ST. PAUL, MN - Fifty years after President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin, the Minnesota Department of Human Rights will celebrate its annual Human Rights Week with events exploring the key issues, latest trends and challenges of today to ensure that education, jobs and equal opportunity are available to all.
Human Rights Week begins Dec. 3 with MDHR's annual Diversity and Inclusion Summit for state government leaders discussing strategies to ensure a strong, quality workforce that reflects Minnesota's growing diversity. The event features a presentation by Carleen Rhodes, president and CEO of the St. Paul Foundation, on a comprehensive strategy that could serve as a model for other organizations seeking to promote diversity in their workforces and community relationships. Ramsey and Hennepin counties will present Pathways to Employment. Ramsey Director Meghan Mohs, Ramsey County Human Services, Mike Christensen, Vice President MCTC and David Hough, Hennepin County Administrator will present best practices to recruit and promote diversity through recruiting, internships, apprenticeships and relationships.
On December 4, MDHR is co-sponsoring a forum on Police and Community Relations at Macalester College in St. Paul. The "Beyond Assumptions - Police Community Relations" event features William Mitchell College of Law Professor Sarah Deer speaking on Racial Bias in Law Enforcement and a panel discussing best practices in police and community relations. St. Paul Police Chief Tom Smith and United States Attorney Andrew Luger will join Mohamed Farah for a discussion on "Muslims, Somalis and Law Enforcement in Minnesota." Farah is the Executive Director of Ka Joog, a community development program focusing on Somali-American youth in Minnesota.
A cornerstone of Human Rights Week is the MDHR Human Rights Symposium, an all-day conference on Dec. 10 focusing on employment, public policy, emerging issues, employment law and business and economic development. A series of workshops offers the latest insights and information on topics such as Pregnancy and Familial Status, Minnesota's WESA law, Religious Accommodation in the Workplace, Health Race Equity, Reducing Violence Against Women and Wage Discrimination.
For Minnesota's youth, Commissioner Kevin Lindsey will honor the winners in the Department's "Living the Legacy" video competition. The contest challenged youth across the state to create short videos on how they view race, diversity and civil rights and how far we have come since the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The winning videos will be posted on a Department YouTube site and Commissioner Lindsey will honor the winners at their school.
Throughout December, MDHR's newest televised program called Minnesota Conversations" will feature three programs focusing on voting in Minnesota, felony voting and Minnesota Philanthropy Partners' Facing Race initiative which is aimed at addressing racial disparities. On Nov. 30 the programs began airing in ten North Suburban communities on CTV-15. The programs can also be seen on MDHR's YouTube channel.
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Contact: Jeff Holman at 651-539-1090
or Jeff.Holman@state.mn.us
Minnesota Department of Human Rights, Communications Department
Freeman Building, 625 Robert Street North, Saint Paul, MN 55155