View as WebpageJune 2024 Newsletter

Hello

Amanda,

Marking four years since the tragedy of George Floyd's death

In a world where justice should be blind, the tragedy of George Floyd's death serves as a stark reminder of a system in dire need of reform. Four years have passed since his life was unjustly taken, sparking nationwide protests and calls for change. Yet, as time moves forward, the urgency for legislative action to hold law enforcement accountable remains painfully unmet.

The accounts of police brutality are not new; they weave a harrowing anthology that stretches back decades. George Floyd's name joins a chorus of others who have suffered at the hands of those sworn to protect and serve. His death became a flashpoint for a nation grappling with deep-rooted issues of systemic racism and unchecked power.

The aftermath of Floyd's killing saw promises of reform and policy shifts meant to address the disparities within law enforcement. However, as we stand today, the promises seem hollow against a backdrop of continued injustice. The cries for accountability echo unanswered, leaving communities vulnerable and voices unheard.

In the wake of this tragedy, we find ourselves facing a disturbing reality where attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion have become more prevalent. The very principles meant to uplift and empower all individuals are under siege. The rise of book bans and censorship only further exacerbate the challenges we face in fostering an open and inclusive society.

As we reflect on the legacy of George Floyd and the movements his death inspired, we must recommit ourselves to the pursuit of true justice and equality. Legislation that holds law enforcement accountable is not a luxury but a necessity in safeguarding the rights and dignity of every individual. The time for change is now; we cannot afford to let the voices calling for justice fade into the void of indifference. The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission stood with the ‘Beloved Community’ most recently for a George Floyd Memorial in Upper Darby Pennsylvania. Social justice salute to Ronnessa Edwards and Sheryl Meck for representing our Commission. 

Chad Dion Lassiter, MSW

Executive Director

70 years since Brown v. Board of Education

Amanda Brothman

Director of Communications

In May, the nation marked the 70th anniversary of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas ruling. The ruling found that state-sanctioned segregation in public schools violated the 14th amendment. 

“The decision in Brown v. Board of Education was a huge victory in the Civil Rights movement,” said PHRC Executive Director Chad Dion Lassiter, MSW.

“Last month, I had the opportunity to join some of the delegation that brought the actual case to the Supreme Court during an event at the White House. Due to the Supreme Court decision, on paper every child now had access to an equal education. However, segregation in schools still exist today. Through historic redlining practices, white flight, and other acts of systemic discrimination, public schools today are not equal. Across the commonwealth, quality of education is based on a student’s zip code. Historically, this has left communities of color and lower incomes deprived of the services and opportunities provided to students in more affluent school districts.”

In Pennsylvania, school segregation has technically been illegal since Allen v. Meadville. On May 10, 1881, a Commonwealth Court judge ruled that an 1854 law that enforced public school segregation was unconstitutional. In 1968, 14 years after Brown v. Board of Education and 87 years after the Allen v. Meadville ruling, the PHRC ordered the Pittsburgh School District to submit a desegregation plan and in 1971, a similar order was issued to the Philadelphia School District.

According to a 2022 Government Accountability report, school districts remain racially, economically, and ethnically divided throughout the U.S., even though the public school student population is growing more diverse.

“70 years after Brown v. Board of Education and there is still a lot of work that needs to be done to create a more equitable education system in Pennsylvania,” said PHRC Director of Education and Outreach Desireé Chang, M.S. “Students living in lower income communities are deprived of the same resources provided to students in higher income communities. This underfunding has led to crowded classrooms, fewer teachers and outdated schools, textbooks, and an overall unequal education.”

The Pennsylvania Human Relations Act offers discrimination protection for K-12 schools and the Pennsylvania Fair Educational Opportunities Act offers protections for colleges, universities, trade, technical, professional, and business schools. In education, it is illegal to discriminate against someone based on race, color, sex, religious creed, national origin, ancestry, disability, and the use, handling, or training of a service or guide animal for disability. Education discrimination can be the actions of a student, teacher, administrator, or other school employee; a school’s policy or the way the policy is applied; or a school’s policy or procedure that negatively affects a particular group. 

