Human Relations Commission

HRC By-Laws

Summary: The City of Atlanta has established a Human Relations Commission (HRC) to promote mutual respect and understanding within the city of Atlanta. The HRC investigates and hears complaints regarding discrimination, makes recommendations on how to resolve such complaints, and initiates activities in keeping with its mission.

To file a complaint, please download the Human Relations Commission Complaint Form. Forms are also available for completion on premise at Atlanta City Hall.

      Completed complaint forms may be submitted in one of the following ways: 

• Email – Send to hrc@atlantaga.gov
• Online – Please visit ATL311 web portal and type “Discrimination Complaint” in the search field. Please be sure to upload/attach your completed complaint form with your submission
• Mail – ATTN: The Office of Constituent Services, 55 Trinity Ave, SW, Suite 1920, Atlanta, GA 30303
• In person – Hand deliver to the Office of Constituent Services

For any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to the Mayor's Office of Constituent Services at (404)330-6023 or send an email to hrc@atlantaga.gov.

Statutory Purpose: Recognizing the need for a permanent body on human relations, the Atlanta City Council created the HRC as a “vehicle for addressing illegal discrimination in public accommodations, private employment, and housing within the City.” The prohibited forms of discrimination involve race, color, creed, religion, sex, marital status, parental status, familial status, sexual orientation, national origin, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability, or criminal history.

Policy: The City of Atlanta has adopted a Human Relations Code to protect the public welfare, health, peace, and safety within the City regarding open public accommodations, equal employment opportunity and fair housing.

Membership: The HRC consists of nine members with three-year, staggered terms. Three are appointed by the Mayor of Atlanta, three by the President of the Atlanta City Council, and three by the at-large Members of the Council. No member can serve more than two consecutive terms. The membership of the HRC is intended to reflect the diversity of the people protected under the ordinance. The HRC elects its own officers. The City’s Law Department provides legal assistance, while the Mayor’s Office of Constituent Services and the Mayor’s Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion provide administrative support.

	Chair Carden Wyckoff (she/her) Disability Advocate		Vice-Chair Dr. Tony Lamair Burks II (he/him) Chief Learning Officer, LEADright
Carden is an Atlanta native, disability advocate, wheelchair roller, transit rider and change maker. She has 15 years of customer service experience and is known for bringing strategy to organizations which she does this by being able to come up with innovative ideas which leads to creating efficiencies. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for MARTA Army and Propel ATL and works for Salesforce in digital accessibility.		Dr.  Lamair Burks II is Chief Learning Officer of LEADright. A three-time Fulbrighter, he was Superintendent-in-Residence with the National Center for Urban School Transformation and founding principal of North Carolina’s first early college high school.  He is the author of “Bought Wisdom” and was a contributing writer for “The Leader Reader: Narratives of Experience” and the “Colin in Black & White” and “Queen Sugar” learning companions for filmmaker Ava DuVernay.  An ordained minister, he is a graduate of Morehouse College, Trevecca Nazarene University, and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The father of an adult son, he and his partner are the parents of a 9-year-old girl.
	Secretary Jonathan Russell (he/him) Managing Senior Director Development, Discovery Programs		Bridgette Simpson (She/Her) Co-Founder & Co- Director, Barred Business
Jonathan Russell is a major gift fundraiser and philanthropic advisor based in Atlanta. As the Managing Senior Director of Development for Discovery Programs at Emory University, Jonathan leads the efforts to facilitate philanthropic gifts to advance biomedical research at Emory’s School of Medicine, the Emory Vaccine Center and Emory Healthcare’s Movement Disorders Program. He has served on multiple community boards including representing Atlanta on the Human Rights Campaign's National Board of Governors. In 2018, Russell was appointed to serve on the City's inaugural LGBTQ Advisory Board where he led the LGBTQ Health committee, working with community leaders to improve the quality of health and providing resources and information during the COVID-19 pandemic.		Bridgette Simpson is a dedicated and experienced professional committed to community empowerment and social justice. With a unique background as a formerly incarcerated Black woman, Bridgette brings a valuable perspective to her work.  In her interview with Bloomberg, titled "How Formerly Incarcerated People Won Legal Protection in Atlanta," Bridgette candidly shared her journey, highlighting the challenges she faced upon release from a 10-year sentence. These experiences ignited her determination to support others navigating the justice system. As a co-founder of Barred Business, Bridgette tackled the Small Business Administration's refusal to grant loans to formerly incarcerated entrepreneurs, gaining recognition in the Ida B. Wells Just Data Lab at Princeton University.   Throughout Bridgette's career, she has consistently improved the lives of people like herself and their communities in Atlanta. Notable accomplishments include pioneering the S.T.A.B.L.E. program for previously incarcerated Black women, securing grants to train thousands, and leading the 2019 Community Over Cages Alliance. Bridgette's impact extends nationally, as she was a featured speaker at the National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls' 2022 annual conference. She played a pivotal role in passing Atlanta legislation in 2022, making formerly incarcerated individuals a legally protected class.
	Naushad Shahzad (he/him) Founder, NRS Capital		Kevin Marshall (he/him) Managing Attorney, The Marshall Law Group, LLC
A seasoned leader, most notably in the fintech space for the last decade; leading successful teams and driving revenues. As the founder of NRS Capital, a commercial funding and consulting firm. Nasushad has over 20 years of experience in executive leadership, corporate strategy, GTM strategy, ERM strategy, ERP implementation, revenue growth, policy development and performance optimization. As an advocate for the SME (small & medium enterprise) market, he successfully deployed over $450 Million in working capital to businesses across the country through technology enabled financial platforms. He specializes in large transactions, buy-side diligence, acquisitions, fundraising rounds, and equity sales. Naushad currently serves on the board of directors for Artportunity Knocks, an Atlanta based non-profit organization. Born and raised in New York, he now resides in Atlanta, GA with his wife and son. He is an avid reader with a constant thirst for knowledge.		Kevin Marshall is a published author and business attorney. He is the Managing Attorney for The Marshall Law Group, LLC, where he represents corporate clients in business formation, corporate governance, compliance, and litigation matters.  Kevin has litigated in front of the Supreme Court of Georgia and currently serves as an adjunct instructor at American InterContinental University, where he teaches business law. Attorney Marshall graduated from Elizabeth City State University, where he served as Student Body President. After graduating from ECSU, he received his law degree from Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School.

