My name is Mignard Culpepper, District 7th City Councilor, and I am chair of the Boston City Council Committee on Civil Rights, Racial Equity, and Immigrant Advancement.

Today is July 21, 2026.

The exact time is 2.05 p.m.

This hearing is being recorded.

It is also being live streamed at Boston.gov backslash city council dash TV and broadcast on Xfinity Channel 8, RCN Channel 82, and files, Channel 964.

Written comments may be submitted to the committee.

Email at CCC.gov and will be made part of the record and available to all counselors.

Public testimony will be taken at the end of this hearing.

Individuals will be called on in the order in which they signed up and will have two minutes to testify.

If you are interested in testifying in person, please add your name to the sign-in sheet near the entrance of the chamber.

If you are looking to testify virtually, please email our central staff liaison, Megan Kavanaugh at Megan.cavenoff at Boston.gov for the link and your name will be added to the list.

Today's hearing is on Docket No.

1237, order for a hearing regarding the future of the Boston Human Rights Commission.

This matter was sponsored, co-sponsored by Counselor Ed Flynn and Counselor Brian Well, and was sponsored by Minor Culpepper.

It was referred to the committee on June 24th, 2026.

Today I am pleased to be joined by my colleagues in order of arrival, Councillor Murphy, Councillor Flynn, Councillor Fitzgerald, and Councillor Braden.

Okay.

Good afternoon, everyone.

I want to thank my colleagues for being here today, and I want to thank our panelists and members of the public for joining us for this important discussion on the future of the Boston Human Rights Commission.

I want to begin by saying that I am concerned that the Boston Human Rights Commission has now been inactive for more than two years.

At a time when residents continue to face discrimination in housing, employment, public accommodations, and other areas of everyday life.

One that residents know exists and can trust to protect their rights.

Today's hearing is not simply about looking backward at why the commission became inactive.

I want to use this opportunity to begin a broader conversation about how we rebuild and reform the Boston Human Rights Commission for the future.

During the fiscal 27 budget process, the City Council secured 200,000 to continue the Human Rights Commission.

Now that funding has been preserved, we need to determine what kind of commission we want to rebuild, what authority it should have, and how it should operate, and how we ensure that it becomes a meaningful and lasting institution within our city.

We also have an opportunity to learn from what is working elsewhere and determine whether Boston's existing ordinance provide the commission with the tools it needs.

That includes examining its complaint process, investigative and enforcement authority, staffing, reporting requirements, accessibility to residents, and relationship with organizations such as the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination and other state and federal civil rights agencies.

I also want to use today's hearing to receive feedback on the draft ordinance to reform the Boston Human Rights Commission that has been distributed to the counselors and our panelists and is available in today's hearing folder.

This is just a draft, and today's discussion is intended to help inform and improve it.

Among other reforms, the proposal considers establishing clearer timelines for complaints, a structured investigation and appeals process, mandatory reconciliation, discovery, and public hearings, stronger data reporting, and a more defined adjudicatory role for the commission.

Ultimately, I want us to leave today's hearing with a better understanding of what an effective human rights commission should look like in Boston and what changes are necessary to get us there.

We have an opportunity not simply to reactivate the commission as it previously existed, but to rebuild it into a stronger, more accessible, accountable, and effective civil rights institution for the people of Boston.

Now I'll turn to my counselors.

Counselor, you will have five minutes for opening remarks.

We'll start with co-sponsor counselor fair.

Thank you, Councillor Cole Pepper, Mr.

Chair, for adding me as an original co-sponsor, and want to say thank you to Councilor Cole Pepper for his longtime work as a civil rights attorney, civil rights, civil rights leader, not just in the Commonwealth, but across the country as well.

This is an important hearing today.

Since its start, the commission provided an important voice for those that were discriminated against or a victim of a hate crime.

And we've seen a lot of hate crimes in this city, especially in the early to mid-80s.

I remember those days clearly.

This commission, the human rights commission, was established under Mayor Flynn, and I believe he selected the first director was a woman who was a who lived in lived in South Boston recently and moved, but Ian Saunders, many people might know Ann Saunders.

Uh, at that time, there were a lot of hate crimes against gay and lesbians in in the city.

And I don't I didn't use the term LGBTQ because it wasn't that wasn't the term back then, but there was a lot of hate crimes that we witnessed and experienced.

We also witnessed and experienced a lot of assaults against African Americans in the city.

But this Human Rights Commission was an opportunity for people to come forward and document these cases, and they would be investigated.

At one time, this the human rights commission was well respected, and they did a lot of outstanding work as a city councilor for eight years.

I tried to do as much work with the human rights commission as I possibly could.

I probably have sent more documents asking for various investigations on hate crimes against persons with disabilities, against LGBTQ community, against uh communities of color, probably more so than anyone in the city.

Um that's the respect I had for the commission and for the members and for the the officers, those are on the board.

One of them who I've had great respect for is a woman, Margaret McKenna as well.

But I know it's struggled over the years, and when something's struggling, doesn't mean that you need to end it.

It you it what we need is the strong positive leadership to make it an effective board, an effective organization.

I'm not here as Councillor Cole Pepper mentioned to point fingers, but I'm here to work with all of my city council colleagues in the mayor to see how we move forward to make this a strong commission where people that are discriminated against or not treated with respect or hate or victim of hate crime can come to the commission, document the case, hopefully it'd be investigated.

But it's it sends a message to people across the city.

Boston is serious about civil rights issues.

Boston is serious about human rights issues.

I remember when the Boston police had a community disorders unit.

Many people remember that.