Davenport established a civil rights commission by ordinance in 1962. The commission established in1962 had no enforcement power, but that was changed by a new civil rights ordinance enacted in 1974. The 1974 ordinance established the Davenport Civil Rights Commission and provided at that time that persons are to be protected from discrimination in the city based upon their race, color, religion, creed, sex, national origin or ancestry, marital status, familial status, age, or mental or physical disability. The areas protected by the ordinance in 1974 included employment, credit, public accommodation, and housing.
The ordinance was amended in 1999 to make its housing provisions substantially equivalent to the federal Fair Housing Act and to grant the Commission subpoena powers during its investigation process. The ordinance was amended again in 2000 to add sexual orientation as a protected class. In 2005, the ordinance was amended again to clarify some of its provisions and to add education as a protected area.
The Davenport Civil Rights Ordinance enacted in 1974 provides that its purpose is to provide a Civil Rights Commission at the local level that will secure freedom of discrimination for all persons who are members of a protected class within the city and to provide a Commission dedicated to the effective enforcement of the civil rights chapter. The ordinance additionally gave the Commission the power to enter into contracts with federal, state, or other municipal civil rights agencies to further the purposes of the civil rights chapter. Under the power granted by the ordinance, the Davenport Commission enters a contract each year with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission to enforce state and local civil rights laws.
In 2000, after the Davenport Civil Rights Commission became substantially equivalent to the federal Fair Housing Act, it began to enter contracts with the United States Department of Urban Development [HUD] each year to enforce fair housing laws in Davenport.
Effective enforcement of civil rights laws locally is extremely important for entitlement cities like Davenport because it can have an impact on the receipt of federal funds. Community development block grant dollars are received by entitlement cities from HUD in exchange for evidence that the community takes all efforts to affirmatively further fair housing in its community. The Davenport Civil Rights Commission is extremely proud of its record of both its education and outreach and its enforcement efforts regarding all areas in which it offers protections. Its exemplary record is reflected in both the 2000 and 2005 Impediments to Fair Housing Studies that are required by HUD, awards received in recognition of outstanding contributions to the community from the local NAACP Branch, and for the Commission's outstanding work in protecting people's civil rights from the Iowa Lulac State Committee.
The first Commissioners appointed by Mayor O'Brien in 1962 include:
-
Paul Ives
-
Henry Vargas
-
Charles Toney
-
Harry Roberts
-
Virgil Bowen
-
Hollister Hosutt
-
Lawrence Satin
The director position was created in March of 1970. William Cribbs [WC] was appointed to be the first director in September of 1970. E. King Morris, Jerry Smith, Sandra Williams, and Brenda Drew-Peeples served as directors after William Cribbs and up to 1999. Judith J. Morrell was hired on March 1, 1999 and served as director until 2014. In 2014 Latrice Lacey was appointed as Director of the Civil Rights Commission.
Davenport Civil Rights Commission Historical Tour
The Davenport's Civil Rights Commission in partnership with St. Ambrose University and the Putnam Museum captured the story of Davenport's Civil Rights History from 1945 to 1974. This is a compelling, inspiring story and it needs to be told, and retold for generations to come. Click on the link below for additional information and to download the map to visit the places where local civil rights events took place!
Davenport Civil Rights Commission Historical Tour
Below is a link to the recent interview with Civil Rights Activist Bill Cribbs done by the Quad Cities Times reporter as well as the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. address in Davenport, IA on April 28, 1965.