Provided by Prince William County
Several members of the Prince William County Human Rights Commission recently went to Richmond to receive a commending resolution from the Virginia General Assembly.
Delegate Roem’s Recommendation
Prince William Del. Danica Roem recommended the commission for the commendation. In a letter to the commission, Roem recognized the “significant and important” contributions the organization makes to the county.
“We understand the awareness and empowerment that this organization provides for the constituents in Prince William County…,” Roem wrote.
Background
The commendation noted that the commission was started by the Prince William Board of County Supervisors. The purpose is to “establish equal opportunities for all persons within Prince William County through advocacy and education and strives to eliminate discrimination through civil and human rights enforcement.”
The commendation went on to state that the commission’s “many programs include the Student Leadership Council, created to help public, private and home-school high school students learn about government through the lens of human rights … [It also includes] the Long-Term Care Ombudsman, which advocates for people receiving long-term care services in nursing and assisted living facilities in the county.”
The commission also “works with the community to receive and respond to complaints regarding human rights violations, build relationships and raise awareness of human rights issues and recognize members of the Prince William County community who have distinguished themselves in the area of human rights,” the commendation stated.
Commission Chair’s Remarks
Curtis Porter, chair of the Commission, said he hopes the commendation will inspire other jurisdictions to follow Prince William County’s lead in the protection of human rights. “Prince William County is really unique because we’re one of four commissions across the Commonwealth that actually have enforcement power and the type of legislation that we have with our ordinance. Hopefully, that might be a platform for other places across the Commonwealth … to think about forming commissions themselves.”
Porter, Commissioners Evelyn Brumar and Tonya James, and Executive Director Raul Torres went to Richmond to accept the commendation. Porter said the members appreciated that the commission was singled out for recognition. “It was really great to receive the applause and accolades from the general assembly. It’s good to be recognized for the work that we’ve done.”
The mission of the Human Rights Commission is “to eliminate discrimination through civil and human rights law enforcement and to establish equal opportunity for all persons within the county through advocacy and education.”
Visit pwcgov.org/humanrights for more information about the commission and the county’s Human Rights Office.
