Human Rights Commission of Salt Lake City
Encyclopedia
The Human Rights Commission of Salt Lake City, Utah
, is a commission that works with the city government on issues related to the human rights
of its citizen.
Ralph Becker
has renamed the old Office of Ethnic Minorities, established by mayor Rocky Anderson
, the Office of Diversity
and Human Rights
. The present director is Yolanda Francisco-Nez. The Human Rights Commission will serve as an advisory board to this Office. Members of the Commission must receive the approval of the City Council. They serve for two or four years.
, ancestry, color
, disability
, gender
, national origin, marital status
, medical condition, physical limitation, race, religion
, or sexual orientation
, because they adversely affects the general welfare of the city and the vitality of its neighborhoods."
Curtis Haring, Vice Chair
Jennifer Mayer-Glenn, Secretary
Esperanza Granados
Walter Jones
Jon Jepsen
Keri Jones
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, is a commission that works with the city government on issues related to the human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
of its citizen.
Establishment
A city ordinance of October 2005 has established the Salt Lake City Human Rights Commission, on the model of similar organizations throughout the Country. The new mayorMayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
Ralph Becker
Ralph Becker
Ralph Becker may refer to:* Ralph Elihu Becker , American ambassador to Honduras from 1976–1977* Ralph Becker , American politician and attorney who is former Minority Leader of the Utah State House of Representatives and current mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah...
has renamed the old Office of Ethnic Minorities, established by mayor Rocky Anderson
Rocky Anderson
Ross C. "Rocky" Anderson served two terms as the 33rd mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah, between 2000 and 2008. He is the Executive Director of High Road for Human Rights...
, the Office of Diversity
Diversity (politics)
In the political arena, the term diversity is used to describe political entities with members who have identifiable differences in their backgrounds or lifestyles....
and Human Rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
. The present director is Yolanda Francisco-Nez. The Human Rights Commission will serve as an advisory board to this Office. Members of the Commission must receive the approval of the City Council. They serve for two or four years.
Purpose
The major purpose of the Human Rights Commission is to advise and help the city government to check and eliminate "all discriminatory practices on the grounds of ageAgeing
Ageing or aging is the accumulation of changes in a person over time. Ageing in humans refers to a multidimensional process of physical, psychological, and social change. Some dimensions of ageing grow and expand over time, while others decline...
, ancestry, color
Color
Color or colour is the visual perceptual property corresponding in humans to the categories called red, green, blue and others. Color derives from the spectrum of light interacting in the eye with the spectral sensitivities of the light receptors...
, disability
Disability
A disability may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these.Many people would rather be referred to as a person with a disability instead of handicapped...
, gender
Gender
Gender is a range of characteristics used to distinguish between males and females, particularly in the cases of men and women and the masculine and feminine attributes assigned to them. Depending on the context, the discriminating characteristics vary from sex to social role to gender identity...
, national origin, marital status
Marital status
A person's marital status indicates whether the person is married. Questions about marital status appear on many polls and forms, including censuses and credit card applications.In the simplest sense, the only possible answers are "single" or "married"...
, medical condition, physical limitation, race, religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
, or sexual orientation
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
, because they adversely affects the general welfare of the city and the vitality of its neighborhoods."
Activity
Since January 2006, the HR Commission has met regularly every month. Subcommittees have been organized to deal with various issues.Current members
Christopher Wharton, ChairCurtis Haring, Vice Chair
Jennifer Mayer-Glenn, Secretary
Esperanza Granados
Walter Jones
Jon Jepsen
Keri Jones
See also
- Human Rights CommissionHuman rights commissionA Human Rights Commission is a body set up to investigate, promote or protect human rights.The term may refer to international, national or subnational bodies set up for this purpose, such as national human rights institutions or truth and reconciliation commissions.-International Human Rights...
- Human rights in the United StatesHuman rights in the United StatesHuman rights in the United States are legally protected by the Constitution of the United States and amendments, conferred by treaty, and enacted legislatively through Congress, state legislatures, and plebiscites...
- National and Ethnic Cultures of UtahNational and Ethnic Cultures of UtahNational and ethnic cultures are an important element of diversity in cities and states. These cultures make cities and states more cosmopolitan and better prepared for the challenges of economic globalization. -Introduction:...
- Salt Lake City Law and Government Salt Lake City#Law and government
External links
- Official website of the Office of Diversity and Human Rights of SLC
- IAOHRA - International Association of Official Human Rights Agencies
- Human Rights Education Center of Utah
- Utah Ethnic Office
- Utah Government Antidiscrimination Office - Member of IAOHRA
- Utan Health and Human Rights Projects
- Center for Nonviolent Human Rights Advocacy