Building a partnership to benefit equity, access, and an understanding of civil rights!
As the agency responsible for enforcing the state's anti-discrimination laws, the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights (DCR) is committed to promoting equity and access and serving diverse audiences. We seek your help in ensuring that every resident of New Jersey understands their civil rights.
The DCR enforces the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (LAD), which is the first civil rights law in the United States. The LAD prohibits discrimination and bias-based harassment based on several protected classes in employment, housing, and public places. The protected categories under the LAD include disability, race, creed, color, national origin, nationality, ancestry, sex, pregnancy, breastfeeding, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, familial status, marital status, domestic partnership/civil union status, liability for military service, and in some cases atypical hereditary cellular or blood trait, genetic information, and age. We also enforce the New Jersey Family Leave Act and the Fair Chance in Housing Act.
We recognize that libraries are essential community centers, and we invite you to review, print, and post critical civil rights fact sheets on your bulletin boards. We have various fact sheets, including one-page overviews of:
- The Law Against Discrimination
- New Jersey Family Leave Act
- Fair Chance in Housing Act
- Age Discrimination
- Racial Steering in Housing
- LGBTQIA+ Student Rights
Our fact sheets are available in many languages, including Spanish, Chinese, Urdu, Russian, and Haitian Creole, on our website under the Resources tab.
We also invite you to schedule a "Know Your Rights" presentation for your audiences. These 1-hour presentations can be virtual or in-person. During the presentation, we will provide an overview of the Law Against Discrimination and the two other anti-discrimination laws that our office enforces, as well as the New Jersey Bias Investigation Access System. This online portal allows individuals to file a complaint related to bias-based harassment or discrimination with the DCR. We will also share information about CRU's initiatives, such as the Youth Ambassador Program, Student Art Competition, and volunteer Community Peacemaker Collaborative.
To learn more about DCR and explore how our work intersects with yours, please visit our website at www.njcivilrights.gov.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact [Email / (609) 960-2112] or Tee Leonardo-Santiago, Director of Outreach and Community Relations [Email / (609) 775-3682].
Thank you in advance for partnering with DCR to expand our outreach to every corner of the state. We look forward to collaborating with you to strengthen public engagement and raise awareness of civil rights protections.