Advancing Human Rights in the Greater Fredericksburg Region

A regional human rights commission could be a boon for those facing discriminatory acts, but there's a hitch - Del. Josh Cole hopes to address that.

By Eric Bonds
COLUMNIST

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

We are the beneficiaries of a long struggle to make America a more equal and just society. But at the moment, it often feels as if progress has been halted and that we are taking steps backwards. Our undocumented neighbors live in fear of deportation. Universities, schools, and businesses are scrubbing “diversity, equity, and inclusion” from their websites and policies, as if they are forbidden words. And the federal government has claimed control of policing in the District of Columbia with a plan to deploy the National Guard to the city streets.

Rather than stand idly by, members of the Shilo Baptist Church (New Site) believe that this is the right time to create a regional human rights commission in order to make advancements again.

Human rights commissions are local government boards authorized by Virginia state law to promote human rights education and enforce laws that prohibit discrimination. They can hold public forums and promote dialogue on important human rights issues in a community. Commissions can also provide training to employers and housing providers in the region about civil rights law.

Human rights commissions also receive and investigate public complaints about illegal discrimination on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, or disability. Commissions employ one or more trained investigators and mediators to ascertain the facts of a complaint and, if a complaint is credible, reach a just outcome. If instances of illegal discrimination occur that cannot be resolved through mediation, a commission has the authority to file a lawsuit to achieve justice through the courts.

Norman Freeman, Senior — a member of the Shilo Baptist Church (New Site) Social Justice Committee — has been leading the charge for a human rights commission in the greater Fredericksburg region. Mr. Freeman points out that eight other localities in Virginia benefit from human rights commissions, including Charlottesville, Alexandria, and Prince William County.

Mr. Freeman previously served as a member of a human rights commission himself in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and personally witnessed the important work that they do in a community. Human rights commissions are more common in Kentucky than in Virginia, Mr. Freeman explains, and we can learn from that state’s example.

Without access to a human rights commission, individuals who experience illegal discrimination have limited recourse. Legal counsel can be prohibitively expensive. State and federal agencies that enforce equal housing law frequently have too few resources to investigate all complaints. And Mr. Freeman notes that the Commonwealth Office of the Attorney General has too few staff for a state as big as Virginia.

Beyond investigations and penalties, according to Shilo (New Site) senior pastor, Reverend Keenan Thomas, the goal of a human rights commission is to uplift people and salve wounds. Experiencing discrimination can leave a scar that doesn’t heal on its own. The work of a human rights commission is to foster a dialogue that can repair human dignity.

Mr. Freeman agrees that the educational work that a human rights commission does is crucial, and that the ability to take complaints is key to this process. Complaints provide an essential source of data that lets local leaders know where potential violations are occurring and where more human rights education is needed. “The goal is not to penalize people,” according to Mr. Freeman. “The goal is to train everybody on how to live together without these infractions.”

The social justice committee at Shilo Baptist Church (New Site) envisions that all of Planning District 16 — which includes Fredericksburg and Caroline, King George, Spotsylvania, and Stafford counties — will cooperate to create a shared human rights commission for the entire region. Each local government could appoint commission members, and funding would be apportioned based on each locality’s population.

But there’s a hitch. While Virginia state code authorizes city and county governments to create a human rights commission for their own locality, it does not allow them to work together on a regional basis to do so.

This could change with potential new legislation in the General Assembly. According to Delegate Joshua Cole, “when I heard the discussion about a regional Commission, because Virginia is a Dillon-rule state, I knew that legislation would have to be introduced. I think with how tight local budgets are, an opportunity to allow localities within the same planning district to come together and create a joint commission will greatly benefit, not just the Greater Fredericksburg area, but also the Commonwealth as a whole.”

Of course, not all the local governments in our region may want to work together to create a human rights commission at the present time. Perhaps two or three localities will cooperate to form a commission now, and the remaining localities would continue to have the option to join later down the road. Even so, Mr. Freeman and Reverend Thomas are certain that all residents in Planning District 16 would benefit from a human rights commission. In their vision, as in human rights thinking in general, the goal is to include everyone and leave no one behind.

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