Council committee holds roundtable on seven nominees to D.C. Human Rights Commission
September 26, 2025 | Committee on Public Works and Operations, Committees, Legislative, District of Columbia
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Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau convened a roundtable of the Council's Committee on Public Works and Operations on Friday, Sept. 26, 2025, to consider seven mayoral nominees to the District of Columbia Commission on Human Rights. The committee heard testimony from six nominees and took no formal votes; written public testimony is due Oct. 10 at 5:30 p.m.
The Commission on Human Rights is the independent adjudicative body within the D.C. Office of Human Rights that reviews alleged unlawful discrimination under the D.C. Human Rights Act in employment, housing, public accommodations and education. The commission conducts secondary reviews after OHR determinations and may issue decisions or recommend remedies, and commissioners serve three-year terms.
Nominees described priorities that focused on improving access to the commission's process and expanding outreach. Simjay Singh Atarwal, director of the Anti-Hate Program at Asian Americans Advancing Justice, said the commission should strengthen language access and community partnerships, adding, "language access is a fundamental right." Atarwal described experience in government and advocacy and said he would push for public resources explaining residents' rights under local law.
Carmen Moreno Sanz, a Spanish teacher and cultural manager, said education and community dialogue are central to preventing discrimination and called human-rights education a way to build empathy. "Human rights are the foundation of peace," she said.
Alexis Morgan Gardner, an assistant federal public defender, urged attention to the human-rights impacts of immigration enforcement and other federal actions, saying she had seen community harm from recent enforcement activity and describing "the rounding up of our working class and their deportation without due process." Gardner framed access to legal representation and dignity before the law as fundamental to protecting human rights.
Jasmine Scott, a community health worker and former D.C. Fire and EMS firefighter from Ward 8, said her on-the-ground work informs a focus on equity and outreach to neighborhoods that do not typically receive government attention. "These challenges are human-rights issues," she said, describing plans to meet residents where they are to increase awareness of rights and resources.
Dr. Isabelle Ladoyo, founder of the United States Institute of Diplomacy and Human Rights, emphasized outreach to youth, immigrant communities and non-English speakers and said she would work with Mayor's offices and schools to expand education about rights. "Every resident of the District should live, work, and learn free from discrimination," she said.
Sean Norman, president of the D.C. Association of the Deaf, told the committee that language and communication access for deaf, deafblind and hard-of-hearing residents must be easier and more consistent. "Equal access means ensuring accommodation so that everyone can fully participate without barriers," Norman said, citing the need for interpreters and other tools to make participation routine rather than exceptional.
Committee Chair Brianne Nadeau led a standard set of background questions (residency, conflicts of interest and disciplinary history). Several nominees answered affirmatively that they live in D.C.; one nominee disclosed an ongoing, pending litigation matter that the committee said it may follow up on. No formal motions or votes were recorded during the roundtable.
The committee announced a deadline for written public testimony on the nominations: email publicworksdccouncil@dc.gov by 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 10. The hearing adjourned at 10:32 a.m. The nominations will proceed through the Council's committee process before any confirmation votes.
Why it matters: The Commission on Human Rights hears discrimination complaints and can issue binding decisions affecting residents' access to housing, employment, public services and education. The nominees' emphasis on language access, disability accommodations and neighborhood outreach reflects recurring gaps raised by residents and advocates in the district.
The Commission on Human Rights is the independent adjudicative body within the D.C. Office of Human Rights that reviews alleged unlawful discrimination under the D.C. Human Rights Act in employment, housing, public accommodations and education. The commission conducts secondary reviews after OHR determinations and may issue decisions or recommend remedies, and commissioners serve three-year terms.
Nominees described priorities that focused on improving access to the commission's process and expanding outreach. Simjay Singh Atarwal, director of the Anti-Hate Program at Asian Americans Advancing Justice, said the commission should strengthen language access and community partnerships, adding, "language access is a fundamental right." Atarwal described experience in government and advocacy and said he would push for public resources explaining residents' rights under local law.
Carmen Moreno Sanz, a Spanish teacher and cultural manager, said education and community dialogue are central to preventing discrimination and called human-rights education a way to build empathy. "Human rights are the foundation of peace," she said.
Alexis Morgan Gardner, an assistant federal public defender, urged attention to the human-rights impacts of immigration enforcement and other federal actions, saying she had seen community harm from recent enforcement activity and describing "the rounding up of our working class and their deportation without due process." Gardner framed access to legal representation and dignity before the law as fundamental to protecting human rights.
Jasmine Scott, a community health worker and former D.C. Fire and EMS firefighter from Ward 8, said her on-the-ground work informs a focus on equity and outreach to neighborhoods that do not typically receive government attention. "These challenges are human-rights issues," she said, describing plans to meet residents where they are to increase awareness of rights and resources.
Dr. Isabelle Ladoyo, founder of the United States Institute of Diplomacy and Human Rights, emphasized outreach to youth, immigrant communities and non-English speakers and said she would work with Mayor's offices and schools to expand education about rights. "Every resident of the District should live, work, and learn free from discrimination," she said.
Sean Norman, president of the D.C. Association of the Deaf, told the committee that language and communication access for deaf, deafblind and hard-of-hearing residents must be easier and more consistent. "Equal access means ensuring accommodation so that everyone can fully participate without barriers," Norman said, citing the need for interpreters and other tools to make participation routine rather than exceptional.
Committee Chair Brianne Nadeau led a standard set of background questions (residency, conflicts of interest and disciplinary history). Several nominees answered affirmatively that they live in D.C.; one nominee disclosed an ongoing, pending litigation matter that the committee said it may follow up on. No formal motions or votes were recorded during the roundtable.
The committee announced a deadline for written public testimony on the nominations: email publicworksdccouncil@dc.gov by 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 10. The hearing adjourned at 10:32 a.m. The nominations will proceed through the Council's committee process before any confirmation votes.
Why it matters: The Commission on Human Rights hears discrimination complaints and can issue binding decisions affecting residents' access to housing, employment, public services and education. The nominees' emphasis on language access, disability accommodations and neighborhood outreach reflects recurring gaps raised by residents and advocates in the district.
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