Two standing Adams County commissions – the Adams County Advisory Council to the PA Human Relations Committee (ACAC) and the Gettysburg Borough Human Relations Committee (GHRC) – partner with the PA State Human Relations Committee (PAHRC) to educate people about the importance of equal treatment across the protected classes of race, color, sex, religion, age, disability, and more.
The committee also provides support for those who face discrimination.
“We’re focused on fairness in housing, employment, and public accommodation,” said GHRC Chair Janet Riggs. “In 2020 the borough established the committee, and I was appointed the chair,” she said.
“It took almost a year to get started,” said Riggs. “We’ve been out talking to people. We’re about education. We talk about the importance of fairness; about people’s rights and responsibilities,” she said.
“We’re not here to be punitive. We’re here to try to make this a stronger and fairer community.”
Riggs said the categories of fair treatment in their mission include gender identity and sexual orientation – categories that were not codified in PA law when the commission was formed.
Riggs said her commission has a process in place for action when someone brings a complaint about being treated unfairly. “We don’t really have any authority. Our goal is to try to help people work out situations through mediation. If they’re not satisfied, we can help people find their way to the PAHRC.”
“So far, we haven’t had any complaints. We’ve had some inquiries. We’ve talked to people about some concerns. But they haven’t brought any official complaints. We referred them to mediation services,” she said.
Riggs said there were many barriers that prevent people from bringing up issues of unfairness. “One layer is people not knowing. Another layer is a concern about getting engaged in some kind of official process. People might be afraid to pursue something.”
“It’s really difficult for people to take the initiative to stand up for themselves. It’s important that these committees exist,” said ACAC Chair Kierstan Belle. “We bridge the gap between the borough level and the county level.”
“We don’t investigate any events. We meet with people and advise. We try to be proactive and mitigate potential events. If need be, we’ll help them file a complaint with the PAHRC,” said Belle.
Charles (Chuck) Stangor is Gettysburg Connection's Owner, Publisher, and Editor in Chief. I would like to hear from you. Please contact me at cstangor@gettysburgconnection.org.
Thanks for getting the word out Chuck! Anyone who needs help facing bias or discrimination outside the borough’s jurisdiction, can email me at kbelle@kierstanskids.com.
This is a joke right🙄