Understanding and Respect Among All

30 years of work from the Traverse City Human Rights Commission

By Kierstin Gunsberg | June 17, 2023

In a city of nearly 16,000, Traverse City’s Human Rights Commission (HRC) exists to advocate for and protect the human rights of each person who makes up that number. Common in metropolitans like Detroit and Chicago, HRCs may vary slightly in nuance, but their commonalities outweigh their differences; specifically, they all serve as an independent safeguard to injustice within their community by monitoring the compliance of human rights standards and providing channels of recourse when a violation occurs.

Traverse City’s first rendition of a HRC began in the mid-1960s, parallel to the national Voting Rights Act of 1965 which banned racially-discriminatory voting practices across the country. Back then, TC residents Forrest Gregg and Ross Dodge formed a local “Human Relations Committee” with a charge to address civil rights and social justice issues happening here in northern Michigan. By 1969, an official Human Rights Commission was established.

It Takes a Village (and a Humanitarian)

Over the years, as the population of Traverse City grew, so did the need for a concrete force that would promote equality and fairness. Someone who noticed this need was a name ubiquitous to the city: Sara Hardy, who, during the late seventies and early eighties, questioned if the temporary orchard workers throughout the region were being awarded the same rights as other residents, wondering where and who they could go to to protest unfair working conditions.

Hardy was also concerned about Traverse City’s growing unhoused population as the Traverse City State Hospital began to shutter its doors in the 1980s, leaving its former residents without shelter or access to adequate healthcare.

Of these marginalized community members, Hardy’s son, Scott (who would also later serve as a Traverse City HRC commissioner), says, “They needed a voice, and she [Sara Hardy] thought that a Human Rights Commission would at least give them a platform to be able to talk about their situation.”

If the commission was, at times, dormant through the decades, through Sara Hardy’s commitment (alongside others who shared her cause), it was officially and permanently resurrected in 1993.

Today, the HRC even offers an award in Hardy’s name—the Sara Hardy Humanitarian Award—which has been given out since 1993 to individuals who exemplify the tenets of the HRC. Last year’s recipient was Courtney Wiggins, a co-founder of Northern Michigan E3, a local nonprofit devoted to celebrating and welcoming diversity and equity for all residents and visitors to northern Michigan. The 2023 recipient will be announced in the coming weeks.

Advocating for Everyone

Thirty years later, the commission is a sometimes-overlooked but ever-present advocate for those with concerns about anything from violations in their workplace to discrimination in the classroom to medical mistreatment in their doctor’s office.

As Sakura Takano, CEO of nonprofit Rotary Charities says, “A human rights commission tells our community and those who might want to join it that our community cares about creating a welcoming environment and strives to be safe for everyone. That takes advocacy, supporting marginalized groups, and honoring organizations and people who dedicate time to ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to thrive here.”

Board members are appointed by the mayor and serve brief three-year terms with the mission to “strive to ensure human dignity through advocacy, education, negotiation and information ensuring understanding and respect among all,” as stated on their website. Instead of providing an instant fix, the commission, composed of motivated residents who volunteer their time, acts as a dynamic team of problem solvers ready to offer guidance, support, and investigatory prowess.

One of the core purposes of the HRC is to field discrimination complaints related to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, height, weight, marital status, physical or mental disability, family status, sexual orientation, or gender identity. The HRC’s website has a form available which can be printed and mailed in after the information about an infraction is filled in. (Though, current chair Jen Loup says commissioners are often contacted directly through email and, “From there, we can connect them to various community resources, depending on what’s needed.”)

Susan Odgers, a current commissioner and former chair, recalls a young man who recently attended one of the monthly meetings held at the Governmental Center. He approached the board about his worry for an elderly neighbor whose rental was riddled with mold while her landlord ignored the issue.

“He didn’t even know where to begin—what her rights were and how to advocate for her,” says Odgers. “So he came to the Human Rights Commission and he told us all about it. And, you know, we don’t have legal authority to actually solve that particular problem. But he was heard.” The commission spent the evening brainstorming ideas, sharing resources, and referring him to the legal experts who could escalate and resolve his concerns.

Making Change

While local government boards have a ton of administrative ground to cover, HRCs exist to ensure dignity for every community member, not just through discussion and recommendations but also through collaboration with other organizations that promote diversity, inclusion, and equality. For example, in May, the HRC partnered with FLOW (For Love of Water) for a hybrid virtual/in-person lecture about access to clean, affordable water, featuring two leading Michigan civil rights and environmental attorneys.

Anna Dituri, president and advocacy chair of Up North Pride, says HRCs operating in a city like ours is important because “their area of focus is entirely different from most county and city boards.” Dituri notes that the commission was “instrumental” in the hiring of the Traverse City Police Department’s first LGBTQ+ liaison in 2021. That liaison, according to the Traverse City Police Department, “strives to enhance Traverse City’s livability by implementing community policing projects and supporting a variety of diversity and equity initiatives.”

This is just one of the many tangible outcomes the HRC has helped facilitate over the years. They also recommended a city resolution recognizing the second Monday of October (often referred to as Columbus Day) as Indigenous Peoples Day. Other resolutions put forth by the HRC have included recognizing the rights of homeless persons and support of accessible gender neutral public bathrooms.

TC’s HRC also realizes their mission through educational outreach, some of which is paid for through their annual budget, provided through city funding. Frequently though, they partner with changemaking organizations to create informational programming, something the commission managed even through lockdowns.

“During the pandemic, when we could not provide in-person events, we provided space for a zoom panel and discussion with the Michigamiing Journalism Project highlighting the need for Indigenous-centered journalism,” says Loup. She adds, “We try to actively seek out connections with the many area organizations that work daily in various causes connected to our mission and purpose.”

With representation at the forefront of so many discussions, Loup says that the commission is considering adding a youth member to the board. “A human rights commission should represent various points of view and include diverse voices,” she says, though she notes that they have to adhere to city regulations as they explore the idea.

Now, with 30 years behind them, the commission’s mission may be definite, but it’s never complete, especially in a region whose population continues to grow in both numbers and diversity. Learn more at traversecitymi.gov/government/appointed-boards/human-rights-commission/, or attend meetings on the second Monday of each month at 5:30pm at the Governmental Center in Traverse City.