Human Relations Commission

The City of Raleigh's Human Relations Commission (RHRC) serves as an advisor to the City Council in the area of human services and human rights. Human relations shall mean those activities which promote human dignity, equal opportunity and harmony among the many different citizens who make up the population of the City. This definition shall include those activities and programs classified as promoting the general wellbeing of citizens without regard to race, color, creed, gender, age, sexual orientation, or national origin in their daily activities.

At its inception, the Human Relations Commission was charged with evaluating human services and human relations within the city and making recommendations to the City Council in areas where its action was required. Initially, these responsibilities carried with them the authority to receive complaints from citizens and to attempt to reconcile disputes within the community.

While the authority to mediate or reconcile complaints from citizens has been removed from the Commission, the supporting language for the Commission confirms an authority to make recommendations to the City Council in the area of human services and human relations. To that end, the Commission will invite speakers to make presentations on issues generally involving questions of diversity and human dignity at its meetings and will make recommendations to the Council for their consideration.

Activities

The Commission sponsors a number of activities that promote diversity and human relations. Among them:

• Human Relations Awards

The annual Human Relations Awards recognize those who make outstanding contributions to advancing human rights in our city. Awards go to individuals, organizations, businesses and students.

• Mayor's Unity Day Celebration

This annual event brings people together to share ideas that enhance understanding of diverse cultures and improve human relations. Community, faith, business and education leaders, along with residents who want to strengthen human relations, come together to learn about diversity, share insights and build an open and inviting community.

• Human Services Grants

The Commission reviews requests from human services agencies seeking grants from the City and makes recommendations to the City Council. The grants are awarded annually to nonprofits that serve the elderly, youth, handicapped, substance abusers and homeless.

• Community Dialogues

The Commission sponsored a series of dialogues in 2010 with the theme of "Many Faces, One Community," that engaged the public in how the City of Raleigh can best serve its increasingly diverse population. The Commission presented a report and recommendations based on the dialogues to the City Council in March 2011.