Tennessee Human Rights Commission
Beverly L. Watts, Executive Director

Notification Begins to Borrowers Eligible for Payments from $21 Million Lending Discrimination Settlement Between the Department of Justice and SunTrust Mortgage, Inc. (United States v. SunTrust Mortgage, Inc. (E.D. Va., May 2012))

Independent Settlement Administrator Rust Consulting, Inc. on April 10, 2013 began mailing letters to borrowers whom the United States has identified as entitled to payments from the SunTrust Mortgage lending discrimination settlement fund. The letters notify recipients that they have been identified as victims, list the minimum payments they can receive, and include response forms.

Borrowers receiving letters must sign and mail their response form by May 29, 2013 to participate in the settlement. The response form is designed to be easy to complete, and it can be returned using the prepaid envelope enclosed with the letter. Later this year, the Settlement Administrator plans to mail a letter with the exact payment amount and a release form to those who return the response form. Individuals with questions about the United States v. SunTrust Mortgage, Inc. lending discrimination settlement may contact Rust, in English or Spanish, by telephone at 1-866-459-3633 or by email at info@stmortgagesettlement.com.

To learn more visit: http://www.stmortgagesettlement.com/ or http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/hce/documents/suntrust_notices_english.php

www.wellsfargodojconsentorder.com

Tennessee Human Rights Commission Honored with Equity Award from the City of Knoxville Dept. of Community Development

The Commission was honored to have
received an Equity Award for Excellence in Fair Housing Enforcement from the City of Knoxville's Department of Community Development. As part of National Community Development Week, the City of Knoxville's Department of Community Development hosted its first-ever Equity Awards Breakfast on April 4, 2013. The awards recognized the efforts of local individuals and groups in promoting accessibility, fairness and inclusion for all Knoxville residents in housing, the workplace and the community. To learn more about the Department of Community Development, the Award and the other honorees please visit: http://www.cityofknoxville.org/Press_Releases/Content/2013/0404.asp

Annual Employment Law Seminar in Nashville set for June 6, 2013
The highly anticipated Employment Law Seminar in Nashville is set to occur once again on June 6, 2013 at One Century Conference Center. Please watch for updates as we release the agenda and registration information.

Murfreesboro Roundtable set for May 7, 2013 at Bradley Academy Museum
The Commission is pleased to announce the final stop in this year's Roundtable series is Murfreesboro, TN. We will convene at Bradley Academy Museum to hear from participants about human rights issues facing the community. The Commission will present an overview of our laws, enforcement

The 2013 International Women’s Day Conference, “Empowering Women: Changing Lives,” held March 1 in Oak Ridge, was a day for celebrating the advancement of women but also for recognizing there is still work to be done. In a new initiative, the conference paused to recognize three honored guests from the East Tennessee area for their work for equality, civil and human rights.

THRC Commissioner Pat Pierce was recognized for her work as a strong advocate for equality in Tennessee and nationally. A retired administrator from Vanderbilt University, she is the immediate past chair of the Board of Commissioners of the Tennessee Human Rights Commission. She was also a delegate to the Vision 2020 Congress that, meeting at the Drexel University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, developed a national initiative to achieve pay equity, increase the number of women in senior leadership positions in American life and other goals by 23020, the centennial of the 19th Amendment. She serves as scholarship chair of the Tennessee Economic Council Foundation Board and member of the Nashville Sports Council Board of Directors.

In addition to Commissioner Pierce, the conference congratulated two individuals, Oak Ridgers Ruth Johnson Smiley and Elizabeth Peelle, for the honor they received at the recent 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Tennessee Human Rights Commission as Civil Rights Advocates.

Ruth was cited for furthering women’s rights and access to higher education as president on the state and local levels of the American Association of University Women. Elizabeth’s involvement has been constant for more than 50 years. One of her accomplishments was researching and writing the comprehensive “History of Segregation in Oak Ridge, 1943-1960,” during her service on the Oak Ridge Community Relations Council. To read more about these women’s contributions to the progress of human rights, visit our 50th Anniversary website and the Knoxville Celebration program.

Carolyn Dipboye of Women’s Interfaith Dialogue and a moving force in starting the local International Women’s Day celebrations remarked, “I can think of no better place (to honor these women’s accomplishments) than as a part of International Women’s Day.”

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