Events & Announcements

May is Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month

Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month was created in 1992 to pay tribute to the generations of Asians and Pacific Islanders who have enriched America's history and are instrumental in its future success.


MDHR Internship Program

The Department of Human Rights' (MDHR) Internship Program offers students an opportunity to gain invaluable skills in human rights by experiencing the inner-workings of the state agency that enforces the Minnesota Human Rights Act.


Additional Community Events

Check the Minnesota State Councils' web sites for additional community events and announcements. Use the links below to go directly to a council's web site:

A summary page about the State Councils including contact information is available here.


Past Events

Governor's Commission on the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Statewide Celebration

Commissioner Kevin Lindsey was the keynote speaker at the Governor's Commission on the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Statewide Celebration at the St. Paul Central High School Auditorium on Martin Luther King Day, Mon. Jan 21, from 8:30 AM to 2 PM.

This year's Governor's celebration theme is, "Moving Beyond Tolerance to Allophilia." Allophilia is defined as having an affinity, a positive perspective, a liking and loving, for individuals and groups that are of, "the other."

allophilia speechListen to Commissioner Kevin Lindsey's keynote speech on Moving Beyond Tolerance to Allophilia.

Photos from this event on our Facebook.


150 Years Ago, January 1, 2013 Marks a Milestone for Civil Rights with the Emancipation Proclamation

Governor Mark Dayton proclaimed January 1, 2013 as Emancipation Proclamation Remembrance Day and encourages Minnesotans to recognize the significance of this milestone in the history of freedom and civil rights.

View Governor Dayton's proclamation here. (PDF)

More about the Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Lincoln in 1863

emancipation proclamation graphic

Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. Read more about this important document here.


Human Rights Week Events (Dec. 2-8, 2012)

state sealGovernor Mark Dayton proclaimed December 2-8, 2012, as Human Rights Week in Minnesota.

Read the press release here.

MDHR Commissioner Kevin Lindsey kicked-off Human Rights week with an all-day Human Rights Symposium. Commissioner Lindsey started the symposium with a public reading of the Governor's Proclamation declaring the week of Dec. 2-8, 2012, as Human Rights Week in Minnesota.

Visit the Department of Human Rights Facebook to view photos from Human Rights Week events.