits had already been incorporated based on previous feedback and suggested the HRC take the documents home for further review before a working session in March.
o Planning Director Nicole Crutchfield said the Arts and Culture Commission remains a City board but without a budget or staff, acting only when a specific project arises.
o In response to a question from Xavier asking if the HRC was being abolished or continued, Nancy said the HRC was still in the restructuring phase and that the next steps would be presented to the City Commission.
o Xavier asked why the plan seemed to be changing and he expressed skepticism about the HRC’s current effectiveness and purpose, noting he had spoken to many citizens who still have unaddressed needs.
o Tambah said he has concerns regarding the transparency of the drafting process, especially with the Mayor’s outreach to only select members. He questioned who actually authored the proposal, fearing that not all members had an equal voice.
o Sekou defended the process, explaining that the outreach to individual Commissioners was a strategy suggested by Commissioner Strand and that he had attempted to invite various members to the meeting with the Mayor, but many were unavailable on short notice. He said the proposal was a summary of all consultations and was open for revision.
o Commissioner Strand reminded the Board that the clock is running and suggested the Board request a deadline extension from the City.
o Nancy made a motion to request a two-month extension for the HRC to establish a concrete plan through additional working sessions. Second by Carolyn. On call of the roll all the members present voted aye, except Xavier who voted nay and the motion was declared carried.
Items 6,7,8. Administration update, announcements, public comments:
o Brenda said she would be out the following week and said she would coordinate with Commissioner Strand and Nicole to draft the extension memo for the upcoming City Commission meeting. She said the draft can be reviewed by Sekou and Nancy before being placed on the City Commission agenda, with a final deadline of the following Thursday at noon.
o Nancy said this is Black History Month, urging those in attendance to maintain awareness of the significance of the month despite it being the shortest of the year.
o Sekou shared an update regarding his work on a Know Your Rights training presentation and expressed concern over the presence of ICE in Fargo and the fear it has instilled in the immigrant community. He hopes to present a draft of the training for HRC input at the next working session.
o Christopher Coen spoke and said the HRC lacks transparency, citing last-minute proposals and behind-the-scenes meetings with the Mayor that excluded public oversight. He said the HRC’s current proposal mimicked the failed Police Accountability and Oversight Board and suggested that the Board was doing the work for a City government that already intended to dissolve them. He challenged the Board to provide a viable plan for its survival rather than offering suggestions on how the City might end its own Ordinance.
o Sekou said the HRC has maintained a high standard of transparency through public meetings and said they were drafted quickly following an abrupt Friday meeting with the Mayor, but he rejected the idea that one instance of late paperwork defined the HRC as insiders. He clarified that the resolution was intended to put the onus back on the City, stating that if the City wants to dissolve a commission they chartered, they should do it themselves rather than asking the HRC to facilitate its own demise.