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| Kimberly Rivera |
Members of the Commission are appointed by the Aurora City Council. The Commission provides valuable insight to the operations of the city and council's decision-making process that pertains to preserving civil liberties and rights for all city residents. The HRC contributes to the success of Aurora's representative government, as the body ensures that the civil liberties of all citizens is maintained and addressed and to suggest appropriate course of action to city management and the city council.
In addition to her service on the HRC, Kimberly also sits on the executive board of the NAACP-Aurora Branch. She also was recently appointed to serve on the City of Aurora Community Policing Advisory Team, which provides advice about community policing and engagement strategies and directly assisting Aurora Police Department to implement outreach strategies. The team also offers advice to the department during times of crisis directly impacting the police and the community.
In this Q&A, Kimberly discusses her role at the HRC and her relentless commitment to serving diverse communities.
What is your role and charge as part of the City of Aurora Human Relations Commission?
I’ve been the Chair of the Commission for the past two years. My main focus is to get the HRC out into the community. Many members in our community don’t know that we have a commission that serves their interests. When it comes to issues of discrimination, many do not know who to turn to, where to get information, and who can handle their situation. My main goal has been to try and disseminate more information about HRC programs and services.
The Human Relations Commission is the civil rights commission for the City of Aurora. We are geared toward preserving civil liberties and civil rights and maintaining equality throughout the city.
We investigate complaints about alleged discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, and city services, based on a variety of factors, including age, gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, and more. If there is a complaint that we can’t handle, then we refer people to resources that can help.
What are some of the community concerns that HRC is addressing?
After the election year, there have been so many questions and concerns about civil rights. People are confused and worried. They’ve been coming to us with their questions. As chair of the HRC, my contact is the Mayor of the City of Aurora, so I am able to relay the concerns of the community and current HRC activities to city leadership.
We are focusing on immigration issues, because it does not only impact the Latino community. In Aurora, we have over 90 different cultures from immigrant and refugee backgrounds and maintaining this amazing diversity is a huge priority for the HRC. For example, we are hearing voiced concerns about DACA so we are working to bring clarification to a community that feels they are not being heard by introducing a resolution that best serves the community.
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| With City of Aurora Police Chief Nick Metz |
A few months ago, there were lots of questions about the City’s stance on sanctuary cities, these concerns weigh heavily on the hearts and minds of the commission, it is our goal to make sure we are as involved with these issues as we can possibly get. As a commission, we were able to get clarification from the Mayor and the Chief of Police about where the city stands on the issues so we can better inform the community as a way to continue to keep harmony in Aurora. We were able to assure the people of Aurora – whether they are U.S. citizens or not – that we’re here to serve the entire community.
Earlier in the year, we worked with the NAACP-Aurora Branch and the Mayor’s Office to address hate crimes that have been reported. At a news conference, our commissioners stood behind the police chief and the Mayor who made it known that these hate crimes will not be tolerated in our city.
What made you decide to join the Commission?
Four years ago, I started to deal with the empty nest syndrome. My daughter was almost finished with college. I was a Victims’ Advocate for the Aurora Police Department at the time. I was able to do the 12-hour shifts only a couple of times a month so I wanted to find other ways to serve my community, I wanted to be in a leadership role and find a way to give back to the community I adore so much.
Politics was never my thing, but I started looking into boards and commissions for the City of Aurora. I found out about the Human Relations Commission, and their focus on Civil Rights. I attended a few meetings before deciding to apply for a seat on the HRC. It was a long process: I interviewed in June, and didn’t get sworn in until November. I continued to go to the meetings to learn more.
The Commission’s purpose is to promote mutual respect and understanding among all people, all cultures. It’s awesome that our Commission is truly representative of our community; everybody brings something unique to the table. We have a lot of healthy debate and all our commissioners make great contributions in order to make this commission successful. I am honored to be part of such a passionate, diverse team of leaders!
What inspires you to do this work?
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| Kim and her Dad, Joe Rivera |
I was born and raised in Utah. Being raised Hispanic and Catholic, I started to feel a difference as I got older. As a teenager, I was seeing more racial tensions. We moved to Denver when I was 15, and for the first time, I was surrounded with diversity. It was a little overwhelming, but also fun.
Aurora is a great community. I raised my daughter, Mariah – who is half-black – in this community. My son-in-law is half-Black and half-white and they are amazing parents to my granddaughter, Leia, who will learn love not color, she will learn culture, tradition and respect and she will use this precious knowledge all the rest of her life. Also, my fiancé, Joel, is very supportive of my work in the community, he’s proud of what I do and I am thankful for him and my family.
As far as community, my degree is in Criminal Justice, with a minor in Sociology. I helped start the first and only Latina sorority on the Metro State University campus, and did a lot of volunteer work while active in Lambda Theta Nu. I got to learn so much more about culture, race, diversity and empowering women. After I graduated, I joined the police academy, the only Hispanic female in the class. I eventually became a Deputy Sheriff, an accomplishment I was very proud of.
What inspires me as part of the HRC is celebrating the diversity in our community. I am honored to hear stories of how families arrived here and how they have made Aurora their home, a city they are proud to be a part of.
What do you find most challenging?
The HRC’s challenge is becoming more visible in community. We want to reach people in Aurora who haven’t heard about the HRC. We have TV spots on Aurora TV; we assist with Community Forums and we looking at reaching the community through radio or social media. Our Communications Committee is doing great work on social media. At Global Fest, we handed out information and answered questions.
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| With Colorado State Sen. Rhonda Fields |
Why is service important to you?
Service has always been important to my family. My Dad is a Vietnam vet; he served in the U.S. Navy, I am proud of my dad and all the lessons he has taught and continues to teach our family, he has been a great source of strength and perseverance to all of us and I want to continue that tradition.
Every job that I’ve done revolves around helping people. I worked as a Deputy Sheriff, and then I worked in social services. I was there for people at the worst moments of their lives. Sometimes holding someone’s hand is all they need at that moment.
It’s so important to reach out to young people, so they can see real-life heroes who are making a difference. It’s not cliché to dream, and it’s not silly to have hopes and aspirations.
What do you find most enjoyable about the work?
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I truly enjoy working with the community. Being able to meet people, listen to their concerns, and offer help. It’s an honor to meet Aurora residents in religious services or at community meetings to hear their stories. I’m a people person, and making connections is important to me.
It’s wonderful to be part of a group with the common goal of taking care of our community, and letting people know that they matter, that their rights matter.
Given the current societal climate, what gives you hope?
There’s so much going on right now, and many people feel their civil liberties are threatened. There are isolated incidents of hate crimes, but the number of people who show support and unity is far greater than ugly incidents of hate. Even though we can’t predict when these crimes will happen, we are coming together as a community and take care of one another.
When I watch people protesting, I see not just minorities, but people of all races and backgrounds coming together for a cause.
People are coming together for their voices to be heard, to show peace, unity and strength in numbers. Sometimes it may seem that no one is listening, but their actions are not in vain.
Here in Aurora, city council members are listening. Our state representatives are listening. They are working on solutions. I understand that people want to see results overnight. I am also impatient, but resolving these issues is not easy. What gives me hope is that we’re seeing everyone come together to share their voice: all ages, races, cultures, religions. Diverse communities are rallying around another group that may be targeted or suffering.
It’s a powerful and uplifting message, even to other countries: America is strong. We will fight for what’s right until changes are made.
Changes are coming; it’s only just a matter of time.