Specific Functions: The HRC focuses its efforts on the elimination of discrimination in public accommodations, private employment and housing. Some of its functions are as follows:

• Receive, investigate, and make recommendations to the Mayor and the appropriate City agency for the resolution of complaints alleging discrimination, including racial profiling
• Initiate actions to test, investigate, and file complaints regarding violations of the Human Relations Code
• Conduct studies and recommend needed ordinances and resolutions
• Develop human relations plans and policies for the City of Atlanta
• Investigate conditions that may lead to tension and conflict among racial, religious, and national groups and recommend remedial actions as may be needed
• Convene conferences on public accommodations, private employment, and housing and work with leaders in these fields in developing programs of voluntary compliance and enforcement of the Human Relations Code

Procedures: Any person or organization claiming to be aggrieved by a discriminatory practice occurring within the City of Atlanta may file a complaint with the HRC. The complaint must be submitted in writing to the Director of the Mayor’s Office of Constituent Services on this form provided by the HRC or “any paper suitable for a complaint” within 180 of the days of occurrence of the alleged unlawful discriminatory act in one of the following ways:

•  Email – Send to hrc@atlantaga.gov
•  Online – Please visit ATL311 web portal and type “Discrimination Complaint” in the search field. Please be sure to upload/attach your completed complaint form with your submission
• Mail – ATTN: The Office of Constituent Services, 55 Trinity Ave, SW, Suite 1920, Atlanta, GA 30303
• In person – Hand deliver to the Office of Constituent Services

The Mayor’s Office of Constituent Services maintains a list of information which must be included in a complaint. If the alleged activity is of a continuing nature, the date of its occurrence will be deemed to be any date subsequent to its inception, up to the date of its cessation. The person filing the complaint must promptly deliver a copy of the complaint to the alleged offender and other “necessary “parties as determined by the HRC.

Within 30 days after receiving a complaint, the Director of the Mayor’s Office of Constituent Services will conduct an initial investigation and report the findings to the HRC. The HRC will receive the report and attempt to eliminate the alleged practice by conference, conciliation or persuasion. The HRC may also, at its option, continue the initial investigation to obtain additional information or conduct a hearing. The respondent will have the opportunity to file a written answer to the complaint at least three business days prior to the hearing.

The Chair of the HRC may request the Committee of Council of the Atlanta City Council to issue subpoenas on behalf of the HRC to compel the production of records or the appearance of witnesses.

After conducting a hearing, the HRC will issue findings of fact, its decision, and at the discretion of its Chair, an opinion with the reasons for the decision. The Mayor and the appropriate department of City government will have 30 days in which to respond to the HRC's findings.

Enforcement: In the event of a finding of discrimination in violation of the Human Relations Code, a letter may be sent asking the alleged offender to desist from the actions cited in the complaint. In addition, the Mayor may take any of the following actions:

• Inquire whether due cause exists to revoke a professional or business license issued by the City or a contract with the City
• Ask any City agency to investigate whether the alleged offender has violated any other City ordinance
• Request any appropriate community agency to investigate whether the alleged offender has violated any state or federal law.

Within one year after a conciliation agreement or decision, the HRC will investigate whether the respondent is complying with the terms of the agreement or recommendations.

Other Remedies: In addition to filing a complaint with the HRC, an aggrieved person may seek prosecution of alleged violations of the Human Relations Code in Atlanta Municipal Court; but if the person filing the complaint agrees to a conciliation agreement, the basis of an ordinance violation is limited to the enforcement of the terms of the agreement or settlement.

The filing of a complaint with the HRC does not invalidate, restrict, or deny any right or remedy a person may have under state or federal law or preclude any cause of action in court for the violation of anyone's civil rights.