Alaska State Commission for Human Rights to Hold Meeting in Juneau on June 7 During Celebration

May 24, 2024

The Alaska State Commission for Human Rights will hold its next meeting in Juneau at the downtown library, 292 Marine Way, on June 7 starting at 1:00 pm. The Commission last met in Juneau at the beginning of 2023 and is looking forward to returning to Juneau while the Sealaska Heritage Institute hosts Celebration 2024. “Celebration, which draws thousands of people to the capital city, is a fantastic venue for the Commission to spread its anti-discrimination message. We are proud to be a co-sponsor for this year’s event and hope that the public will come to the meeting to let the Commissioners know what they are facing related to discrimination and/or how the Commission may help to prevent discrimination from happening,” said Rob Corbisier, the Commission’s Executive Director.

The Commission will be considering two new resolutions related to healthcare settings: one to promote accessible communication for deaf and hard-of-hearing patients, and the other encouraging security guards to wear body cameras. The Commission will also be discussing what legislative proposals it wants to support in 2025, and it may take up a resolution tabled from March 18 for braille education. The public is invited to attend this meeting either in person or via Zoom, with public comment scheduled for 1:30 pm. Anyone wishing to attend via telephone or Zoom should contact the Commission at (907) 276-7474 by 4:30 pm on Monday, June 3, to make arrangements.

The Commission is an independent quasi-judicial state agency that aims to eliminate discrimination and support Alaskans when they face discrimination in the workplace, places of public accommodation, housing, credit and financing, and government practices. The Commission consists of seven volunteers who are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the legislature for rotating five-year terms. The Commission consists of Chairperson Zackary Gottshall (Anchorage), Vice Chairperson Mae Marsh (Fairbanks), William Craig (Sitka), Rebecca Carrillo (Juneau), Jessie Ruffridge (Soldotna), and Shiela Cernich (Anchorage). The Commission
currently has one vacancy.

Commission staff is available for assistance directly to the business community, either through speaking engagements to organizations, reviewing non-discrimination policies and procedures, and providing copies of its guidance documents, which are also available here:  Alaska Human Rights Guidance Documents.

For more information about the agency, please visit the Alaska Human Rights website. To talk about discrimination experiences directly to an investigator, call (800)-478-4692 or (907)-274-4692.