Human Affairs and Racial Conciliation Commission

Purpose

Charleston City Council established the Human Affairs and Racial Conciliation Commission (HARCC) on February 9, 2022. 

The purpose of HARCC is to promote equity, inclusion, and racial conciliation through meetings, presentations, and research regarding all forms of institutional and community discrimination and assist in implementing any recommendations from the mayor and council through its standing committees to the public, assist with education and implementation of any directive from council. 

Click here to view the full ordinance establishing HARCC.

The duties and responsibilities of the HARCC are to provide recommendations to the Mayor and City Council on the development of the racial equity framework.  Click here to view the Progress Report that includes the intersectionality for three areas: Economic Empowerment, Housing and Mobility, and Criminal Justice Reform.

Community Engagement

MOJA Arts Festival 2023, will be held September 28 - October 8, 2023; an annual celebration of Black arts and culture and the artistic contributions to the world, especially through African American and Caribbean legacies.  Festival events include visual arts, music, food, dance, poetry, theater, storytelling, traditional crafts and family activities.  Click here for more. 

The Gullah Geechee Heritage Preservation Project is a collaborative effort to support the documentation and preservation of historic Gullah Geechee Communities and their significant historic and cultural sites.  Click here for informational sessions.

Click here for The External Review and Assessment of Charleston Police Department Racial Bias Audit Implementation community forums.

  • For the Racial Bias Audit survey click here.

Members

  • Councilmember Stephen Bowden
  • Councilmember Jason Sakran
  • Councilmember Michael Seekings
  • Bonnie Cleveland, PhD, ABPP
  • Carroll Frye
  • Jerome Harris
  • Carol Jackson
  • Alvin Johnson
  • Kim Long
  • Marie Delcioppo
  • Robert B. Simons
  • Adam Shoemaker, D.Min.
  • Tom Orth

Meetings

Watch the meetings of the Human Affairs and Racial Conciliation Commission on the city's YouTube page and view meeting agendas here.