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d. Monitor complaints involving discrimination; <br />e. Address and attempt to remedy the violence, tensions, polarization, and other <br />harm created through the practices of discrimination, bias, hatred, and civil <br />inequality; and <br />f. Promote harmonious relations within the County through hearings and due <br />process of law. <br />What are your Board /Commission's most important accomplishments? <br />1. Organized and sponsored the 2014 Human Relations Month Forum entitled: "Equal <br />Justice Under the Law: Are We There Yet ?" The panelists included Mr. John <br />"Blackfeather" Jeffries (member of the Occaneechi Band of Saponi Nation), Senator <br />Valerie Foushee, and Attorney Al McSurely. UNC Professor Gene Nichol served as <br />Moderator for the Forum which focused on the 50th anniversary of the 1964 Civil <br />Rights Act. <br />2. Hosted the 2013 Pauli Murray Human Relations Awards Ceremony on Sunday, <br />February 23, 2014. Desaray Rockett received the Youth award, Judith Blau <br />received the individual award, and Vimala's Curryblossom Cafe received the <br />business award. The ceremony also included the recognition of the Student Essay <br />Contest winners and the winners of the first annual Fair Housing Poster Contest. <br />Middle School essay winners were Judah Matthew Kalb and Nathan Victor Bell. <br />High School essay winners were Lena Hu and Desaray Rockett. The Poster <br />Contest winners were Abigail Judd, Stricklon Magee and Khatmin Thant. Winning <br />poster entries were featured in the 2014 Departmental calendar. <br />3. Hosted the second annual Community Read. The purpose of the Community Read <br />is to engage the public in a discussion on a topic of human rights /relations as <br />presented in a selected book. The book selected for 2014 was My Black Family, My <br />White Privilege: A White Man's Journey Through the Nation's Racial Minefield by <br />Michael R. Wenger. A discussion on racism and White privilege was held at the <br />main library on Monday, March 31, 2014. Mr. Wenger served as the moderator. <br />4. Sponsored a community outreach event on April 10, 2014 in recognition of National <br />Fair Housing Month. The event included a presentation on the status of fair housing <br />in Orange County. <br />5. Submitted proclamations to the BOCC for adoption. Proclamations included the <br />acknowledgment of February as Human Relations Month, April as Fair Housing <br />Month, August 26, 2014 as Women's Equality Day, and the acknowledgement of <br />Human Rights Day, Bills of Rights Day and Human Rights Week presented on <br />December 1, 2014. <br />6. Participated in the Human Rights Day program on December 10, 2014 sponsored by <br />the Orange County Department on Aging. <br />