Commission on Human Rights
Visit the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights Roundtable for Local Human Rights Commission Partners in South-Central Kentucky

The Kentucky Commission on Human Rights will hold a discussion roundtable for the state’s local human rights commissions located in Central and Southern Kentucky. The roundtable will be from 6 to 8:30 p.m. (EDT) on Monday, October 17, at the Stratton Community Center, 215 Washington St,, Shelbyville, Ky., 40065.

Natasha J. Watson, the center director for the U. S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, will be the featured speaker. She will discuss issues surrounding discrimination in housing along with relevant updates on immigration. The roundtable will be hosted by the Shelby County Human Rights Commission with its chairperson, Gary L. Walls.

The event is free and the public is invited.

There are six local human rights commissions among the 27 counties of Central and Southern Kentucky. The purpose of the event is to help these civil rights partners network and share best practices as they work with the state commission to end discrimination of all kinds.

The following local commissions are expected to attend: Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Human Relations; Danville-Boyle County Human Rights Commission; Bardstown-Nelson County Human Rights Commission; Lebanon Human Rights Commission; Shelby County Human Rights Commission (Serving Simpsonville, Shelbyville, and Shelby County); and, the Mercer County Human Rights Commission (Serving Harrodsburg, Burgin and Mercer County).

The event is being coordinated by Kentucky Commission on Human Rights Field Supervisor Glenda F. Green. Contact her for more information at 1.800.292.5566. Media may contact Communications Director Victoria Stephens at 502.641.0760.

There are currently 23 local human rights commissions in Kentucky. One of the functions of the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights as mandated by its governing law, KRS Chapter 344 (the Kentucky Civil Rights Act), is to encourage local governments to form local human rights commissions and assist them in doing so. Local human rights commissions help the state commission to network on a grass roots level. They foster environments for mutual respect and tolerance in their own communities and provide education and outreach to constituents. Some, such as Lexington and Louisville, have their own staff and conduct their own discrimination investigations while others are volunteer agencies without staff and provide civil rights public awareness programs in their communities. Most local commissions refer discrimination complaints to the Kentucky Human Rights Commission for investigation.

The Kentucky Commission on Human Rights is the state government agency that enforces the Kentucky Civil Rights Act and the U.S. Civil Rights Act. These laws make discrimination illegal. People are protected from discrimination because of their race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, family status and tobacco-smoking status. The protections exist with varying stipulations in the areas of public accommodations, employment, housing and financial transactions.

For help with discrimination, contact the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights at 1.800.292.5566. Also, contact any local human rights commission in your community for help. Visit the website at www.kchr.ky.gov to learn more or to find a local commission nearest you.

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