THRC 60th Anniversary - July 2, 2024

The Tennessee Human Rights Commission celebrated it's 60th Anniversary on Tuesday, July 2, 204 at the National Museum of African American Music in Nashville, TN. The theme of the event of was "Honoring our Past, Celebrating our Present, Safeguarding our Future: Marking 60 Years of Civil Rights in Tennessee". The event commemorated important figures and moments of the Civil Rights Movement, celebrated the accomplishments of the THRC over the past 60 years, and discussed the state of Civil Rights in Tennessee.

The 60th Anniversary was MC'd by Lelan Statom of News Channel 5 Nashville. Opening speakers included C. Dion Brown, President of the National Museum of African American Music, and Muriel Nolen, Executive Director of the Tennessee Human Rights Commission. The program featured a presentation of the 2024 Jocelyn D. Wurzburg Civil Rights Legacy Award to Patricia Inés Robledo, EL Family Liaison with the Office of the Ombudsman for Knox County Schools. The program also featured the “Safeguarding our Future” panel, discussing the state of Civil Rights in Tennessee. The panel was moderated by Dr. Russ Wigginton, President of the National Civil Rights Museum. Panelists included Clifton Harris of the Urban League of Middle TN, Debra House of the Legal Aid of East Tennessee, Jack Derryberry of Disability Rights TN, and Roshun Austin of The Works, Inc. The evening was closed with a special performance by Jadyn Marshall, Nashville Youth Poet Laureate.

The Tennessee Human Rights Commission is an independent state agency responsible for enforcing the Tennessee Human Rights Act and the Tennessee Disability Act which prohibit discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodation on the basis of race, color, creed, national origin, religion, sex, disability, familial status (housing only) and age (40 and over in employment). The Commission is also responsible for coordinating the State of Tennessee's compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which prohibits discrimination based on race, color and national origin by State agencies receiving federal financial assistance.