Who We Are

Commissioners Staff

An Overview

The Lexington-Fayette County Human Rights Commission was created by an inter-local agreement by the City of Lexington and the Fiscal Court of Fayette County in January of 1967.  The predecessor of the joint Commission, the Lexington Commission on Human Rights was created in June of 1963.  The charter created by the merger of the city of Lexington and Fayette County into a united urban county government reconstituted the Commission.  The present Lexington-Fayette Urban County Human Rights Commission was created in 1974.

 The Commission is made up of fourteen (14) members who, as nearly as possible, make up the social, economic, cultural, ethnic, and racial groups that compose the population of Fayette County.  The Commissioners serve four (4) year terms and serve without compensation.  The Commission has several committees to carry its purposes.  The current committees are: Executive Committee, Budget Committee, Community Relations/Housing Committee and Personnel/Policy Committee.

 The Commission has three (3) statutory functions:  

1. To promote and secure mutual understanding and respect among all ethnic groups in Fayette County and act as conciliator in controversies involving inter-group and inter-racial relations;

2. Cooperate with Federal, State, and other local agencies in the efforts to develop harmonious inter-group and inter-racial relations and shall endeavor to enlist support of civic, religious, laborer, and commercial groups and leaders dedicated the improvement of human relations and the elimination of discriminatory practices; and

3. Receive complaints, conduct investigations, hold hearings and make studies as will able the Commission to carry out the purposes of the Kentucky Civil Rights Act.

 The Commission is most noted for its investigation function.  The Commission's staff conducts about 100 individual investigations of complaints of unlawful discrimination a year in the areas of employment, housing and public accommodations.  About 80% of our investigations are employment related with race being the largest single basis of allegations.  The Commission has contracts (workshare agreement) to conduct Title VII, ADEA, and ADA investigations in Fayette County with EEOC and (cooperative agreement) to conduct Title VIII housing investigations for HUD.

 In addition to the above, the Commission has a full-time community relations program.  The Commission's staff has a wide range of informational and education programs individually designed for an employer, housing provider or the general public.  These programs include such topics as sexual harassment, how to answer a complaint, fair housing, real estate sales, ADA, conflict resolution, prejudice reduction, and can also be customized to fit individual needs.

 The Commission typically meets the third Monday of each month at 5:30 pm at the Commission office located at 342 Waller Ave., Ste. 1A, Lexington, KY.  Meeting dates may change due to holidays, etc. Meetings are open to the public.

Disclaimer

The work that provided the basis for this publication was supported by funding under a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The substance and findings of the work are dedicated to the public. The author and publisher are solely responsible for the accuracy of the statements and interpretations contained in this publication. Such interpretations do not necessarily reflect the views of the Government.