April 2010

Missouri Human Rights Commission Promotes New Public Awareness Campaign, Fair Housing Month with Student Contests

On April 1, the Missouri Commission on Human Rights (MCHR) kicked off national Fair Housing Month and a new Missouri public awareness campaign, the Show-Me Fair Housing Awareness Project, with a poster and journalism contest for youths. Students enrolled in a Lincoln University Extension youth program in Butler, Cape Girardeau, Dunklin, Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscot, Scott, or Stoddard counties are invited to submit an essay or poster expressing the theme, “Live the Dream: Fair Housing.” The contest and the awareness campaign are funded by an Education and Outreach Initiative grant awarded to the MCHR by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Winners will be honored at a luncheon in May 2010, where they will receive cash prizes in the amounts of $250 (first place), $125 (second place), and $50 (third place). Contestants are divided by age groups: Group 1 (poster), 1st through 3rd grade; Group 2 (poster), 4th through 6th grade; Group 3 (poster), 7th through 12th grade; and Group 4 (essay), 7th through 12th grade. First-, second-, and third-place winners from each of these four groups will be awarded prizes, for a total of up to 12 students being recognized.

To be eligible for consideration, submissions must be delivered and in the possession of the Lincoln University Extension Office, 201 North Stoddard, Sikeston, Mo., 63801, by close of business, April 28, 2010. For additional information about the contest, contact Lincoln University Extension Office at 573-471-3059 or the Missouri Commission on Human Rights at 573-751-3325.

The Show-Me Fair Housing Awareness Project aims to educate the 150,000 citizens and housing industry professionals in Dunklin, Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscot, Scott, and Stoddard counties about their rights and obligations under fair housing laws. To learn more, visit www.labor.mo.gov/mohumanrights/fair_housing_project.asp.

The MCHR is an independent commission housed in the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. It is responsible for enforcing the Missouri Human Rights Act which prohibits discrimination in employment, housing, and places of public accommodation because of race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex (including sexual harassment and pregnancy), disability and age (in employment only), and familial status (in housing only). For more information about your rights, the MCHR complaint process, visit www.labor.mo.gov/MOHumanRights.