Equality Illinois and Howard Brown Health Center both received the Governor's Human Rights Award Nov. 16 in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Illinois Human Rights Act.
'Even though it's a cloudy day, I think we know there is sunshine in our hearts,' said Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn. 'We have to have everybody in; nobody left out.' Quinn also urged the crowd to work together to remove barriers.
'This is a day that is worthy of the people who live and breathe civil rights every day,' said Rocco Claps, director of the Illinois Department of Human Rights.
The Illinois Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, and gender, in addition to other protections. On Jan. 1, 2006, sexual orientation will be added to the Act. The landmark legislation makes Illinois one of only 15 states to prohibit discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations based on sexual orientation. Illinois is also one of only five states to include protections against discrimination based on gender identity.
'Yes, we are still at the forefront, and we are needed more than ever,' Claps said.
Other recipients included the Bronzeville Children's Museum; Centro Sin Fronteras; Sam Harris, president of the Holocaust Memorial Foundation of Illinois; Hamdard Center for Health and Human Services; Diana Braun and Kathy Conour, Disability Movement Activists and Lobbyists; and The Metropolitan St. Louis Equal Housing Opportunity Council.