Human Rights Annual Impact Report 2020-2021

A Note from the Director

Greetings to the greater Greensboro community! Fiscal year 2020-2021 proved to be one of trial and triumph in the world of human rights. At the intersection of the tragic death of George Floyd and a pandemic that shook the world, the Human Rights Department remained front and center providing support to help residents of the city move forward. Both events exposed the necessity of human rights work to make people more aware of discrimination protections at the national, state, and local level. The City Council approved the departmental name change from Human Relations to Human Rights in October of 2020, and we are excited to move forward with new branding! It became clear to our staff that the name Human Relations did not communicate a clear message of the types of support provided by the department, such as supporting community members who experience discrimination and barriers to resources based on race, gender, or criminal history. The Human Rights Department helped City leaders strengthen the message that the City organization strives to be diverse in representation, equitable in access, and inclusive of resident voices. We supported RACEGSO, a City initiative that issued statements of solidarity for racial and ethnic minorities, produced a personal narrative series about race, and hosted meaningful leadership dialogs about race conversations in the workplace. The Human Rights Department values equal access to health and safety information. In partnership with local agencies that serve marginalized communities and the International Advisory Committee, we were able to provide information about COVID-19 safety practices, infection rate data, state and local restrictions, and school protocols in eight different languages. To round out the year, the Human Rights department launched two new volunteer bodies: the Ad- hoc Committee for African American Disparity (ACAAD) and Transgender Task Force (TTF). ACAAD is a body of 23 members focused on addressing systemic racism and barriers to success for African Americans in our city. The first public meeting was held in April. TTF’s focus is addressing issues of discrimination and barriers to success for transgender people. Its first meeting took place in July. Both groups are developing community engagement strategies to further their work. With all of the excitement happening in our department, we are pleased we have added a two positions. An investigation specialist will investigate public accommodation complaints and assess new penalties as written into the expansion of the non-discrimination ordinance. We will also welcome a commission administrator who will be directly responsible for providing support to our volunteer bodies. Ultimately, the goal of the Human Rights Department is to continue to grow and develop in ways that will make Greensboro a diverse, equitable, and inclusive place to live.

Love Jones, PhD Director City of Greensboro Human Rights

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