If you feel you have experienced illegal education discrimination, you can file a complaint with the PHRC by calling 717-787-4410. 

The Small Voice

Gregory Holts

Human Relations Representative II

The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (PHRC) is an organization that has been fighting for justice for the people of the Commonwealth since 1955. We are an organization that spearheads equality for everyone, regardless of their protected status. At the PHRC, all are welcome to the doorstep to seek fair treatment, for broken situations to be amended, and justice to be served. Amid all that we do there are compelling questions; what about the youth? And does the PHRC truly care for the next generation and their struggles?

I present these questions to you because of an inner calling and duty as a father to help the next generation. Unfortunately, there is an ever-increasing burden being placed on the youth of Pennsylvania. As a pastor, community leader, delinquent youth advocate, and father of three, I have personally heard our children cry and witness them being forced to navigate the landscape of bullying, mental health, broken homes, peer pressure, temptation, and disillusionment from social media. In the midst of all this, our youth are still learning about who they are and their place in this world. Thus, this begs my prevalent questions that demand answers.

The PHRC’s Pittsburgh Regional Office (PRO), we are tackling a critical social issue that youth deal with today, fatherlessness. Statistics reveal those children without a father or a father figure struggle emotionally, socially, and mentally. According to a 2023 Fatherless Home Statistics, 57% of African American/Black children grew up without their fathers. Additionally, it has been my experience as a pastor, community leader, and delinquent youth advocate that these same African American/Black children are more likely to suffer from poverty, more likely to be involved with drugs and alcohol, more likely to drop out of school, and more likely to perpetuate the cyclical nature of fatherlessness.  

Bearing that in mind, staff members from the PRO took meaningful and purposeful actions. In collaboration with the Pittsburgh Public School District (PPSD), the PRO participated in the “Black Men Read” program. This program was enacted by Pittsburgh Public Schools’ Superintendent Dr. Wayne N. Walters to promote positive visibility of black men and to encourage a love of reading and literacy for the children enrolled in the Pittsburgh Public School District. The PRO staff were honored to participate in the program and reading to these students, as some of them may not have someone reading to them at home. Furthermore, the PRO launched the Black Fathers’ Initiative. The heart of this initiative revolves around discussing the father’s presence in the home, the role of the father in the home or not in the home and fostering father engagement in communities. As well, this initiative provides opportunities for fathers to be positive mentors to other fathers, which further strengthen their communities. The PHRC poured into this initiative because an active father creates healthy children.

So, does the PHRC care for the cry of youth? Yes, we do!

Pets With Benefits

Judy Tillotson

Office of Chief Counsel

I know for a fact that animals benefit people. When I walk through the door and my two cats are there to greet me, I immediately feel happier than before I walked in. My orange cat, Ginger, is my lap cat. She is a very loveable lap cat, which is a good thing because that way I can groom her long hair. She helps me to be calm and feel better when I’m down. My other cat, Figaro, although not a lap cat, has his own charm.

Pets can provide their owners with more than companionship. They can also help create human-to-human friendships and social support, both of which are good for long-term health.

To explore how pets help people form social connections, researchers from the University of Western Australia, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and the WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition surveyed nearly 2,700 men and women in four cities: Perth, Australia; San Diego, California; Portland, Oregon; and Nashville, Tennessee.

Being a pet owner was the third most common way that survey respondents said they met people in their neighborhoods. (No. 1 was by being neighbors; no. 2 was by using local streets and parks.) Pet owners were 60% more likely than non-pet owners to get to know people in their neighborhoods they hadn’t known before.

Nothing compares to the joy of coming home to a loyal companion. The unconditional love of a pet can do more than keep you company. Pets may also decrease stress, improve heart health, and even help children with their emotional and social skills.



