About the Alexandria Office on Human Rights & the Human Rights Commission
On March 25th, 1975, Alexandria City Council passed the Alexandria Human Rights Ordinance one of the first in Virginia. The Alexandria Human Rights Commission was created to administer the provisions contained in the Ordinance. The Commission has the power to receive and mediate complaints alleging unlawful discrimination, negotiate settlements, conduct studies and hold hearings, and advise the City Council or City Manager on human rights issues affecting the City.
The Commission has 14 members, each appointed by City Council. Nine members are "at large"; the remaining five each represent the Commission on Aging, the Economics Opportunities Commission, the Commission on Persons with Disabilities, and the Commission for Women and the Landlord Tenant Relations Board.
See our membership information for more details.
Enforcement of the Ordinance is the responsibility of the Office of Human Rights, which receives, investigates, makes findings and conciliates complaints of discrimination brought under the Ordinance and applicable federal laws. The Human Rights Administrator serves as the staff liaison to the Human Rights Commission and works closely with the Commission in implementing and carrying out its programs. The Office was designated in 1975 as a Fair Employment Practices Agency (FEPA), and has been under contract with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) since 1978 to receive and investigate complaints brought under applicable federal laws.
The Office of Human Rights also houses the Disability Resources Coordinator who addresses the rights of persons with disabilities and their advocacy efforts; conducts legal research and analysis and interprets the impact of disability-related laws and rulings on persons with disabilities; educates the public on the Americans with Disabilities Act; and refers persons with disabilities to the appropriate and available community and legal resources at the local, state, and federal levels.
In addition, the Disability Resources Coordinator routinely collaborates with Personnel Services; Housing; Transportation and Environmental Services; Planning and Zoning; Recreation Parks, and Cultural Activities; JobLink; and other City departments.
The position also staffs the Alexandria Commission on Persons with Disabilities.
The Ordinance, which became effective April 21, 1975, prohibited discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodation, credit, health and social services, education and city contracts on the basis of race, color, sex, age, religion, national origin, ancestry, marital status, or physical handicap.
Throughout the years, a number of changes were made which expanded the reach of the Ordinance. In 1988, the Ordinance was amended to include sexual orientation as a protected class; in 1991, the Ordinance was amended to include fair housing protection for families with children, and the protection for the "physically handicapped" was expanded to cover all disabilities. In 1994, the Ordinance was again amended to permit Predetermination Conferences and confidential advisory hearings by a panel of three commissioners. Additional changes were made to the Ordinance in 1996, including the addition of prohibiting discriminatory practices in commercial real estate, clarifying the powers and duties of the Commission, and adding a civil penalties clause, which gives the Commission the power to recommend to the City Manager, following a public hearing, the imposition of a $5,000 fine against any person found to have violated any section of the Human Rights Code.
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