Alfredo Hernandez Joins Michigan Department of Civil Rights as its First Racial Equity Officer

Lansing — Alfredo Hernandez has been named Racial Equity Officer with the Michigan Department of Civil Rights and will begin his duties today, January 16, 2018.

“The Department of Civil Rights looks forward to leveraging Alfredo’s experience in working on racial equity issues across the state. His background in working with local jurisdictions, foundations and other stakeholders offers our Department the opportunity to better assist local governments to be more responsive to the needs of their residents,” said Agustin V. Arbulu, MDCR Executive Director.

Hernandez comes to MDCR with a deep knowledge and understanding of racial equity. Previously, Hernandez served as the program director for the Lakeshore Ethnic Diversity Alliance, located in Holland, Michigan, which led him to develop and present training programs and consulting strategies to thousands of participants across the state and nationally. In 2016, Hernandez was part of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation-led national economy team, Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) enterprise, a multi-year national and community-based effort to engage multiple sectors across the United States in racial healing and addressing present-day inequities.

He holds a Masters of Art in Comparative Religion from Western Michigan University and a Bachelor’s Degree in liberal arts from Grand Valley State University.

Hernandez has taught philosophy, religion and anthropology courses at Muskegon Community College. Originally from Panama, he is a naturalized citizen, fluent in Spanish and worked as a medical interpreter for Mercy Health Partners.

The Michigan Department of Civil Rights is charged with investigating and resolving discrimination complaints and works to prevent discrimination through educational programs that promote voluntary compliance with civil rights laws. The Department also provides information and services to businesses on diversity initiatives and equal employment law.  For more information on the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, go to www.michigan.gov/mdcr.

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