The Michigan Civil Rights Commission was created by the Michigan Constitution to carry out constitutional and legal guarantees against discrimination. The Commission is charged with investigating alleged discrimination against any person because of religion, race, color or national origin, sex, age, marital status, height, weight, arrest record, and physical and mental disability, and hosts regular public meetings at various locations throughout the state of Michigan.
By invitation from the Commission, ACCESS was given the opportunity to present its Campaign to TAKE ON HATE, which was launched by the National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC) in 2014. ACCESS Communications and Marketing Director Rana Abbas testified before the Commission on the state of the Arab and Muslim American communities, post September 11 and the significance of the Campaign. Commissioners expressed enthusiasm and support for TAKE ON HATE and pledged to officially support the Campaign with a resolution that they would adopt during their July Commission meeting.
The event was free and open to the public and included a public comment period that featured a discussion of education and restorative justice. The Commission’s next meeting will be held on July 20 in Grand Rapids.
