Imagine a World...

Imagine a world where everyone can lead lives full of dignity and joy, free from discrimination. That's the bold vision we are building towards at the Minnesota Department of Human Rights. 

Below, you'll learn more about how our work in 2022 moved us towards that vision.

While important work occurred this year, the work to advance civil rights and end hate is far from over. Racism, transphobia, sexism, ableism, antisemitism, sexual harassment, and so many other forms of systemic discrimination remain pervasive and persistent in Minnesota. 

There is more transformational work to do together. We look forward to advancing civil rights and imagining a thriving and more loving world with you in 2023!

A Pattern or Practice of Race Discrimination

Following a comprehensive investigation, we announced that the City of Minneapolis and Minneapolis Police Department engage in race-based policing that undermines the City’s public safety system. 

Immediately after releasing the findings, we began meeting with community members, community leaders, and police officers over several months to gather ideas to inform a court enforceable agreement to address race-based policing.

The agreement -- which we are currently negotiating with the City -- would be unlike any previous effort to reform policing in Minneapolis because it would:

• Identify specific changes to be made. 
• Provide timelines for those changes to occur. 
• Incorporate oversight and be enforced by a judge. 
• Live on regardless of election cycles. 

Preventing Discrimination

Every year, we investigate hundreds of cases. When we find discrimination, we work to change the systems -- the policies and procedures -- that led to the discrimination.

Examples of this work achieved through settlement agreements include: 

• After finding disability discrimination, the national company that operates LA Fitness must make changes at all its fitness centers in Minnesota to ensure they are accessible to people with disabilities.
• An auto service company forced an employee to quit his job for reporting racial and sexual harassment. The agreement requires the company to update and enforce its policies to follow the law by prohibiting retaliation.
• Andersen Corporation refused to hire an applicant because of his disability. Now, the company must pay the former applicant and work to build a more inclusive workplace for people with disabilities. 

Advancing Civil Rights at the Capitol 

To build a more inclusive Minnesota, we advanced policies at the Capitol.

• The CROWN Act, passed by the Minnesota House with bipartisan support, ensures that hair discrimination is race discrimination under the law. 
• The Take Pride Act updates outdated sexual orientation and gender identity protections in the Minnesota Human Rights Act.
• The Preventing Pay Discrimination Act helps close Minnesota's racial and gender pay gap by protecting job applicants from having to disclose their pay history when applying for a job or negotiating a wage.

While none of these policies passed both the House and the Senate, we look forward to continuing to advance civil rights at the Capitol next year. 

Educating Minnesotans about their Civil Rights

We launched new resources to help inform Minnesotans about their civil rights.

• A new section of our website is fully dedicated to info about service and emotional support animals at work, in housing, and in public places.
• The Know Your Rights fact sheets are available in Spanish, Hmong, and Somali. 
• The Civil Rights Process chart, which outlines how a case moves through the Department, is also now available in Spanish, Hmong, and Somali. 

55 Powerful Years and Counting

This summer, we celebrated and honored the 55th anniversary of the Minnesota Human Rights Act. Passed into law in 1967, the law powerfully states: 

"Discrimination threatens the rights and privileges of the inhabitants of this state and menaces the institutions and foundations of democracy.”

These powerful words ring true today and represent our Department's long pursuit of ending discrimination in Minnesota.

Every single day, we use the full power of this law to inch closer to our vision of a world where everyone can lead lives full of dignity and joy. 

Join us in not only imagining that world, but working towards creating it. 

We want to hear from Minnesotans who have experienced or witnessed discrimination or bias. 

Report online or call the Discrimination Helpline at 1-833-454-0148.

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