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The consideration of freedom and human rights has been central to citizens of the United States since before its founding.  Throughout the history of the U.S., improving and broadening freedom of individuals from discrimination has been an important part of the growth of the country and continues today.  What options does an individual have when they experience discrimination?  One option is to contact the Tennessee Human Rights Commission, an independent state agency responsible for enforcing the state's anti-discrimination laws.  Tennessee laws prohibit discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodation on the basis of race, color, creed, national origin, religion, sex, disability (not in public accommodations), familial status (housing only) and age (40+, not in housing). The Commission also ensures the State of Tennessee's compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which prohibits discrimination based on race, color and national origin by State agencies receiving federal financial assistance.

The Commission is nearly 60 years old and indeed existed prior to the laws it now helps to enforce.  On September 30, 1963, Governor Frank G. Clement signed Executive Order 18 creating the Tennessee Human Relations Commission. At that time, the Commission’s purpose was to advise the public on their human rights, researching and making reports on human relations and reporting these findings to the Governor. The Commission accomplished this by working closely with other governmental agencies with similar duties. In 1967, legislation was passed creating the Tennessee Commission on Human Development which absorbed the duties of the previous Commission, adopted rules and regulations to govern its proceedings and added a prohibition against sex discrimination. In 1978, the Tennessee Human Rights Act (THRA) became law transforming the Commission from an advisory agency to an enforcement agency. In 1979 and 1980, the law was amended to include disability and age as protected classes. In 1983, the Commission officially became the Tennessee Human Rights Commission (THRC).

In 1984, the law was amended to prohibit discrimination in housing. In 1990, the expansion was extended to include familial status and disability as protected classes. Today, the THRA prohibits discrimination based on race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, age (employment only), familial status (housing only), and disability (employment and housing only). In 2009, the THRA was expanded and given the authority to verify that state governmental entities comply with requirements of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI). Title VI prohibits recipients of federal financial assistance from discriminating on the basis of race, color or national origin. THRC has had collaborative partnerships with the federal government for more than 30 years. In 1979, the Commission partnered with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) through an employer monitoring grant, now expanded into a work-share agreement. In 1985, THRC began its partnership with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as a substantially equivalent agency. These relationships allow the Commission to investigate cases involving alleged violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 and Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (Fair Housing Act). The mission of the THRC is to safeguard individuals from discrimination through enforcement and education.

The Commission executes its mission through a 9-member Board of Commissioners and staff in four offices (Nashville, Memphis, Chattanooga and Knoxville). Through Rule 31 trained mediators, the Commission has operated a successful Mediation Program since its reactivation in 2008. The THRA and Tennessee Disability Act are enforced through receiving, mediating, investigating, conciliating and, when necessary, litigating allegations of discrimination. Since 2009, the Commission has also coordinated the state of Tennessee’s compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Commission uses a variety of public meetings, outreach events and resources to educate the public about their rights.  The Commission's website is a robust source of information and can be found at https://www.tn.gov/humanrights.html.

This article was compiled from the Tennessee Human Rights Commission website, primarily from https://www.tn.gov/humanrights/about-us/history.html and https://www.tn.gov/humanrights/about-us.html.  The LRIS Administrator assumes responsibility for any errors herein.

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