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M <br />Brief Statement of Board /Commission's Assigned Charge and <br />Responsibilities. <br />The Orange County Human Relations Commission was officially formed by a <br />resolution on June 16, 1987 in response to a Ku Klux Klan rally in Chapel Hill. <br />The Orange County Board of Commissioners expressed its desire to "encourage <br />mutual understanding and fair treatment of all citizens," and "encourage actions <br />which reduces tensions among groups of citizens in Orange County." Currently, <br />the HRC's charge includes, but is not limited to: <br />a. Studying and making recommendations concerning problems in the field <br />of human relationships; <br />b. Anticipating and discovering practices and customs most likely to create <br />animosity and unrest, and seeking solutions to problems as they arise; <br />c. Making recommendations designed to promote goodwill and harmony <br />among groups in the County irrespective of their race, color, creed, <br />religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, affectional preference, disability, <br />age, marital status or status with regard to public assistance; <br />d. Monitoring and investigating complaints of discrimination; <br />e. Addressing and attempting to remedy the violence, tensions, polarization, <br />and other harm created through the practices of discrimination, bias, <br />hatred, and civil inequality; and <br />f. Promoting harmonious relations within the County through hearings and <br />due process of law. <br />The Human Relations Commission drafted the Orange County Civil Rights <br />Ordinance which was enacted on June 6, 1994 (amended August 3, 1995). Staff <br />was thereafter hired to enforce the Ordinance and carryout the other functions on <br />behalf of the HRC as mandated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban <br />Development (HUD) through its cooperative agreement with the County. <br />What are your Board /Commission's most important accomplishments? <br />The HRC held its annual Human Relations Month Forum on January 29, 2017, <br />titled "Pluralism and Islamophobia: The Continuing Struggle ". The Forum was an <br />opportunity for residents to hear a panel of speakers discuss the issues many <br />people of Middle Eastern ancestry and /or Islamic faith face in the community and <br />across the United States, and to make their own comments and questions for <br />discussion. <br />The HRC also held the 27th Annual Pauli Murray Awards on March 12, 2017. The <br />Awards recognized a youth, an adult, and a business that embody the <br />characteristics of the late Dr. Pauli Murray in their dedication to social justice in <br />the community. The Annual Student Essay Contest was held as a part of the <br />Pauli Murray Awards to engage Orange County youth in the quest for social <br />