Animals can serve as a source of comfort and support. Therapy dogs are especially good at this. They’re sometimes brought into hospitals or nursing homes to help reduce patients’ stress and anxiety. NIH News in Health, The Power of Pets: Health Benefits of Human-Animal Interactions, February 2018.

It is not easy to replace a support animal. The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission decided a case against a landlord involving an individual who had an emotional support animal that died. This landlord denied the individual the ability to obtain a puppy to replace her deceased emotional support animal. Complainant had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Individuals with disabilities can benefit from emotional support animals. Their value cannot be overstated. It is important work that the Commission does ensuring the right to have these animals.

PHRC will host its second annual disability conference

Darlene Hemerka

Hearing Examiner, Disability Conference Committee member

In honor of Disability Pride month, the PHRC will host its Second Annual Disability Conference on July 9, 2024. This hybrid event will include panelists from across the world. For those wishing to attend in-person, the event will take place at the Hilton Hotel in Harrisburg. The event will run from 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. This year’s theme is Disability Inclusion and Resolving Conflict.

The planning committee includes employees from all three PHRC regional offices. The goal of the conference is to ensure people with disabilities can navigate and thrive in situations involving conflict. The event will begin with a plenary session about disability rights under the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act. Then there will be concurrent sessions; one on bullying and harassment of youth with disabilities and one on the impact of war on people with disabilities. Then there will be lunch and a keynote speaker. The afternoon will have concurrent sessions: one on the criminal justice system and people with disabilities and another about mediation as a tool to resolve conflicts about disability accommodation requests.

In addition to the panels, there will be vendor tables so that participants can learn about other resources available. Any vendors interested in having a table should contact Brittany Mellinger at bmellinger@pa.gov. Space is limited so request a table early.

The event is FREE to attend. However, participants must register! Participant registration will open in June 2024. For more information, contact Brittany Mellinger at bmellinger@pa.gov.

Correcting the Pipeline: Conscious Approaches to the Vulnerable Populations

On Thursday, May 23, the PHRC School-to-Prison Pipeline Committee hosted, “Correcting the Pipeline: Conscious Approaches to the Vulnerable Populations.” If you were unable to attend the conference, you can watch in on our YouTube page, Part 1, Part 2. You can also find resources and more information inside our digital program. If you were able to attend, please also take a moment to complete our survey about the conference.

Upcoming PHRC Events

PHRC Fair Housing Empower Hour: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing

Wednesday, June 26, 12-1 p.m.

Learn about correcting housing segregation and inequalities. We’ll discuss historical housing practices and how we can take action towards a more equitable housing future in Pennsylvania.



Register today!

PHRC on the Road: Building Pennsylvania's Beloved Community in Montgomery County (Stop 2)

• Wednesday, June 5, 2024
• 6:30-8 p.m.
• Hosted by the Abington Township Human Relations Commission
• The Crestmont Clubhouse

2595 Rubicam Ave., Willow Grove, PA

• Register today!

PHRC on the Road: Building Pennsylvania's Beloved Community in Franklin County

• Monday, June 10, 2024
• 5:30-7 p.m.
• Central Presbyterian Church, 40 Lincoln Way West, Chambersburg, PA 17201
• Register today!

PHRC on the Road: Building Pennsylvania's Beloved Community in Adams County

• Thursday, June 13, 2024
• 6-7:30 p.m.
• United Lutheran Seminary (Auditorium), 61 Seminary Ridge, Gettysburg, PA 17325
• Register Today!

If you have attended one of our Beloved Community tour stops, please take a moment to complete our survey. The PHRC is still looking for locations to host upcoming sessions, anyone interested in partnering with the PHRC should contact Stacy Waters at stwaters@pa.gov.

This Pride Month, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission reminds everyone discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation is illegal in Pennsylvania. If you feel you have experienced illegal discrimination, contact the PHRC about how you can file a complaint. Learn more about the PHRC at phrc.pa.gov.

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