King County Council Establishes Strengthened Human and Civil Rights Commission

On Tuesday, June 4, 2024, the King County Council adopted legislation to establish a strengthened Human and Civil Rights Commission.

“I have been concerned for some time about our civil rights enforcement work at King County. In a county named for the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we must lead in this work,” said Councilmember Rod Dembowski, who authored the legislation.

“This legislation reaffirms the County’s commitment to uplifting the voices of community members and upholding equality and justice for all County residents,” Dembowski said. “I look forward to the Commission moving forward in their work without delay.”

The legislation aims to establish a community-led, independent body dedicated to advancing human and civil rights in the county. This revamped Commission will play a key role in advising on anti-discrimination ordinances, conducting outreach to marginalized communities, raising awareness on rights issues, monitoring compliance, and providing regular reports to the County Executive and County Council.

“The NAACP Seattle King County Branch wholeheartedly supports Councilmember Rod Dembowski’s legislation to improve the County’s Human and Civil Rights Commission,” said L. Darrell Powell, President of the NAACP Seattle-King County Branch. “With the new Commission in place, King County will strengthen access to equity, justice, and inclusivity for all of its residents.”

Additionally, the legislation seeks to ensure the Commission’s independence by giving the Commission the ability to review existing civil rights enforcement mechanisms and provide recommendations on changes, including the scope of the Commission’s own responsibilities. 

“The re-establishment of a King County Human and Civil Rights Commission remedies a grave omission in the oversight of civil rights in King County, especially given that almost 50 percent of King County demographics belong to communities of color,” said Kyle Kinoshita, President of Seattle Japanese American Citizens League.

“For our part, the Commission would provide an essential voice for the Asian Pacific Islander community at a time of a rise in anti-Asian hate, lack of affordable housing and continuing income disparities,” Kinoshita added. “The Commission would ensure that our community, along with all protected classes, have a powerful presence in policy decisions.”

Sarah Toce

Screenwriter & Journalist | Sarah Brusig (Toce) is an appointed member of the King County Women's Advisory Board and an elected precinct committee officer (PCO) in Burien, WA. As a healthcare worker, Sarah is represented by SEIU 1199NW. In 2010, Sarah created the online news source The Seattle Lesbian, LLC, which still receives upward of 100,000 readers per month. A recipient of McCormick's New Media Women Entrepreneur Award in 2012, Sarah was invited to the White House by President Barack Obama in 2015. That same year, GO Mag recognized Sarah as one of their Red-Hot Entrepreneurs in media.​ In 2016, the National Diversity Council honored Sarah with their LGBT Leadership Award. Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) recognized Sarah's advocacy work with the Community Builder Award in 2017, the same year Curve Magazine named Sarah one of their Top Women in Media & Publishing. Sarah served a two-year term as president of the Society of Professional Journalists - Western Washington Chapter beginning in 2018 and was elected Communications Vice Chair of the King County Democrats in 2021.

Related Posts

Denied: Federal Judge Rules Trump Cannot Implement Transgender Military Ban

Federal Court Rejects Another Trump Administration Attempt to Implement the Transgender Military Ban and Reinstates Nationwide Preliminary Injunction  U.S. District Court Judge Ana Reyes has rejected a Trump administration motion…

Read more

Continue reading
HHS Purge Will Line the Pockets of Billionaires, Hurt American Families

U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and a senior member and former chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP),…

Read more

Continue reading

Entertainment News

Denied: Federal Judge Rules Trump Cannot Implement Transgender Military Ban

Denied: Federal Judge Rules Trump Cannot Implement Transgender Military Ban

HHS Purge Will Line the Pockets of Billionaires, Hurt American Families

HHS Purge Will Line the Pockets of Billionaires, Hurt American Families

Murray Promises: GOP Will Get Away with Jan 6 Riot ‘Over My Dead Body’

Murray Promises: GOP Will Get Away with Jan 6 Riot ‘Over My Dead Body’

Trump Threatens to Withhold Federal Funding for Recognition of Gender Identity in Schools

Trump Threatens to Withhold Federal Funding for Recognition of Gender Identity in Schools

VA Phasing Out Treatment for Gender Dysphoria

VA Phasing Out Treatment for Gender Dysphoria

Olivia to Celebrate 35 Years of Uniting Lesbians in Luxurious Punta Cana

Olivia to Celebrate 35 Years of Uniting Lesbians in Luxurious Punta Cana