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Human Rights Commission

The Human Rights Commission (HRC) is an 11-member group of volunteers, appointed by the Mayor and Council, to ensure equal treatment, free from discrimination for people who live, visit or work in the City of Rockville. The HRC is charged with minimizing the effects of conflict and promoting appreciation of diversity within the City. To meet these goals, the commission provides a variety of programs and services.

Services
The HRC reviews and/or hears investigated complaints of discrimination, and offers findings. To promote and facilitate resolutions to conflicts, the HRC provides free mediation services to people in the City who may find themselves in conflict with a neighbor, landlord, tenant or business. Mediation helps parties clarify and resolve their disputes amicably for their mutual benefit.

In addition to protecting rights, reducing conflict and promoting human relations, the HRC sponsors educational and cultural programs that promote global thinking, encourage civic awareness and/or reflect the rich diversity found in the City.

The HRC also hosts voter registration days during election years.

To promote diversity and to improve human relations, it is important for the commission to know and understand the issues that face the many communities that comprise our City. To that end, the commission is seeking ways to inform our residents about the HRC and to learn more about their concerns. The HRC also would like to invite residents from all of our communities to apply for a commissioner position as vacancies occur.

If you are interested in having a representative of the HRC make a brief presentation to your group about commission activities or mediation, call the commission liaison at 240-314-8316.

Programs
The Commission sponsors the annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration that commemorates the works of Dr. King while celebrating and bringing together the diverse community. As part of the celebration, the commission awards annually the F. Michael Taff and Martin Luther King Jr. Awards.

The HRC challenges the minds of the City's high school students to think globally about human rights issues by sponsoring a multimedia contest. Students are given four human rights topics to choose from to develop a product (video, art, photo, essay, poem, etc.) that serves as a means of creating awareness for the writers and the readers. Winners of the 2011 contest were: first place, Yanghong Lu; second place, Jessica Li; third place, Rylinn Sorini.

Links

• Agendas and Minutes
• How to Join
• Vacancies