It’s A Reality: Westchester County Human Rights Commission
Luba Fineson

We congratulate our dedicated NOW members who attended or testified on the Human Rights Commission (HRC) at County Board of Legislators hearings. Westchester County now has the most advanced Human Rights Commission in the state in that it defends the civil rights not only of minorities, women, the disabled and immigrants, but also of lesbians and gay men. We salute the dedication to this legislation of Andrea Stewart Cousins, County legislator (Yonkers), and chair of the Board legislative committee, who developed and introduced the legislation and, with County Board Chair George Latimer, guided it through to passage. Ann Shaffer, chair of the coalition for the HRC has earned our admiration and gratitude for her leadership in organizing effective public support for passage. We will now monitor the structure of the new commission, its leadership and staffing, and its effectiveness as we go forward.

Meanwhile, the State and Governor Pataki have appealed the Court’s ruling in favor of NOW in its lawsuit against the delays and denial of justice to claimants before the State’s HRC. The state has also requested an injunction against the court’s remedies to redress the delays until the appeal has been settled. The first scheduled hearing on the appeal has already been put off for six months without explanation. The New York City law firm of Raff and Becker continues the vigorous pro bono efforts in this landmark case.