The mission of the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, the operational arm of the Michigan Civil Rights Commission, is enshrined in the Michigan Constitution: to investigate alleged discrimination and to secure the equal protection of civil rights. The Department fulfills its mission by investigating and resolving complaints of discrimination and promoting voluntary compliance with civil rights laws. The Department extends its reach by building coalitions around common issues of concern and being a full partner in the functioning of state government.
Every eligible Michigan voter has civil rights that protect their access to the polls. To help voters understand these rights, the Michigan Department of Civil Rights has created a series of pocket guides that explain voting and civil rights protections in clear, factual terms.
You may file a complaint of discrimination using the online complaint form or by calling 1-800-482-3604.
We collectively acknowledge that Michigan’s state government, specifically the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, occupies the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary Lands of the Anishinaabek – the Three Fires Confederacy of Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi peoples. In particular, the Lansing office sits on land ceded in the 1819 Treaty of Saginaw. We recognize, support, and advocate for the sovereignty of the twelve federally-recognized Tribal nations who share geography with Michigan, for those Indigenous peoples who were forcibly removed from their homelands, for Indigenous individuals and Tribal communities who live here now, and for the next seven generations.
By offering this Land Acknowledgement, we affirm Indigenous sovereignty and affirm our agency’s commitment to upholding government to government relationships and collaborating with Native nations.
