When members of the LGBT community came forward to discuss issues of racism and discrimination, Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations Executive Director Rue Landau said she saw a clear pattern — that people were unsure of the city’s protocol for addressing these issues.
“We heard from so many people from our public hearing, from follow-up testimony and from follow-up interviews about situations and instances that could’ve risen to the level of discrimination — complaints that could’ve been filed with our office,” Landau said about an Oct. 25 hearing in which community members addressed problems within the Gayborhood. “But the people didn’t file and we wanted to know why.”
PCHR held a “Know Your Rights” training Jan. 11 to highlight how the commission can help the community in combating discriminatory acts, methods for reporting these issues and the different types of discrimination that could occur. Landau and PCHR Deputy Director Pam Gwaltney taught the workshop to about 20 participants.
Landau said she heard from some people that they feared retaliation for reporting discriminatory acts, while others did not know they could file a complaint with PCHR.
“What was really important for us was to come out, teach people about their rights, teach them about the city’s strong anti-discrimination law, the Fair Practices Ordinance, and hopefully get the word to spread about when they can come to us so we can combat illegal discrimination,” she explained.
Oct 23> Community comes together for historic hearing on racism
In addition, Landau said, “I think the training gave people the tools they need to identify illegal discrimination, certainly know when to report to us and also know that they can just call us if they have questions or if they want to talk about a scenario to see whether or not it does rise to the level of discrimination.”
Ernest Owens, editor of G Philly, has been reporting on allegations of racism in the Gayborhood and said he was unaware of PCHR’s protcol.
“I wasn’t fully aware of what the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations could do, which is my disappointment with the Office of LGBT Affairs. They were not as proactive in informing the public of what they could be doing,” Owens contended, arguing that PCHR should be proactive in disseminating such information in the future. “Just as much as they say people should come to them, they should do a better job at coming to [us]. I think this [training] could’ve happened a long time ago.”
Gwaltney said she hopes the event heightened awareness about the PCHR’s processes.
“People can’t exercise their rights unless they know what their rights are,” she said. “What I think [the training] will do is give them a frame of reference upon which to build their knowledge of what their civil rights are in Philadelphia, and not only will it help them but it may help someone that they know.”
Complaints can be filed with PCHR by mail, fax or in person. Support is available every weekday from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. For more information, visit www.phila.gov/humanrelations or for questions and concerns, call 215-686-4670 or email [email protected].
The PCHR will release its findings addressing Gayborhood racism at a press conference 10 a.m. Jan. 23 at the Mayor’s Reception Room in City Hall, 1401 John F. Kennedy Blvd.