Human Affairs Commission will present annual report to City Council as legal review continues on Human Relations Commission role

The Human Affairs and Race Reconciliation Commission will present its annual report to Charleston City Council on Jan. 28 after commissioners agreed to finalize a draft PowerPoint and memo for submission to the Clerk of Council by Jan. 21, Adrienne, staff member for the commission, said at the body’s first meeting of 2025.

The report, circulated to commissioners as a draft and stored in a shared Google Drive, will be a public document and commissioners discussed whether to include additional material on the Black Wall Street directory, the commission’s Human Affairs Working Group, and recent commentary on the Gaza conflict, Adrienne said. She asked commissioners who can attend the council presentation to indicate their availability so the Mayor’s Office can allocate sponsorship seats for the Martin Luther King Jr. business breakfast on Jan. 16.

The legal department has asked the commission to clarify a foundational question before the commission drafts a final recommendation: should the city pursue a community relations council model or an advisory-council model? That distinction, legal staff wrote and Adrienne summarized at the meeting, affects the commission’s operating model and the scope of its authority. Commissioners agreed Adrienne should prepare a decision memo with a recommended path and circulate it in time for debate at the commission’s February meeting.

Commissioners also confirmed a subcommittee will finalize the annual report and cover material and push the final packet to the Clerk no later than Jan. 21 so it can appear on council packets for the Jan. 28 meeting. Commissioners named a working group to support the Human Relations Commission decision process; membership was to be finalized after the meeting.

The manager’s report also included logistical items: Adrienne said the city, as a sponsor of the YWCA’s MLK business breakfast, has seats available and asked commissioners to indicate whether they had already purchased tickets.

What this means: The next steps are procedural and time‑sensitive. The commission must produce a clear recommendation for legal review about the form and authority of any Human Relations entity before it forwards a formal resolution to City Council. The timeline set at the meeting: (1) finalize the annual report draft and PowerPoint by Jan. 21; (2) present to council on Jan. 28; (3) Adrienne will deliver a decision memo recommending whether to pursue an advisory or a community relations model for legal to review ahead of February debate.

Commissioners and staff said they intend to return to the topic in February with a staff recommendation and proposed language for council consideration. No formal vote on the substance of the Human Relations Commission recommendation occurred at the meeting; the items were set for further work and a decision memo from staff.