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Baltimore City Office of Civil Rights Records

 Collection
Identifier: R0168-OCR

  • Staff Only
  • Place requests at folder level.

Scope and Content Note

This collection contains materials from the former library of the Baltimore Office of Civil Rights and documents the work of the Community Relations Commission, an agency within the Office of Civil Rights. The collection includes organizational files, publications, and reports from the city agency and documents various commission initiatives and work. The collection also documents Commission events and people. Some significant topics documented by this collection include employment, discrimination, housing, the city's response to civil disorder in 1968, mediation resources, population decline issues in the city during the 1970s, and the city's Race Relations Summit in 1990.

The collection is mainly textual and includes correspondence, pamphlets, brochures, reports and publications, meeting minutes, and clippings. The collection also includes photographs, audiovisual materials, and digital files.

Dates

  • 1959-2017

Creator

Language

Materials are in English.

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research. This collection contains audio-visual and digital materials that may need further processing or special equipment to allow use.

Conditions Governing Use

To the extent that they own copyright, the donor has assigned the copyright of this collection to the University Foundation. However, copyright in some items in this collection may be held by their respective creators.

Historical Note

The Baltimore City Office of Civil Rights and Wage Enforcement is a city agency responsible for enforcing the federal and local civil rights laws and wage laws. The Office of Civil Rights aims to eradicate discrimination and protect individuals' rights. The Office of Civil Rights and Wage Enforcement consists of three commissions and one board: the Community Relations Commission, the Mayor's Commission on Disabilities, the Wage Commission, and the Civilian Review Board. The Community Relations Commission was originally founded in 1956 and named the Equal Opportunity Commission. It enforces fair employment practice and human rights in the city. The Commission is responsible for fighting discrimination in employment, public spaces, housing, education, and health and welfare services. The Commission of Disabilities enforces compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and other laws related to public access to services and spaces. The Wage Commission enforces the local minimum, living, and prevailing wage laws. The commission was created to investigate violations of wage laws. Each year the Commission sets the new prevailing and living wage rates for the city. The Civilian Review Board, created in 1999, investigates complaints of police and law enforcement misconduct in the City of Baltimore.

This Historical Note was taken in part from the Baltimore City Office of Civil Rights website.

Extent

4.08 Linear feet (9 containers)

Abstract

The Baltimore City Office of Civil Rights (now named The Office of Civil Rights and Wage Enforcement) is the city agency responsible for enforcing the federal and local civil rights laws and wage laws. The office includes three commissions and one board: the Community Relations Commission, the Mayor's Commission on Disabilities, the Wage Commission, and the Civilian Review Board. This collection documents the Community Relations Commissions’ work throughout the second half of the twentieth century and early 2000s.

Arrangement

Collection is organized into four series:

  • Community Relations Commission Administrative Files
  • Community Relations Commission Race Relations Summit
  • Community Relations Commission Pamphlets, Reports, and Publications
  • Community Relations Commission Photographs and Audiovisual Materials
  • Series are arranged chronologically

Custodial History

The collection was donated by Lauren Jackson, Community Relations Commission of the Office of Civil Rights to the University of Baltimore Foundation on February 26, 2019.

Related Materials

Additional publications and research materials related to the Community Relations Commission of the Baltimore City Office of Civil Rights may be accessed at the Baltimore City Archives.

Processing Information

Collection processed by Laura Bell in 2019.

Title
Finding aid for the Baltimore City Office of Civil Rights Records
Status
Completed
Author
Finding aid created by Laura Bell (2019).
Date
July 2019
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the Baltimore Studies Archives Repository

Contact:
H. Mebane Turner Learning Commons, Room 104
1415 Maryland Avenue
Baltimore Maryland 21201 USA
410-837-4253