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The Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations (aka Pittsburgh Human Relations Commission, PCHR, or PghCHR) is a local law enforcement agency within the City of Pittsburgh government. PghCHR is one of two independent oversight agencies established in Pittsburgh's City Code. PghCHR's responsibilities are to investigate complaints of illegal discrimination in the areas of housing,  employment, public accommodations, and delivery of city services, to provide  community mediation to citizens in conflict, and to education the citizens, workers, and visitors of Pittsburgh about their civil rights.

=Origins and Authorizing Code= PghCHR was established in 1955 after the passage of its authorizing code by Pittsburgh City Council and signage into law by Mayor David L. Lawrence. Prior to the establishment of PghCHR, a Civic Unity Council existed from 1946-1955, which housed a Fair Employment Practices Commission from 1952-1955.

Civic Unity Council and Fair Employment Practices Commission
During his 1945-1946 mayoral campaign, then candidate David L. Lawrence advocated for several reforms including what he called a Civic Unity Council. The proposed Civic Unity Council (CUC) would address issues of discrimination with Pittsburgh under the mission of promoting racial and religious harmony. Once elected, Lawrence followed through on his campaign promise. On December 9. 1946 city council passed Mayor Lawrence's proposed legislation establishing a division of Civic Unity, and on December 17, 1946, Lawrence signed the ordinance into law. At its foundation, the CUC's major areas of interested with relationship between black and white residents, and Christian and Jewish residents. While addressing issues of community tension was one the CUC's functions, the council also address issues of City civil rights violation, such as police brutality, and unfair employment practices.

During its years of operations, the CUC began addressing issues of equal opportunity employment. Though Mayor Lawrence's original campaign promises called for both a Civic Unity Council and a Fair Employment Practices charter, he later opposed a city Fair Employment Practices Commission (FEPC) stating that he felt it was a state or commonwealth responsibility. When the state legislature failed to pass a FEPC law, the Mayor backed a city law, which was passed by council on December 1, 1952 and signed into law on December 5, 1952. The FEPC operated semi-independently from the Civic Unity Commission, but shared its budget and several members. After two and a half years of separate operations, the CUC and FEPC combined into joint operations under a new commission: the Commission on Human Relations.

Human Relations Code and PA Human Relations Act
In 1955, Mayor Lawrence proposed legislation to officially combine the CUC and FEPC. On

Name and Acronyms
In Pittsburgh City Code, the PghCHR is listed as one of the Mayor's Commissions, Boards, and Authorities and is named "Human Relations Commission." Despite this listing, since 1955, the Commission has used "Commission on Human Relations" and the acronym "CHR" rather than the term "Human Relations Commission" and the acronym "HRC." Also, although city code establishes the Commission as independent from the Mayor's office and other city administration, its listing as part of the Mayor's Board and Authorities, as well as its history as one of David Lawrence's major accomplishments led to the Commission's first name and acronym being the "Mayor's Commission on Human Relations" and "MCHR." The acronym MCHR was used through the 1970s and early 1980s when PghCHR began to feel a need to re-establish its independence from the Office of the Mayor. From the mid-1980s through early 2010s, the Commission used the name and acronym "Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations" and "PCHR." Despite establishing successfully establishing its independence from the office of the mayor, the acronym "PCHR" was often confused with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission's acronym PHRC. Because the two commission have overlapping jurisdictions, in 2017, the Pittsburgh Commission re-stylized its acronym using the common Pittsburgh abbreviation Pgh resulting in its current acronym PghCHR.

=Structure and Composition=

Commissioners
Commissioners are appointed to PghCHR by joint action of the Mayor and City Council. Both the Mayor and City Council has the ability to appoint a commissioner to service. After they are appointed, the commissioner will then sit for an interview and a vote of City Council in which they may be confirmed as a member of PghCHR.

Staff
With the exception of the Executive Director, all staff are chosen at the discretion of the Executive Director with input from the personnel committee. The personnel committee has major oversight over choosing executive leadership for the Commission.

=Protected Classes= A protected class is a characteristic, often inalienable from a person's identity, because of which it is illegal to discriminate. Protected classes in Pittsburgh and the US can vary across different realms of society and life based on precedence and written laws. The major realms of enforcement for PghCHR are Housing, Employment, and Public Accommodations. For those three realms, PghCHR enforces both federal and local anti-discrimination laws.

Housing
The following characteristics are federally protected by the Fair Housing Act and its supplementary laws. The protections are enforced locally by PghCHR in partnership with the US Department of Housing and Urban Affairs. (HUD)

• Color

• Disability

• Familial Status

• Race

• Religion

• Sex

Employment
• Age

• Color

• Disability

• Genetic Information

• Race

• Religion

• Sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity

Locally Protected Classes
• Ancestry

• Citizenship Status (Housing and Public Accommodations)

• Gender Expression

• Gender Identity

• National Origin

• Place of Birth

• Preferred Language (Housing and Public Accommodations)

• Pregnancy (employment only)

• Sexual Orientation

• Survivor of Domestic Violence (Housing Only)

With the exception of Age, Familial Status, and Pregnancy, all protected classes apply to public accommodations.

=Members=

Commissioners
=References=